which chopin etude to start with?

[pies]

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[Nordlys]

which should i start with? i want to learn a few and i want to start with the easier pieces.
thanks..

Do you want to learn them because they are beautiful, or to improve your technique? Well I guess every one of them are good for technique. The most easy ones and most famous are perhaps
opus 10: 3, 6, 9
opus 25: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12

The most difficult ones I would say is op10: 1,2 and op25: 6, 11

[Daniel_piano]

which should i start with? i want to learn a few and i want to start with the easier pieces.
thanks..

Chopin Etudes

Daniel

[pianiststrongbad]

I recommend Op. 10 no. 12, Op. 25 no. 1 and Op. 25 no. 12.  I agree with Op.10 no. 1 and 2 being near impossible, along with the ones in 3rds and 6ths.  I have a few friends learning the one in e minor this year.  I dunno how hard that one is though.

[squinchy]

Op. 10 Nos. 3 and 6 are relatively slow, so the speed factor alone make those easier to get at.

[johnnypiano]

These pieces are talked about as being hard.  And until you start learning them you never realize just how hard.  Many concert pianists say that, as a group, they are the most difficult things they have ever practised. 

Why then do students want to work on them?  Firstly, they are beautiful and poetic with interesting textures and wonderful harmony.  Secondly, they present an enormous challenge, both technically and musically.  They will get you to focus as never before and, even if you manage only bits of them accurately and slowly, you will have achieved something and you be will pleased with yourself. 

Always have a go, but be realistic about the possibilities of success.

The easiest ones in my order of difficulty (and this is mainly subjective) are:

Op.10 E flat minor, F minor, Op.25 A flat, C sharp minor, Op.10 E.  You could have go at Op.10 C minor also

Ferocious ones: Op.10/1 in C (the hardest of the lot!), A minor, C sharp minor, Op25 G sharp minor, A minor

In the Trios Nouvelle Etudes, the A flat one is easy, the F minor harder, and the D flat one is very tricky (it has beautifully clashy harmony).

Someone asked about the E minor from Op.25.  It is very tricky, particularly where the main idea returns.  Here you have to play chords without using the thumb, which feels very strange.  You would get many rewards from working on the middle section, which is a lot more conventional in its figuration, and has a wonderful tune.

Good luck.       

[jazzyprof]

Start with Op.10 no.3.  Not only is it the easiest (relatively speaking!) but it is said that Chopin himself considered it the most beautiful melody he ever wrote.  The slow parts are quite manageable.  The hardest part is the bravura section (bars 46-53).  You might want to start with those 8 bars.  They are not so difficult once you figure out the pattern.

[Rockitman]

I am in the process of learning op10 #3 and am having a particularly difficult time with this bravura section.  I do have it figured out as far as seeing the "identicalness" of the two hands but it is very hard to play this to anything close to speed.  The constant stretch of both hands playing those 2/5's and 1/3's causes alot of tension buildup even when playing them relatively slow.  Any good practice techniques for this section would be greatly appreciated.

[pies]

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[Awakening]

I'm pretty sure that all of the Chopin Etudes are more difficult than Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-Sharp Minor.  I can't say for sure, because I have never attempted any of them, but I am currently working on the Prelude, and I don't feel that I'm ready for a Chopin etude yet. 

[pies]

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[jazzyprof]

The constant stretch of both hands playing those 2/5's and 1/3's causes alot of tension buildup even when playing them relatively slow. 

The most important thing in learning this piece is to avoid injury.  You mention tension buildup and constant stretch of both hands.   You should stop playing at the first hint of pain.  Now, depending on the size of your hands, you may want to replace the 2/5 fingering with a 1/5 if the 2/5 leads to too much of a stretch.  The 1/3 should be OK.  

If you feel you can handle the 2/5's, then you want to avoid too much twisting of the hands as you go from the 2/5's to the 1/3's.  It should be more of an in-out motion than a sideways, fishtailing motion.  On the 2/5's (e.g the D, B) your hands are closer to the front of the keys and then they move inwards toward the rear on the 1/3's (e.g. the G#, F).  

[presto agitato]

Do you want to learn them because they are beautiful, or to improve your technique? Well I guess every one of them are good for technique. The most easy ones and most famous are perhaps
opus 10: 3, 6, 9
opus 25: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12

The most difficult ones I would say is op10: 1,2 and op25: 6, 11

Op 25-12 EASY ? No shi.....

[Sydney]

Op10-8 F-dur is somehow thought to be one of the first pieces we study at conservatoires in Japan.

I still remember this....when Martha Argerich came to Japan previously (about 20 years ago, or so), in the interview, she said "I don't want to play Chopin's Etudes in my concerts because they are the most "technically" difficult pieces. So are the Beethoven's Sonates."

Of course she should be able to play them quite in high standard with her technique...

What insights does this Argerich's comment reveal???

[Op. 1 No. 2]

Op 25-12 EASY ? No shi.....

It's definately one of the "easier" etudes. Have you tried it?

[squinchy]

I am in the process of learning op10 #3 and am having a particularly difficult time with this bravura section.  I do have it figured out as far as seeing the "identicalness" of the two hands but it is very hard to play this to anything close to speed.  The constant stretch of both hands playing those 2/5's and 1/3's causes alot of tension buildup even when playing them relatively slow.  Any good practice techniques for this section would be greatly appreciated.

I think I play that section with a bit of lift in the hand--almost as a drop-roll. Also, I tend to move in and out of the keys (away and toward the woody part of the piano).

[e60m5]

I shall be slaughtered by the masses for my comment in this thread, but it is my justified opinion backed up by personal experience, so I shall state it anyway.

I would recommend the Etude Op.25 no.6 to start with.

[thracozaag]

   

koji (STSD)

[steinwaymodeld]

I shall be slaughtered by the masses for my comment in this thread, but it is my justified opinion backed up by personal experience, so I shall state it anyway.

I would recommend the Etude Op.25 no.6 to start with.

O really? I have heard u played the Hamelin composition of Triple etude first, then decompose it and derive the original 3 etudes and played them backward.

Then u learnt the Op.25 NO.6 by sheet.

[Nordlys]

Do you want to learn them because they are beautiful, or to improve your technique? Well I guess every one of them are good for technique. The most easy ones and most famous are perhaps
opus 10: 3, 6, 9
opus 25: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12

The most difficult ones I would say is op10: 1,2 and op25: 6, 11

Op 25-12 EASY ? No shi.....

My post was very superficial, I admit.

The etudes are of course very hard, and I don't play any of them really well. But I have worked on most of them, and recommend anyone who likes them to do so.

But op25-12 is really much easier than it sounds...

[Tash]

well the first etude i learnt was the A flat one from the little trio and that was quite easy. now i'm learning op25 no1,2,7 and 9 if that's of any help

[Troldhaugen]

You don't have to necessarily go for the easier ones. Sooner or later you'll have to learn the harder ones anyway. Just play whatever you have particularly in mind regardless of the difficulty. For instance, you could start off with No.1, which could be a little more challenging than the others, but still an excellent technique study. Or you could play more widely-known ones like Revolutionary.....etc

[maxy]

let's make this simple:  which étude do you like the best?
pick that one.

[mosis]

I am surprised no one has mentioned learning them from the beginning to the end.

Check this out, you might find it interesting:

https://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=37

Go to the study guides. It justifies why one should learn it from beginning to end.