Easiest Chopin Etude?

[henrah]

I haven't learnt any fully, and only slightly experimented with some, but 25/5 seems like it would be the easiest to me as I quite like the 2-5 down to 1 movement so I'm thinking of learning it. Also the arppeggio segment seems fairly simple, yet I'm sure that Chopin makes it quite difficult

Which has been the easiest for you guys to learn? Keep in mind that I'm asking about one that was the easiest to learn when you already had the technique involved, and one that was the easiest to learn when you had to learn the technique required.

All self-opinions, so no proclaiming that your own is the best please.
Henrah

[franz_]

The slower ones (don't now the number, was it 7?) And 25/2 is not that hard, 10/9 is not that hard to. Or the first 'nouvelle etude'.

[henrah]

Nouvelle etude? This has never come across me before, might you explain some more about it or the group that you're talking about when you say first?

[franz_]

Nouvelle etude? This has never come across me before, might you explain some more about it or the group that you're talking about when you say first?

Chopin wrote 24 preludes (op. 10 and op. 25). But he has 3 etudes, called the 'nouvelles etudes' - 'new etudes'. Op. posth.  The first one is in F minor I believe.

[henrah]

I think you mean '24 etudes' lol, but thanks for the info! Any possibility of a link to the score of either one of the three 'nouvelles etudes'?

[kelly_kelly]

www.sheetmusicarchive.net

25-1 is the first I'm playing properly- are there any others of a contrasting mood at a similar level (this is for an upcoming recital)?

[henrah]

Oo, that's another thing Kelly, cheers for bringing it up.


What etudes contrast well together?

[bearzinthehood]

I haven't learnt any fully, and only slightly experimented with some, but 25/5 seems like it would be the easiest to me as I quite like the 2-5 down to 1 movement so I'm thinking of learning it. Also the arppeggio segment seems fairly simple, yet I'm sure that Chopin makes it quite difficult

Which has been the easiest for you guys to learn? Keep in mind that I'm asking about one that was the easiest to learn when you already had the technique involved, and one that was the easiest to learn when you had to learn the technique required.

All self-opinions, so no proclaiming that your own is the best please.
Henrah

Are you sure about this?  I haven't played 25/5 but it seems quite difficult.  Not only do you have to deal with 2-1 thing, but the rhythm changes subtly in measures 29-36 and then clearly in measures 37-41, you'd have to bring that out.  Then you'd have to deal with the 16th notes starting from measure 81, plus starting at measure 98 you'd have to start making extensive use of the 3rd and 4th finger in the right hand as well, not to mention the annoying left hand.

Not that you can really say any Chopin etudes are easy, even the "slow" ones like 10/3, 10/6, 25/7, and to a lesser extent 10/9 are difficult in their own way.  Maybe some are less musically demanding, like 10/5.  I wouldn't say 25/2 is easy either, it's written as one giant phrase after another, bringing out a phrase that long is totally nontrivial.  Anyways, I guess the point is, pick one you like and good luck.

[henrah]

Hhmmmm..... 25/6


Well I've given the first page a try, but it's incredibly hard to get my fingers to do that sort of thing at speed. But I love it! So I'll stick it to my memory so I can play it whenever I can, and hopefully it will come up to speed.

Does anyone have any pointers or advice on this etude?
Cheers,
Henrah

[franz_]

Hhmmmm..... 25/6


Well I've given the first page a try, but it's incredibly hard to get my fingers to do that sort of thing at speed. But I love it! So I'll stick it to my memory so I can play it whenever I can, and hopefully it will come up to speed.

Does anyone have any pointers or advice on this etude?
Cheers,
Henrah

Ask koji

[gruffalo]

25/1 is a good starting point. it's not the easiest, but the most effective out of the easier end of the spectrum. many tend to start with this one.

[tompilk]

Hhmmmm..... 25/6


Well I've given the first page a try, but it's incredibly hard to get my fingers to do that sort of thing at speed. But I love it! So I'll stick it to my memory so I can play it whenever I can, and hopefully it will come up to speed.

Does anyone have any pointers or advice on this etude?
Cheers,
Henrah

yeah i find this absolutely impossible.. i cant even play the first 2 bars!!! I wonder why...? is lots of practise needed on that particuar technique or will it come with general practise?
Tom

[kriskicksass]

Thirds fall into the catagory of double notes, so it's only a semi-specific technique. The big thing in thirds is finding the best fingering for your hand and learning the proper wrist movement. Cortot outlines the wrist movement in his comments on 25/10, if you have that available.

