Chopin Etudes

[scherzo123]

Hello! I am studying and hoping to study some of Chopin's etudes, and I was wondering if you guys have any tips/advice on them.

The etudes that I am studying and hoping to study are:

Etude Op.10 No.1 (Waterfall)
Etude Op.10 No.3 (Tristesse)
Etude Op.10 No.4 (Torrent)
Etude Op.10 No.5 (Black Keys)
Etude Op.10 No.8 (Sunshine)
Etude Op.10 No.12 (Revolutionary)
Etude Op.25 No.2 (The Bees)
Etude Op.25 No.3 (Cartwheel)
Etude Op.25 No.5 (Wrong Note)
Etude Op.25 No.9 (Butterfly)
Etude Op.25 No.11 (Winter Wind)
Etude Op.25 No.12 (Ocean)

Umm...to clear things up, the ones that I AM CURRENTLY studying are Etudes Op.10 No.3,Op.10 No.4, Op.10 No.12, Op.25 No.2, and OP.25 No.12. If anyone has any tips, advice, or experience to share about ANY of these etudes, it will be appreciated. Thank you!  

[pianoman53]

Try to get your hands on the cortot etidion. He gives genius advice on technical exercises.

[sleepapnea]

Op.10 No.3 - The middle section in parallel sixths is not as hard as it seems. The correct fingering will take care of most of the problems. Practice slowly and with rhythms.

Op.10 No.12 - Efficient fingering takes care of most of the problems. Also identify the key changes within the left hand. Realizing that all it is is a D-sharp minor scale, a G-sharp minor scale, F-sharp minor scale, C-sharp minor scale, etc will help you a lot. Take it slow, speed will come naturally. Inefficient fingering will kill you. Tension in your left hand can be very crippling.

Op.25 No.12 - Block the arpeggios and play the chords up and down the keyboard until you can get them up to speed. Practice with rhythms.

Good choices.

[haydnseeker]

Where do all those names for the etudes come from?

Black Keys, Revolutionary, Butterfly & Winter Wind are well known but I've never come across any of the others before.

Does anyone have names for the full sets of Opp. 10 & 25?

[synthifou]

Where do all those names for the etudes come from?

Black Keys, Revolutionary, Butterfly & Winter Wind are well known but I've never come across any of the others before.

Does anyone have names for the full sets of Opp. 10 & 25?

They probably come from the same place as the numerous Haydn works with names: "The Razor", "Le matin - Le midi - Le soir", "Le Chamber Pot."  Someone just makes them up when they are new, and they stick.

[danhuyle]

Chopin Etudes I've played at some point.

Etudes Op10
no4 - concentrate on articulation and right fingering from the start
no12 - No need to play fast, it will come
no9 - 1st etude I learned for obvious reasons
no8 - Learn the last part 1st


Etudes Op25
No11 - don't attempt to play fast. play musically at slow tempo
No12 - practice in blocked chords and internalize rhythm
no2 - Could never tell if I'm playing the rhythm right. It could turn into 6/4 instead 2/2.


Pick the one that is best suited to your technique and memory.

[scherzo123]

Where do all those names for the etudes come from?

Black Keys, Revolutionary, Butterfly & Winter Wind are well known but I've never come across any of the others before.

Does anyone have names for the full sets of Opp. 10 & 25?

Etude Op.10 No.2 (Chromatic)
Etude Op.25 No.1 (Aeolian Harp)
Etude Op.25 No.6 (Thirds)
Etude Op.25 No.7 (Cello)
Etude Op.25 No.8 (Sixths)
Etude Op.25 No.10 (Octaves)

The other nicknames I know are already mentioned...

[sleepapnea]

Chopin detested these nicknames.

[scherzo123]

Chopin detested these nicknames.

True...he didn't nickname his pieces at all...but Liszt did

[scherzo123]

Chopin Etudes I've played at some point.

Etudes Op25
No11 - don't attempt to play fast. play musically at slow tempo

Will playing fast for the Etude Op.25 No.11 come naturally like the Etude Op.10 No.12/

[49410enrique]

Chopin detested these nicknames.

i don't care much for them either.

[danhuyle]

Like Etudes

Op10 no1,2,4,5,7,8,9,12

You want to play these with a relaxed arm with the correct fingering. For speed to happen, you have to settle into it and get to where you're not affected by the technical difficulties.

With Etude Op25 No11, you focus on interpreting the melody while "ignoring" what happens in the right hand.

[philb]

You want to play these with a relaxed arm with the correct fingering. For speed to happen, you have to settle into it and get to where you're not affected by the technical difficulties.

