# Easiest Chopin Etude?



## Rachovsky

First of all, let me introduce myself. This is not the proper board of course, but this is as good as the other. I like all types of music, but recently I've gotten into orchestral classical music a LOT more. I've played the piano since I was around 11, but my teacher was an amateur herself, with no proper training. I left her and began seeing the musical director at my local college, but I have no time anymore to take lessons once a week.
Sadly, I'm trying to learn piano pieces on my own now, and I learned the nice little ragtime piece by Scott Joplin called the "Maple Leaf Rag." Which I'm sure most of you have heard of. I used to think it was just the snazziest tune in the world, but now Its the utmost annoying piece I've ever heard... I'm actually not finished with it yet. I'm on the last few lines of Part 3 and I haven't taken the time to learn it. 
Let me get to the question that I came here to ask then. For my next piece, I would like to play an etude by Chopin. I bought his full set of both Op. 10 and Op. 25 on iTunes, played by Maurizio Pollini (Whom I have came to like as a pianist very much, might I add), and all of the etudes are appealing to me. The "Winter Wind," "Revolutionary," "Black Keys," and so many more that are just so quick and enjoyable. Now to the actual question... Which of these etudes, out of both Op. 10 and Op. 25, do you all recommend as being the _easiest_ to play? Let me go ahead and say that I don't really want to learn Op. 10 No. 3 "Tristeese." I know the melody is incredible and all, but the piece is long and slow is not my forte (and I don't mean forte in terms of dynamics, .)

Anyways, any recommendations on this would be great,
Thanks for taking the time to read if ya did.
Rachovsky (such a snazzy username, eh?)


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## BuddhaBandit

Welcome! First off, all of the Copin études are quite difficult and take ages to learn. That being said, the Étude in A Minor (I think it's #2 in op. 10) is probably the easiest due to the simple left-hand part. The main dificulty lies in playing those darn chromatic scales with the 3rd/4th fingers- but other than that it's not all that terrible.

Good luck! and yea, doesn't the Maple Leaf Rag get on yer nerves after a while?


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## artisan

LOL! My dad listens to the Maple Leaf Rag until it drives me crazy!
I had a stroke of good luck recently, someone at our church walked up to me a couple sundays ago and handed me a book. They said they found it cheap at a thrift store or something, and thought it looked like something I would like. I was a book full of chopin Etudes! Yay!
Perhaps when I am done banging fists on piano keys trying to learn one, I will let you know which one is easiest...ok ok, I don't have that bad of a temper!


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## thicks

personally, i think that there is masses of difference in difficulty between 'maple leaf rag' and even the simplest of Chopin Etudes. However, i don't know you so if you think you can learn the etude then go for it! I would agree with BuddhaBandit, the etude in a minor is probably the simplist


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## YsayeOp.27#6

So you want to play a Chopin Etude... right after learning Maple Leaf Rag... having learned most of what you know from "an amateur teacher".

Let's ask Hans von Bülow:*

YsayeOp.27#6*: - Maestro Hans, would you say it's of any convenience to set an order when playing etudes for technique?

*HvB*: - Indeed. Here's my suggestion, which you can also find in the preface I wrote for my edition of the Etudes of J. B. Cramer:

First grade: Schmitt's Op. 26, Heller's Op. 43
Second grade: Cramer, Heller's Opp. 46 and 47, Czerny's Daily Etudes and Etudes for legato and stacatto
Third grade: Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum, Moschele's Op. 70
Fourth Grade: Haberbier's Poetic Etudes, Henselt's Etudes Opp. 2 and 5, Moscheles's Op. 75
Fifth grade: Chopin's Opp. 10 and 25, Preludes Op. 28
Sixth grade: Liszt's Paganini Etudes, Concert Etudes and 12 Trascendental Etudes
Seventh grade: Rubinstein's Etudes and Preludes, Alkan's 12 Grand Etudes.
*YsayeOp.27#6:* - Thank you very much, maestro.