Oh, and as for the easiest one, I'd vote for 25/9. Other than left hand jumps there really aren't any difficulties worth mentioning. As for 25/5, I'm learning that etude right now and I'm blowing right through it with Cortot's help, so I dunno about it's difficulty. It's probably at the easier side of the middle of the spectrum (don't discount the difficulties in the RH of the middle section).

[soliloquy]

Out of the Op. 10 and Op. 25, Op. 25 No. 2 is the easiest.  Op. 25 No. 5 is definitely not one of the easiest ones.  I'd rank them:


25-6
25-11
10-2
10-4
25-4
10-1
25-10
10-7
10-10
10-8
25-3
25-12
25-8
25-1
25-5
10-5
10-9
10-11
10-12
25-9
10-3
25-7
10-6
25-2


From hardest to easiest.  Just my personal opinion from experience.

[henrah]

Can any of you semi-explain the proper wrist movement for 25/6? Is it a circular motion, coming down onto the fifth finger with whichever finger it accompanies? For example: when playing 1-4 to 2-5, moving up from the 1-4 to drop down to the 2-5, and then moving back up to start the circle again?

Kris, I see that you have Cortot's notes for 25/5. Does this mean you also have the notes for 25/6? Would it be possible for you to tell me what he writes about that etude and the various wrist movements/fingering options?

Thanks guys for your opinions,
Henrah

[Waldszenen]

Personally I've found Op. 10 No. 5 one of the easiest (and one of the most fun to play, whereas the others can be a pain to practise continually).

[bearzinthehood]

Can any of you semi-explain the proper wrist movement for 25/6? Is it a circular motion, coming down onto the fifth finger with whichever finger it accompanies? For example: when playing 1-4 to 2-5, moving up from the 1-4 to drop down to the 2-5, and then moving back up to start the circle again?

Kris, I see that you have Cortot's notes for 25/5. Does this mean you also have the notes for 25/6? Would it be possible for you to tell me what he writes about that etude and the various wrist movements/fingering options?

Thanks guys for your opinions,
Henrah

If you're adamant about learning this one I would try playing it staccato with the wrist first.

[henrah]

If you're adamant about learning this one I would try playing it staccato with the wrist first.

Ah ok, I think I see now. Thanks Bearz!
Henrahz..nznz

[kriskicksass]

The Cortot notes on 25/6 are mainly fingering charts. He gives 8 fingerings for the opening trill, and then just keeps on giving more and more! As for the wrist motion, it's actually described in the notes for 25/10, as octaves are the double notes that need the most of the wrist movement to stay even and legato. If I have a chance tomorrow I'll scan the Cortot Opus 25, but I might now and I'm not sure how to make images into a pdf, so... 

[henrah]

Ok cheers Kris!

[orlandopiano]

Out of the Op. 10 and Op. 25, Op. 25 No. 2 is the easiest.  Op. 25 No. 5 is definitely not one of the easiest ones.  I'd rank them:


25-6
25-11
10-2
10-4
25-4
10-1
25-10
10-7
10-10
10-8
25-3
25-12
25-8
25-1
25-5
10-5
10-9
10-11
10-12
25-9
10-3
25-7
10-6
25-2


From hardest to easiest.  Just my personal opinion from experience.

10/5 is without a doubt one of the three easiest etudes. I'd put it at #1, but that's just me.

[gyzzzmo]

op25/2 is easiest i think. Unless you try to play it in 4/4 rythm :S

gyzzzmo

[franz_]

op25/2 is easiest i think. Unless you try to play it in 4/4 rythm :S

gyzzzmo

Exactly.

[steve jones]

I dont know, I gave that one a try and found that my ability to keep the RH consistent was strained to the limit. Then again, they are all above my head, so maybe mine isnt the best opinion to listen to!

10-6 also appears easier, but looks like it may well have hidden depths of difficulty (keeping the inner voice seperate maybe?).

SJ

[henrah]

10/6 is also one of the longer ones. I think I may have a look over it.

In the mean time, I'm occasionaly practicing 25/12, but I can't get myself to memorise past the second page. Once I've gone through it slowly a couple of times and it's in my head, then I've essentially learnt the piece as I can play it wherever I go without the score, meaning that in time it will come to be fully memorised at speed.

