Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (animated score, 1st mvt.) piano solo

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: Can I get free sheet music for this piece?
A: Yes, you can download the score shown in the video from here:
http://www.musanim.com/pdf/BeethovenMoonlightSonata_mvt1.pdf

Q: What do the colors in the bar-graph score mean?
A: The colors indicate the "pitch class" of the notes; that is, every C# is a certain color (blue), every E is a certain color (olive green), etc. The piece is in the key of C# minor, so there's lots of blue and green, especially at the beginning and end. The choice of colors is based on the "circle of fifths," which you can read about here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths
This method of coloring notes is described more here:
http://www.musanim.com/mam/pfifth.htm
Because this form of coloring reflects tonality, the places where the piece moves into another key are easily visible; here's a picture of the whole piece:
http://www.musanim.com/img/FuerEliseWholePiece.gif
BTW, the colors are more distinct in the high-quality version of the video.

Q: What did this sheet music look like back in Beethoven's time?
A: Here is a facsimile of the first edition, printed in 1802.
http://www.musanim.com/pdf/BeethovenMoonlightFirstEdition.pdf

Q: What do the light/dark areas in the bar-graph score show?
A: They show the effect of the damper pedal.

Q: What do the x's in the score mean?
A: Those are double-sharps. A sharp goes up one semitone (F to F-sharp) and a double sharp goes up two semitones (F to F-double-sharp, same key on the piano as G).

Q: Who is playing? Who are you? How long have you been playing the piano?
A: See this:
http://www.musanim.com/faq/whoareyou.html

Q: Is there a way I could make the bar-graph scores myself?
A: The Music Animation Machine MIDI file player will generate this display; you can get the (Windows) software here:
http://www.musanim.com/player/
There are lots of places on the web where you can get MIDI files; I usually go to the Classical Archives site first:
http://www.classicalarchives.com/

Q: You said "it's well documented that different synesthetes have different associations." Where is this documented? I read on Wikipedia that "synesthetes, as a group, share significant preferences for the color of each letter."
A: It's true that there are some patterns in the associations synesthetes make between colors and letters (or numerals, pitches, etc.), but the Wikipedia article is misleading in suggesting that there's anything approaching a unanimity of opinion. On this page, I'm collecting some references and pointers to research so that you can draw your own conclusions based on the data:
http://www.musanim.com/synesthesia/

Q: Could you please do a MAM video of _________?
A: Please read this:
http://www.musanim.com/all/MAMRequests.html
.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• piano
• animation
• sonata
• sheet
• music
• moonlight
• beethoven

[jani14jani]

Did you work as a concert pianist before you started doing your animations?

I am just curious because you have really wide knowledge about classical music.

[smalin]

@jani14jani I started piano lessons as a child, got my college degree in music theory and composition; I worked briefly as a rehearsal pianist for vocal groups at the University of California at Berkeley.

[goodnitemama]

Did you learn specifically to play with a 2-4-5 fingering in your right hand at the beginning (and other random locations), or is that what was more comfortable with you? Were you told that the thumb would produce too much of an accent to use a 1-2-4 (or 1-3-5) fingering? I personally find it easier to start with 1-2-4, just because I use it later once the melody comes in. But otherwise, you sounded wonderful. :)

[smalin]

@goodnitemama I'm not thinking about my fingers (let alone what fingering I'm using) when I'm playing a piece like this; I'm just thinking about the sound of the music. My last piano lesson was more than forty years ago, and I developed most of my technique on my own after that, so it wasn't a matter of being told what to do, but rather of trying things and listening critically to the result. The technical part is all pretty much unconscious now.

[cmt4eva]

Hey, I'm 13 and I get up to like 0:35 and I just get so confused. You make it look crazily easy! Hopefully by studying this video I can learn to play it all the way through

Inspirational, this'll help me a lot.

Thanks :)

[ramunicorno721]

Thanks for uploading this! I'm learning it right now for a performance! This is my favorite piece by Beethoven!

[macdem1000]

Cheers for uploading this...I'm attempting to learn it at the moment and this is really usful :)

[eyePWNThisChannel]

@RianeBane you should really study up on the works of not only beethoven, but also many others that are being misinterpreted... You are also wrong about it being named moonlight sonata... that came much later...

[Catfishhunter2013]

is this song hard to play

[adannalan]

oh my god.. great... i want to learning how to play a piano like you man...

you is a inspiration for me.. thanks..

[LtDrg35]

this gave us i i want you shes so heavy by the beatles!