Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 1 as a warmup exercise

[florestan9]

Does anyone else use this etude for warmup before practicing?  I've found that it really gets the blood flowing to the right hand.  I started working on it about two months ago and have gotten through about three pages, at a speed of around 120 (I don't have a metronome with me so this is an estimate).  I found that dividing it up into sections of 8 measures each and working through the piece in this way is working out fairly well, along with practicing in rhythms to get the motion and grouping of the right hand notes down (there are some really nasty measures).  The downside is that I can only work on it for about 20-30 minutes at a time, otherwise I would probably destroy my hand after a few weeks... 

[chopinfan_22]

Etudes are studies. Studies are meant to develop technique and if desired, be used as warm ups. Once I've gone through them, I intend on using his Op. 10 No. 1, Op. 10 No. 12, Op. 25 No. 2, Op. 25 No. 11, and Op. 25 No. 12 etudes as warmups. Not to mention that they are some of my favorite pieces.

[mcgillcomposer]

Does anyone else use this etude for warmup before practicing?  I've found that it really gets the blood flowing to the right hand.  I started working on it about two months ago and have gotten through about three pages, at a speed of around 120 (I don't have a metronome with me so this is an estimate).  I found that dividing it up into sections of 8 measures each and working through the piece in this way is working out fairly well, along with practicing in rhythms to get the motion and grouping of the right hand notes down (there are some really nasty measures).  The downside is that I can only work on it for about 20-30 minutes at a time, otherwise I would probably destroy my hand after a few weeks... 

I agree...I find this étude to be particularly effective for warming-up the hands.

[gruffalo]

what about the left hand?

[mcgillcomposer]

what about the left hand?

HAHA!  That's all I can say...good point...I just use it to get myself moving in the morning

[mike_lang]

.

[pianogeek_cz]

Op10 no12

Yep.

[pmwpmw]

I am very interested in this etude and have performed it in public dozens of times, including my first recital last November - I sold 28 tickets. I think it is key to building speed. I have a lot of ideas if people are interested in practice ideas. By the way, I have small hands and am left handed.

[pianoplayjl]

it could be used as an arpeggio exercise.

[starstruck5]

I sometimes wonder if Chopin hated pianists, and these etudes are proof! 

I find it amazing that anyone can play op 10 No 1 as a warm-up - !!!! I prefer to start off a bit more gently - sprinters don't warm up by going even half as quick - they do bends and squats and little jogs for a while first.

[fleetfingers]

I have been using the first page of this etude as a warmup (that's all I've learned of it so far). I loop back to the beginning and play that first page several times. It's been a great starter to my piano practice; not only to warm up the fingers, but also to activate my brain.

[pianosaremusic]

Chopin Etudes are meant to be exercises, but because of the level of difficulty they are, they are not necessarily recommended to be played as warm-up pieces.

I have used the Chopin Etude No. 1 many, many times as my warm-up piece. I have played both the opus 10 and opus 25 complete sets of etudes and you need to be careful. I have warmed-up (more like try to improve my technique) by playing all opus 25 etudes through since they are more intense than the opus 10 ones, and to a certain extent it was okay, but after about a week of doing this sort of exercise, my hands just couldn't take it. I still use etudes as warm-ups, but normally not to the point where my hands feel like they cannot go any further.

If you are interested in more left-hand etudes: check out Godowsky's versions of these etudes- they are predominantly for the left hand or opposite of the original etude I believe. His version of Etude 4 is quite interesting- left hand only.

Right-Hand Etudes: almost all of the etudes are for the right-hand
I'm going by etude number here, hope you can follow: #1,2,5,7,8,10,14,17,18,20,21,23

Left-Hand Etudes: 9,12

Musical Etudes: 3,6,13,19

Both Hand Etudes: 4,11,15,16,22,24

Make sure to be careful! And a tip, don't try practicing 21-24 in a row without breaks. It's a pain and I only do it when I'm sure that I won't mind the pain Unless, of course, you have professional technique...

Another thing, the first etude does not have any arpeggios- they are NOT arpeggios since they are not linked together the entire way up and down...

[pianoplayjl]

etude op 25 no 1 would be an arpegio exercise.