etudes that address an unusual technical difficulty

[stevie]

having studied some of saint-saens' op52 etudes, i noticed that a couple of the etudes offer technical difficulties different to the usual 'octaves, scales' stuff.

there is a finger independance etude, which deals with voicing - seperating the volume of different notes in a chord, and also a rhythm etude which deals with playing 3 againts 2 and 2 against 3 even in the same hand, quite interesting.

any other notable etudes out there that deal with unusual difficulties?

[pita bread]

Messiaen - 4 Rhythm Etudes - self explanatory

Stravinsky - 4 Etudes - focuses on polyrhythms

Scriabin - 8 Etudes Op. 42 - 6 of the etudes are highly polyrhythmic, most are just freakishly difficult

Scriabin - 3 Etudes Op. 65 - #1 is a study in 9ths, #2 in 7ths, #3 in 5ths

Bartok - 3 Etudes Op. 18 - #1 study of wide stretches, #2 arpeggios and parallel 5ths, #3 endless 16th notes?

Debussy - 12 Etudes - Five finger exercise, 3rds, 4ths, 6ths, octaves, no thumbs, chromatics, ornaments, repeated notes/articulation, control, arpeggios, chord leaps

[mlsmithz]

Alkan's 12 Etudes in the Minor Keys seem to address the technical issue of making one's hands fall off at the wrists! (Well, except for the slow movement of the symphony, which addresses playing staccato and sustained notes in the same hand at the same time and doesn't make one's hands fall off.) I would have mentioned the Scriabin had I not been beaten to it (my personal favourite Scriabin etude, Op.42 No.8, pits 5 notes in the right hand against 3 in the left hand in the E-flat major sections and uncomfortable chords in the B major section).  And then Chopin's three 'Moscheles' etudes address 4 against 3 (F minor), 3 against 2 (A-flat major), and legato and staccato in the same hand at the same time (D-flat major).

[dlu]

Basically all of the Ligeti Etudes...