Piano songs · Beginner
Joy to the World on piano
Joy to the World starts with the easiest possible idea: a whole scale, walking straight down. Here's the carol with both hands.
The tune in letter names, lit as it plays. Right hand in peach, left hand in lilac. Turn off "Both hands" to hear the tune alone.
About the piece
The words are Isaac Watts's, from 1719; the tune, called "Antioch", was arranged by Lowell Mason in 1839, who credited it to Handel because it echoes phrases from Messiah. It's one of the most-published Christmas hymns in North America.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: D C♯ B A G F♯; E D A B B C♯; C♯ D D D C♯ B A A G A D D C♯ B; A A G F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ F♯ G A; G F♯ E E E E F♯ G; F♯ E D D B A G F♯ G F♯; E D. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, then slow it down with the speed slider and play with it.
How to learn it
- The opening is a scale: D, C♯, B, A, G, F♯, E, D, straight down. Use the D major scale fingering.
- Two sharps: F♯ and C♯. Everything else is a white key.
- The long-short at the start ("Joy to the") gives it its bounce.
- The repeated notes in the middle ("and heaven and nature sing") pass between voices; take them slowly.
Learning Joy to the World? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the first notes of Joy to the World?
In D major: D, C♯, B, A, G, F♯, E, D: the D major scale, going down.
Is Joy to the World easy on piano?
Yes: it starts with a scale and stays in D major throughout.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.