Music Theory

4 Magical Lord of the Rings Songs to Learn (From Hobbits to Wizards)

Starting the path of musical education is rather a dangerous business. As Bilbo said to Frodo, “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” And that’s what we love most about learning to play movie music. From the first time […]

Musicnotes

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Magical Music

Starting the path of musical education is rather a dangerous business. As Bilbo said to Frodo, “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” And that’s what we love most about learning to play movie music. From the first time you find middle C to when your fingers begin to fly to the notes of Rachmaninoff, learning to play the music that makes your heart sing is ever an adventure. Sheet music of various levels can teach you how to play Lord of the Rings music on piano and other instruments, whether you’re a hobbit just beginning your journey or a wizard of notes.

Following the Music to Middle Earth

The sound of cinema has been its music from the medium’s earliest days. Beginning with the Lumiere brothers, a film’s score sets the mood and tone, propels the action and explicates the emotional complexity of each scene. Even the absence of music becomes a statement of sorts. In some films, particularly in the epic and fantasy genres, the scores encourage the suspension of disbelief so important to audience immersion in the story. Howard Shore‘s compositions for the Lord of the Rings trilogy capture J.R.R. Tolkien’s juxtaposition of inward-facing hobbits with the ethereal beauty of the elves and the deep darkness of Mordor.

4 Pieces of Lord of the Rings Music To Travel Again With Frodo and Sam

The Lord of the Rings is, at its heart, a classic hero’s journey. As Joseph Campbell discusses in his book “Hero With a Thousand Faces,” the path to true victory for a hero is often an actual journey through which the protagonist must experience unknown worlds and transform into a new person. Lovers of the Lord of the Rings films can revisit the cherished scenes along this heroic path by learning these four pieces from Howard Shore’s magical score.

1. Concerning Hobbits

Frodo and Sam, the heroes of the Lord of the Rings, experience the wonders of Middle Earth as we would: Ultimately astonished by their own parts in the epic tale they are living, they remain the eyes through which we experience the narrative. Shore’s theme, “Concerning Hobbits,” captures the gentle earthly spirits of these small people while celebrating their fierce loyalty and humble courage in the face of unthinkable danger. Hobbits are the centerpiece of an incredible story, and their theme is the heart of all of the Lord of the Rings music. Even easy piano versions of “Concerning Hobbits” paint a picture of these silly, stout-hearted hobbits as they travel bravely to Mordor, passing through the glittering cities of the elves and the dark delvings of the dwarves.

2. May It Be

Enya‘s haunting vocal style flawlessly encapsulates the sense of ancient wisdom and ageless beauty inherent to Tolkien’s elves. Her critically acclaimed song, “May It Be” is a relatively simple composition with a backdrop of strings and choir, but the lilting minor notes are nearly mystical in their loveliness. Beginners can learn how to play Lord of the Rings music on piano with this piece, as the uncomplicated melody remains poignant in simplicity. More experienced musicians, however, can extend their ranges with intermediate arrangements or even duets to weave a tapestry of elvish starlight and music.

3. In Dreams

As Frodo and Sam look ahead along the long, lonely road to Mordor; as Merry and Pippin are carried away by Orcs; as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli hunt those orcs to rescue the captured hobbits; as we all grieve the loss of the valiant Boromir, the quiet melody of “In Dreams” expresses our sorrows, our hopes and our fears. The gentle theme embodies so many of the complexities of the film’s narrative, although its intrinsic simplicity makes it suitable for a wide range of solo instruments. Playing this piece of Lord of the Rings music will carry you along the river with Frodo and Sam as they drift away from the Middle Earth that they know and ever closer to the land “where the shadows lie.”

4. The Lord of the Rings Suite

For the complete experience of the Lord of the Rings, a piano solo that narrates the full storyline seems just about perfect. Mark Fowler’s piano arrangement of the Suite features pieces by Howard Shore, Enya, Roma Ryan and Nicky Ryan. The nine-page arrangement will challenge an intermediate player, but it’s worth the effort, as the Suite includes indelible melodies from some of the most poignant moments in the films:

For an advanced or virtuosic pianist, Leiki Ueda’s arrangement of “The Lord of the Rings Suite” will carry your spirit down the road from quiet Hobbiton, through peaceful Rivendell, through the wild grasses with the Riders of Rohan, to the return of the king and, at last, to the Grey Havens and the west. When you learn how to play Lord of the Rings music on piano like this, you’ll always be able to walk with Frodo and Sam from the beginning of the road to “the end of all things” and then back again.

Coming Back Again To Lord of the Rings Music

After Sam attended Frodo on his final journey to the Grey Havens, he returned to his peaceful home in Hobbiton with Rosie and their children. He settled himself in and said, “Well, I’m back.” For those of us in love with Tolkien’s books and Peter Jackson’s films, it’s a phrase we can appreciate in myriad ways, not least because we so often return to our favorite Lord of the Rings music to experience the journey time and again. When you learn how to play this on piano, strings, brass or woodwind, you can enjoy Bilbo’s birthday party, flee from the Black Riders, stand in awe of Galadriel and “live happily ever after to the end of their days” right along with our heroes. Find sheet music for the magical Lord of the Rings songs you love at Musicnotes.