Such a great thing being able to memorise stuff easily

[xinox]

I think 25/1 is the best etude to start..
Not very easy but not so hard, and it is so beautifull and I dont see the point of playing something that is not beautifull to you:
There are only 4 chopin's etude that I'll ever learn (cause only 4 I found *very* beautifull and only 4 I wish to play for my heart)
In order:
25/12
10/12
25/11
25/1

Such a great thing being able to memorise stuff easily

I am (very) bad sightreader but easily memorise pieces (And I'am happy with this balance of skills)
All pieces I ever learned I have in my memory and about 15 I can play when I woke up in the middle of the night anywhere:)
It's importatnt that all pieces you memorised you have to play at least once in the two weak ( for me ) and You'll NEVER forget it:)

[houseofblackleaves]

I think it's funny this forum's obsession with the Chopin Etudes, but that's just me.

I still don't understand why everyone thinks that 25/6 is so hard.... But that's not really for me to judge.  If your not used to thirds than I can see how that could be difficult....


And I really hate it when people say that the slower etudes are easy just because their..... slow.  Some of the most complicated peices of piano repitore are slow.  Each etude is just as demanding as the next in a different way.  It's just however you were taught or whatever you've gotten used to.

The easiest for me was 10/9 "Opera".  It's easier if you have big hands.

Hardest was probobly 10/1, Horowitz himself said that this one was the most difficult and 10/2 and 25/10 were immpossible.  Then theres always 25/11 "Winter Wind" , the longest etude, which is the almost direct parallel to 10/12 "Revolutionary."  Chopin thought that 10/3 "Triestesse" was the most beautiful melody he ever cultivated... I personally dissagree.

But still, the most difficult etude in technecal terms would definatly be 10/10.  Sure, sure... it's never at the top of the list, but if you look close, this is the most difficult etude in whole op.10.  Chopin tried to give this peice the widest range of "touch" that he possibly could in one peice, and to play it effectivly is even harder.

Then there are the slightly easier ones.

25/2 "Bees" isn't the easiest peice ever, but it most likely is the easiest in op.25.  Then there's 25/8 "The Cello" a slower peice, but still difficult....


Gah, there are too many debates.


Anyways, my opinion:


Easiest(For me): 10/9
Hardest: 10/1

[henrah]

Wow, there are names for the ones I didn't even think had names! Could you tell of all the names you know please? It would be good to see how they relate to the material, even though Chopin never really named them himself...

[houseofblackleaves]

This are the "nicknames" that I'm aware of.

10/1 - ""
10/2 - ""
10/3 - "Tristesse" (Sadness)
10/4 - ""
10/5 - "Black Key"
10/6 - "Shepard Boy"
10/7 - ""
10/8 - ""
10/9 - "Opera"
10/10 - ""
10/11 - ""
10/12 - "Revolutionary"
25/1 - "Aolean Harp Study"
25/2 - "Bees"
25/3 - ""
25/4 - ""
25/5 - "Wrong Note"
25/6 - "Thirds"
25/7 - "The Cello"
25/8 - "Sixths"
25/9 - "Butterfly"
25/10 - "Octave Study"
25/11 - "Winter Wind"
25/12 - "Ocean"

[thorn]

The Cortot notes on 25/6 are mainly fingering charts. He gives 8 fingerings for the opening trill, and then just keeps on giving more and more! As for the wrist motion, it's actually described in the notes for 25/10, as octaves are the double notes that need the most of the wrist movement to stay even and legato. If I have a chance tomorrow I'll scan the Cortot Opus 25, but I might now and I'm not sure how to make images into a pdf, so... 

i already have the cortot chopin etudes op25 scanned if it would save you the trouble of uploading them?

[kriskicksass]

i already have the cortot chopin etudes op25 scanned if it would save you the trouble of uploading them?

Would you? I've been trying to figure out how to make scans into pdfs and I'm drawing a blank and don't want to upload each page individually. I felt terrible just leaving everyone high and dry, too.

[mikey6]

i already have the cortot chopin etudes op25 scanned if it would save you the trouble of uploading them?

Please!

[henrah]

Please!

Pretty please!

[thorn]

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18517.msg199472.html#msg199472

i posted it in the other thread where it was directly requested