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Canon in D: guitar chords and tab for beginners
Germany, about 1680
Canon in D
by Johann Pachelbel
- Tempo
- 66beats per minute
- Count
- 4beats in each bar
- Key
- C majorthe home note
- Level
- 1 of 3easiest
Level 1. Strum one chord per beat. Start here.
Chord names above, strum arrows below. Down arrow = strum down toward the floor, up arrow = back up.
Hold this chord
Coming up: G
How to read it
- Red cross: don’t play that string. Skip it when you strum.
- Green circle: play that string open, with no finger on it.
- Number: press there with that finger. 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.
- Letters: the strings, thickest (low E) on the left to thinnest (high e) on the right.
Space bar plays and pauses. Left and right arrows jump a bar.
The chords
The chords in Canon in D
5 chords, open shapes apart from F: C, G, Am, Em, F. 4 beats in each bar, 66 beats per minute, in C major.
C major
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →G major
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →A minor
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →E minor
2 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →F major
barre, 4 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →
In words: C major is x 3 2 0 1 0. G major is 3 2 0 0 0 3. A minor is x 0 2 2 1 0. E minor is 0 2 2 0 0 0. F major is 1 3 3 2 1 1 (finger 1 flat across fret 1). Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.
About the song
Pachelbel wrote this around 1680 and it was almost forgotten for two centuries. Its eight-chord loop is now the most borrowed progression in pop music. We play it in C so every chord is an open shape; the original is in D, which needs barre chords.
Questions people ask
- What chords are in Canon in D?
- Five chords: C, G, Am, Em and F. F needs a finger laid flat across the neck, which is the hard part of this one.
- What key is Canon in D in?
- C major. The key control on this page moves it up or down, and tells you where to put a capo so you can keep the same easy shapes.
- Is Canon in D easy to play on guitar?
- It is one of the harder songs here: five chords at 66 beats per minute. Slow it to 50 percent, and try Ode to Joy and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star first if it fights back.
- What is the strumming pattern for Canon in D?
- Six strums in each bar: down, down, up, up, down, up. There are 4 beats in every bar. The arrows above the chord boxes move with the sound, so you can see the pattern as you hear it.
- How do I play Canon in D on guitar?
- Three ways on this page, all from the same arrangement. Chords mode strums one chord at a time, Melody mode picks the tune from the tab, and Fingerstyle mode plays the bass with your thumb under the tune. Start in Chords mode at 60 percent speed.
- Who wrote Canon in D?
- Johann Pachelbel. Germany, about 1680. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.
Learn more
How to read guitar tabs
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Standard guitar tuning
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, thick string to thin.
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