I wouldn't say there is a "correct fingering", unless of course you speak of Op. 10 no. 2.

[pianoman53]

Like Etudes

Op10 no1,2,4,5,7,8,9,12

You want to play these with a relaxed arm with the correct fingering. For speed to happen, you have to settle into it and get to where you're not affected by the technical difficulties.

With Etude Op25 No11, you focus on interpreting the melody while "ignoring" what happens in the right hand.

Is there any Chopin etude, where you wont benefit from  a relaxed arm?
And on not focusing on the difficulties in op 25 11 is maybe for a finished product, but to not give very much attention to it would be very amateur-like.

[scherzo123]

Like Etudes

Op10 no1,2,4,5,7,8,9,12

You want to play these with a relaxed arm with the correct fingering. For speed to happen, you have to settle into it and get to where you're not affected by the technical difficulties.

With Etude Op25 No11, you focus on interpreting the melody while "ignoring" what happens in the right hand.

Thanks

[matthew from florida]

I wrote an article you might find useful, give special attention to the Paul Barton tutorials I link in the piece.

[scherzo123]

I wrote an article you might find useful, give special attention to the Paul Barton tutorials I link in the piece.

I already watched the Paul Barton tutorials, but I also wanted other peoples' opinion as well. Also, I can't seem to get to your article. Can you please copy and paste the link again? Thanks!

[matthew from florida]

I already watched the Paul Barton tutorials, but I also wanted other peoples' opinion as well. Also, I can't seem to get to your article. Can you please copy and paste the link again? Thanks!

Cool, and sorry about the link not sure why it failed...

www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978767733

[scherzo123]

Cool, and sorry about the link not sure why it failed...

www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978767733

Very useful! Thank you! 

[chopin2015]

I am a huge fan of the wrong note etude. My teacher said she studied it. I am going to ask her about it. It is my favorite and I would do anything to play it some day! (That is alot of etudes!) Keep us posted!

-J

[scherzo123]

I am a huge fan of the wrong note etude. My teacher said she studied it. I am going to ask her about it. It is my favorite and I would do anything to play it some day! (That is alot of etudes!) Keep us posted!

-J

I love it too! The middle part is insanely beautiful. 

[chopin2015]

I have small hands and can only do a 9th comfortably and a 10th on edges of keys so broken chords are a difficulty for me to play without sounding heavy and clunky. Have you gotten anywhere with this one?

-J

[scherzo123]

I have small hands and can only do a 9th comfortably and a 10th on edges of keys so broken chords are a difficulty for me to play without sounding heavy and clunky. Have you gotten anywhere with this one?

-J

I just sightread the first page of the middle part...my teacher keeps saying that your fingers need to be really curved and close to the keyboard for the middle part (right hand). How about you?

[danhuyle]

Would anyone want YouTube video tutorials on the Chopin etudes? I never had a teacher to learn Chopin etudes as far as the technical aspects go and I have the ability to self learn the entire set (technical aspects) if anyone wants to know how to do that.

Is it worth my time making these videos?

Currently, no one is demanding me to do it and if paying thousands of dollars in piano lessons excites you... 

Though I haven't played the entire set, I can still show you how to learn them yourself without ever needing to take piano lessons. If you choose to take lessons, at least you can use those to work on interpretation which is way more fun.

You can read articles about the difficulty of each etude, and if your goal is to play the entire set...They all have their own set of difficulties.

[chopin2015]

Yes please! Help with op 25 no 5 ASAP!!!

[scherzo123]

Yes please! Help with op 25 no 5 ASAP!!!

I'll private message you.   

[49410enrique]

my general advice is to also seek out the Left Hand inversion arrangements for the ones you study that have had this 'treatment', there are several including good ones by Carlos Chavez, Alphonse Seutin, and also the very good and more well known studies on them by Godowski.

also, understand more of the works from a pedagogy perspective as well, basically know these things inside and out, upside down, etc.

good disseration on the matter here too for further reading


good luck.

[scherzo123]

anybody else?

[scherzo123]

...

[davidjosepha]

You can stop bumping your topic. I think it's safe to say everyone that had something to say has said it.

[scherzo123]

 

[chopin2015]

[scherzo123]

It's in Chinese...thanks for you efforts though.

[chopin2015]

Chinese what?? midi file?

[scherzo123]

The text is in Chinese  .

[chopin2015]

Sorry, I private messaged you. Im trying to help, I swear!

[scherzo123]

LOL.