Order of etudes

[BuyBuy]

Is there any recommanded order to develop you technique through etudes ?

I've been told that as you advance technically and musically, this order of etudes is pretty much efficient :

- Czerny (the last ones having to be among op.740)
- Moszkowski op.72
- Chopin
- Liszt Paganini
- Liszt Concert etudes
- Liszt trascendental
- others (Rachmaninoff, Scriabin...)

Do you guys think it works this way ? Should one be well prepared with the Chopin before even attempting any of the Liszt ones ?

[eddie92099]

Absolutely not. I have not thoroughly learned a Chopin etude yet have learned Liszt and Rachmaninov ones,
Ed

[allchopin]

i have learned chopin and couldnt care less about czerny.  Just dont attempt the transcendental etudes unless you feel confident (or just want to have some fun)

[BuyBuy]

The Czerny was at school, I don't do it anymore, because of the non musical aspect.

I've done some Moszkowski, but I'm intimidated by Chopin or Liszt. I consider them very hard and don't know if I'd be able to play them. Which ones do you think should I attempt first in the Chopin, Liszt, or whoever else ?

[Ktari]

I think Chopin's Op. 10 No. 9 is considered one of his easiest etudes. ^^

[allchopin]

heh i play that one.... its pretty easy, but only relative to the others....
Anyway, the 5 easiest Chopin etudes are:
- #11 Op 10
- #6 Op 10
- #7 Op 10
- #9 Op. 25
- either #8 Op. 25 or the above (#9 Op. 10)
these dont include the nouvelle which are even easier.
(btw, do you write Op first, of the number first?
like #1 Op. 2   or    Op. 2 #1)
which is correct?

[BuyBuy]

It's usually op. first, then nº.

How about the Liszt. Can anyone grade them in difficulty (all of them mixed : Paganini, Concert, Trascendental) ?

[eddie92099]

The Liszt etudes are musically and technically easier than the Chopin ones (with the exception of Liszt's first versions for these pieces which were later revised),
Ed

[Leporello]

heh i play that one.... its pretty easy, but only relative to the others....
Anyway, the 5 easiest Chopin etudes are:
- #11 Op 10
- #6 Op 10
- #7 Op 10
- #9 Op. 25
- either #8 Op. 25 or the above (#9 Op. 10)
these dont include the nouvelle which are even easier.
(btw, do you write Op first, of the number first?
like #1 Op. 2   or    Op. 2 #1)
which is correct?

Are you serious?  Do you seriously find the Opus 10 Number 7 Etude (the C major "Toccata" etude) to be among the easiest?  I would have imagined it to be a particularly nasty etude, considering the repeated notes in the alto and the fast pace of this piece.  Or did you mean Opus 25 Number 7?

And did you mean Opus 25 Number 8 or another one?  Opus 25 Number 8 is the Sixths etude, another very hairy one.

[allchopin]

oops yes, i meant #7 Op. 25.
Yes, this is the sixths etude, but i think that it is easier than most.  What would you say is #5 in the list?

[Leporello]

oops yes, i meant #7 Op. 25.
Yes, this is the sixths etude, but i think that it is easier than most.  What would you say is #5 in the list?

I disagree.  Parallel sixths are never easy to play, especially at the pace of this etude.  Also, the sixths etude can severely damage your hand if you don't practice it properly.

If you have large hands, I would say that Opus 10 Number 9 beats them all in terms of easiness.  Otherwise, I'd say it would be Opus 25 Number 2.

[sel]

Well I don't know about Liszt's transcendental etudes being easier than Chopin's. At least it can be said that no transcendental etude is (technically) easier than some of Chopin's (such as op 10 no 6 and 7). Also, feux follets gives me more trouble than anything from Chopin's op 10.

If you're wanting to learn a Liszt etude I would recommend Ab Irato, which is not terribly difficult and short enough so as not to multilate you before finishing (such as chopin's op 25 no 11). As a side note, my small hands make op 10 no 9 harder than most etudes, i hate those stretches.

[BoliverAllmon]

but I'm intimidated by Chopin or Liszt. I consider them very hard and don't know if I'd be able to play them.

Don't be intimidated. They are just notes on a page. Study the piece out. Take the sheet music and notice broken chords. It may take a while, but dictate the name of the notes allowed at a slow pace in the rhythmn of the piece. When you do this for a couple of times, the piece becomes so much easier to play. Don't worry about it. Try them, you never know how good you can do them until you try.

boliverallmon

[trunks]

To be fair, each etude of Chopin and Liszt has some areas of technical demand. Call Chopin Op.10 No.9 easy? Not at all for small hands. Call Liszt's Transcendentals hard? Not quite for No.3 (Paysage) technically at all, but to effectively bring out the music from it is quite another story . . .

Oh Czerny? In short - boredom. Dog boring! Even Op.821 that I have used myself, and still using on my serious pupils, because they are quite good for developing a good touch and technique.