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## Rachovsky

artisan said:


> LOL! My dad listens to the Maple Leaf Rag until it drives me crazy!
> I had a stroke of good luck recently, someone at our church walked up to me a couple sundays ago and handed me a book. They said they found it cheap at a thrift store or something, and thought it looked like something I would like. I was a book full of chopin Etudes! Yay!
> Perhaps when I am done banging fists on piano keys trying to learn one, I will let you know which one is easiest...ok ok, I don't have that bad of a temper!


Ugh, I wish people at my church were kind enough to go out and buy me sheet music... The poor people can hardly say Chopin, much less know his music or who he was. To the rest, thanks for the advice. I believe its nicknamed the "Chromatique" Etude, and its quite a short piece, so i'll give it a try if I ever get the sheet music. 
Also, I know the Maple Leaf Rag is completely different in difficulty and classical genre compared to Chopin's Etudes. It's very repetitive and quite simple if your hands can easily hit octaves. I assume it just takes a large amount of practice and time, which is unfortunately something I don't have these days.


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## Rachovsky

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> So you want to play a Chopin Etude... right after learning Maple Leaf Rag... having learned most of what you know from "an amateur teacher".
> 
> Let's ask Hans von Bülow:*
> 
> YsayeOp.27#6*: - Maestro Hans, would you say it's of any convenience to set an order when playing etudes for technique?
> 
> *HvB*: - Indeed. Here's my suggestion, which you can also find in the preface I wrote for my edition of the Etudes of J. B. Cramer:
> 
> First grade: Schmitt's Op. 26, Heller's Op. 43
> Second grade: Cramer, Heller's Opp. 46 and 47, Czerny's Daily Etudes and Etudes for legato and stacatto
> Third grade: Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum, Moschele's Op. 70
> Fourth Grade: Haberbier's Poetic Etudes, Henselt's Etudes Opp. 2 and 5, Moscheles's Op. 75
> Fifth grade: Chopin's Opp. 10 and 25, Preludes Op. 28
> Sixth grade: Liszt's Paganini Etudes, Concert Etudes and 12 Trascendental Etudes
> Seventh grade: Rubinstein's Etudes and Preludes, Alkan's 12 Grand Etudes.
> *YsayeOp.27#6:* - Thank you very much, maestro.


First of all, thanks for making me sound like a complete idiot in your first sentence, lol.  
Sadly Hans von Bülow died over a hundred years ago, but seriously, where did you get this information? In First Grade, are you talking about Florent Schmitt? I googled the "Etudes of J. B. Cramer" and the only site I can find to order this is in French. Care to give me a website? Thanks.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

> First of all, thanks for making me sound like a complete idiot in your first sentence, lol.


You are welcome.



Rachovsky said:


> where did you get this information?





> HvB: - Indeed. Here's my suggestion, *which you can also find in the preface I wrote for my edition of the Etudes of J. B. Cramer*:





> I googled the "Etudes of J. B. Cramer" and the only site I can find to order this is in French. Care to give me a website? Thanks.





Wikipedia said:


> Johann Baptist Cramer (February 24, 1771, Mannheim - April 16, 1858, London), was an English musician of German origin. He was the son of Wilhelm Cramer (1743-1799), a famous London violinist and musical conductor, one of a numerous family who were identified with the progress of music during the 18th and 19th centuries. Johann Baptist was brought to London as a child, and it was in London that the greater part of his musical efforts was exercised.
> 
> From 1782 to 1784 he studied the piano under Muzio Clementi, and soon became known as a professional pianist both in London and on the continent; he enjoyed a world-wide reputation, and was particularly appreciated by Beethoven.
> 
> Apart from his pianoforte-playing, Cramer is important as a composer. He established a musical instrument manufacturing and music-publishing outlet Cramer & Co. at 201, Regent Street (which was on the corner of Conduit Street and Regent Street[1]) in partnership with Thomas Frederick Beale and Robert Addison. Cramer ceased involvement with the business at the end of 1833 [2]. He wrote a number of sonatas, etc., for pianoforte, and other compositions; but his Etudes are the works by which he lives as a composer. These studies have appeared in numerous editions, and became the staple pieces in the training of pianists.


Order here an edition by Taglapietra.

And here is the Bülow edition, you can read the preface by yourself.


