Piano songs · Early intermediate
Prelude in C on piano
Bach's Prelude in C is one shape, a broken chord, repeated through every bar, while the harmony slowly changes underneath. Learn the shape once and the whole piece opens up. Here are the first eight bars.
this song
Prelude in C sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: C major, 4/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
It's the first piece in The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (BWV 846), which Bach completed in 1722: a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key. In 1853 Charles Gounod wrote a melody to sing over it, his famous Ave Maria.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: G C E G C E G C E G C E; A D F A D F A D F A D F; G D F G D F G D F G D F; G C E G C E G C E G C E; A E A A E A A E A A E A; F♯ A D F♯ A D F♯ A D F♯ A D; G D G G D G G D G G D G; E G C E G C E G C E G C. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- One shape per bar: the left hand plays two notes and holds them; the right hand plays three notes, twice. Then the whole bar again.
- Think in chords: before you play each bar, put all five notes down together as a chord. Then break it up.
- Even, quiet, flowing: no note louder than the others. It should sound like a harp.
- Hold the left hand: the left hand's notes last through the bar while the right hand moves.
Learning Prelude in C on a real piano? 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
Is Bach's Prelude in C easy?
It's one of the most approachable pieces in the classical repertoire: one pattern per bar and no fast passages. The challenge is evenness.
What is the Ave Maria that goes with it?
Charles Gounod's 1853 Ave Maria is a melody written to be sung or played over Bach's prelude.
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.