Prelude in C — reimagined in C G D G B C

Originally by J.S. Bach (solo keyboard, BWV 846) Tuning used here C G D G B C (Michael Hedges' "Rickover's Dream" tuning) Key idea the piece that later became Gounod's Ave Maria, refretted in a Hedges original

This isn't a guitar piece at all. Bach wrote this for solo keyboard, and it's essentially just a sequence of arpeggiated chords — one broken chord per bar, which is exactly why it's such a clean fit here. This page takes the well-known condensed chord reading of the opening (the same skeleton Gounod later set his "Ave Maria" melody over) and refrets it in Michael Hedges' own C G D G B C tuning.

The opening moves from the tonic through a ii–V–I in C, out to vi–ii–V of the dominant, and back home — the same smooth, stepwise voice-leading that's made this the most recognizable "just chords" piece in the classical repertoire.

C→ Dm7→ G7→ C→ Am→ D7→ G→ C

This is the widely-cited condensed reading of the opening bars, not a literal transcription of every broken-chord note — open it below to hear each real shape in C G D G B C.

This tuning isn't in the free plan. Unlock Pro to dial in C G D G B C and hear the real changes remixed.

Remix with Open—Shape

Every chord verified against the app's own voicing engine in the real C G D G B C tuning.