Easy Für Elise on Piano: The Main Theme in Letter Notes
This is the tune everyone knows from Beethoven's Für Elise, the first 12 bars, with the right hand only. The whole sheet fits on 25 keys, so you can play it on a phone turned sideways, a tablet or a computer. Press Play on Piano to open it on the keyboard and follow along one note at a time. If you want both hands and the whole piece, there is a full Für Elise page.
Easy Für Elise letter notes
Each line is one bar. One beat is a sixteenth note: letters separated by a space are one beat each, and a || holds the note for three beats. Capital letters are black keys, so hold Shift.
Ludwig van Beethoven · 53 notes · Playable on 25+ keys
Play on PianoThe opening tune (bars 1–8)
f D
f D f a d s
p || t u p
a || u O a
s || u f D
f D f a d s
p || t u p
a || u s a
p || a s dThe second tune (bars 9–12)
f || o g f
d || i f d
s || u d s
a || u fNote names and keys, bar by bar
If you read note names rather than letters, this table gives both. The first row is the two-note pickup before bar 1, and the numbers after the note names show the octave: C4 is middle C.
| Bar | Note names | Computer keys |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | E5 D#5 | f D |
| 1 | E5 D#5 E5 B4 D5 C5 | f D f a d s |
| 2 | A4 C4 E4 A4 | p t u p |
| 3 | B4 E4 G#4 B4 | a u O a |
| 4 | C5 E4 E5 D#5 | s u f D |
| 5 | E5 D#5 E5 B4 D5 C5 | f D f a d s |
| 6 | A4 C4 E4 A4 | p t u p |
| 7 | B4 E4 C5 B4 | a u s a |
| 8 | A4 B4 C5 D5 | p a s d |
| 9 | E5 G4 F5 E5 | f o g f |
| 10 | D5 F4 E5 D5 | d i f d |
| 11 | C5 E4 D5 C5 | s u d s |
| 12 | B4 E4 E5 | a u f |
How to play the main theme
Start with the turn at the very beginning: E, D#, E, D#, E, B, D, C and then A, which in letter notes is f D f D f a d s p. Use the fifth and fourth fingers for the E and D#, and let the thumb take the A when the hand drops down. Listen to it at 0.75x speed first, then play it in practice mode, which waits for each key.
In bar 2 the A is held for three beats, then C, E and A climb back up from the middle of the keyboard. Bar 3 holds a B before E, G# and B; the G# is the capital O. Bar 4 finishes with a low E, then the high E and D# that lead straight back to the start, and bars 5 to 8 repeat the opening with a new ending.
Bar 7 ends on C and B instead of G# and B, and bar 8 climbs A, B, C and D into the second tune. In bars 9 to 12 each bar opens with a long note and then drops and returns: E G F E, D F E D, C E D C, and last B E E. Look at the keys for the drops to G, F and E, because they are the part that catches people out.
What this easy version leaves out
It is the right hand only. The left hand's broken chords, the contrasting B and C sections and the return of the opening tune are all on the full page. Letter notes cannot write a rest, so where the score has an A followed by a short rest, the sheet simply holds the A for three beats. The sheet stops at the high E in bar 12; the original goes on with octave leaps that need a wider keyboard, so go back to the start and play the tune again.
The notes and rhythm were read from the Mutopia Project's public domain edition of the 1888 Breitkopf & Härtel score, taking the right hand of the first 12 bars. See credits and attribution. If you spot a wrong note, email support@screenpiano.com.
Where to go next
When the tune feels comfortable, add the left hand with the full Für Elise in letter notes. The piano chord chart shows the A minor and E major chords that the left hand plays under this melody, and the other easy piano songs with letter notes are a good place to practise reading the sheet. You can also open the ScreenPiano virtual piano and play freely.
Easy Für Elise questions
Which keys do I need for the easy Für Elise?
25 keys. The sheet runs from middle C (C4) up to F5, and the 25-key layout in Settings covers C4 to C6. On a phone, turn it sideways; on a tablet or computer it fits easily. Two black keys are used, D# and G#, which are the capital letters D and O: hold Shift while you press them.
Why does this version have no left hand?
So you can learn the tune first. The left hand in the score plays broken chords under the melody, and adding them at the same time is the hard part. When the right hand feels steady, the full Für Elise page has both hands written together.
How do I keep the quick E and D# even?
Slow down before you speed up. Set Listen to 0.75x to hear an even pulse, then use practice mode, which waits for each key. Keep your hand still over the two keys and let the fifth and fourth fingers do the rocking, instead of moving the whole hand.