Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is one of the most well-known pieces of music ever composed. In fact, if you ask anyone to hum a melody from Beethoven, chances are, they will automatically hum that iconic “Ta Ta Ta Taan – Ta Ta Ta Taan”. Naturally, all sorts of musicians have decided to create all types of renditions. We looked for the best ones and this is what we found.
David Garret – Violinist
This talented violinist plays a very modern version of the 5th, with drums and electric guitars as accompaniment. He uses the main theme and from there he improvises on his violin.
One Man, One Violin
This video is really fun to watch. Sal plays 7 different parts with his violin and edits them to be played together. This takes a lot of coordination and practice. In this video, he plays the first movement of the symphony and stays as true to the original sound as possible. He also wears a weird fake beard!
Kelly Valleau – Guitar
The version of this guitar player is quite relaxing. Even the heavily charged chord of Beethoven sound like mediation when played in a classical guitar. He plays the first movement of the symphony.
Drums
I found two versions that are worth including. One is by A-Yon, a known percussionist that works with Yamaha. Her version is based on an electric version of the symphony.
The other one is from a percussionist called Nick Letizio. His videos are homemade but his version is outstanding. He plays it with the original version and uses a very different approach. This last one is personally my favorite.
The Cellos
Of course, the cellos make this list as creative and funny. 2CELLOS mixed the main theme of Beethoven’s Fifth with Whole Lotta Love, and the result is fantastic!
This version is really funny, as the cellists struggle through the piece. It’s performed my cellists David Geringas and Joel Blido in 2014. It starts off with the theme of the Fifth Symphony and intertwines other melodies.
Metallica
Ok, Metallica is by far one of the coolest bands out there, and when they used the theme of the Fifth Symphony in their song, it just proved that their music is simply awesome. They use the theme throughout the song mixed with their own melody.
Ukulele
The ukulele has become ever popular in modern music so there are ukulele covers of most genres of music out there. This live performance of Beethoven’s Fifth is quite unique and includes singing (wailing?) of all things.
Dubstep
There are dubstep versions of most songs including of course the famous Fifth Symphony by Beethoven.
Salsa?
Yup, Even Latin Americans appreciate taking their piece into their own hands. This rendition of the Fifth Symphony in the rhythm of salsa will have you dancing in no time!
Disco
Beethoven’s Fifth never sounded so funky and groovy! Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” is true to the music but in a very smooth style. Take out the disco ball and shine a light on this version!
Steve Vai
Metallica isn’t the only group that gave the piece a rock feel. Steve Vai uses his electric guitar to bring the theme to life. He stays more true to the melody, and the style isn’t as heavy.
Carmel-A-Capella
This A Capella group does an amazing job of portraying the symphony with their voices. The sound is clean and soft. They use their hands to create a percussion effect to accompany their voices.
There are many different version online because it is such a famous piece. Which one is your favorite? Is there a version we should include? Let us know!
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