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## pianoorlando

BuddhaBandit said:


> Welcome! First off, all of the Copin études are quite difficult and take ages to learn. That being said, the Étude in A Minor (I think it's #2 in op. 10) is probably the easiest due to the simple left-hand part. The main dificulty lies in playing those darn chromatic scales with the 3rd/4th fingers- but other than that it's not all that terrible.


Hi all... I believe 10/2 is one of the 5 most difficult Chopin Etudes actually.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

pianoorlando said:


> Hi all... I believe 10/2 is one of the 5 most difficult Chopin Etudes actually.


Oh come on, how could it be? If the left hand appears to be so easy...



> is probably the easiest due to the simple left-hand part. The main dificulty lies in playing those darn chromatic scales with the 3rd/4th fingers- but other than that it's not all that terrible.


With that in mind Liszt's Grand Galop Chromatique must be an easy piece to tackle.


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## artisan

It has been really interesting to see the diversity of opinions. It's funny how what some of us think is easy, others find hard and visa versa. I have listened to something and thought it would be hard, but had no trouble playing it, and then something I thought would be easy was hard.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

artisan said:


> It's funny how what some of us think is easy


Whenever someone mentions an easy piece here the underlying idea should be... sarcasm.


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## TrippeR

Just btw... these 1st,2nd... grades of piano playing.. are these something like grades in art school or can somebody explain to me what is meant by these grades. What does it mean.


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## Pianoforte

I dream of being skilled enough to play Chopin. I watch concert pianists in particular Yundi Li play his concertos in jaw dropping awe. As already mentioned the Funeral March seems to be the easiest etude with a simple left hand part. I've not got to the end bit yet which is the most taxing but still seems easy enough to grasp. I've read with fascination Chopin's Wikipedia entry. The only known photo of him is intriguing. He looks a lot like Sir David Frost  I want that as a poster for inspiration. He didn't suffer fools gladly and could be quite obstinate at times and I think it shows but I can also see a gentle side to him.

The Funeral March was played at his funeral along with some other of his compositions. Does anyone know if the selection was his wishes or his families?

Tristesse and Harp Study are among the pieces I would love to learn one day if I get to that standard. Its like the Piano was made for his music its that beautiful and pottering around the house at the weekend with his CD's on is what gets me through the working week


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## TrippeR

I have just read one book.. Chopins biography and it says there that Chopin wanted Mozart to be played on his funeral.


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## vertciel

I think that Chopin's Etude 3, op. 10 (Tristesse) is the easiest to play technically, having played and performed it. Of course, playing it musically is much more difficult.


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## fongpayman

Off the top of my head, here are some easy ones: Butterfly etude (op. 25 no 9?), revolutionary etude (op. 10, no 12), aeolian harp (op. 25 no 1), tristeese (op. 10 no 3). The ocean etude (op. 25 no 12) was pretty easy....I don't know though, because i've heard some people call it the hardest.

But if you want a piece within your "forte", try the revolutionary etude (even though everyone plays that).


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## Mike in NY

Hello,

I just joined this forum. It looks like a great community.
A little late to the party with this discussion, but...
It's difficult to say which is the "easiest" of the Chopin etudes because people have different techniques. They are all advanced pieces, btw. 
It's more useful to group them:

Difficult - 10/3, 10/5, 10/6, 10/9, 25/1, 25/2, 25/7

Very difficult - 10/1, 10/5, 10/7, 10/8, 10/10, 10/11, 10/12, 25/3, 25/4, 25/8, 25/9, 25/10,25/12

Most difficult - 10/2, 25/5, 25/6, 25/11

Yes, 10/2 is one of the most difficult. Just because the lh is easy...well, the lh to 10/1 is even easier.

Any of the ones in the "difficult" category are suitable as a "first" Chopin etude to learn.
If you haven't played any of the preludes or nocturnes, you should start there, though.


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## danae

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd make an informed contribution.

First of all, everything Mike says in the post above mine is very well informed.

Secondly: before you even begin to *think* about playing a Chopin etude, you should gradually work your way up, from Czerny 30, 40, 50, Cramer-Bulow, Kessler, Mosheles, Mozskowski, and of course the Chopin walzes, nocturnes and mazurkas.

After that, along with the help of the Cortot practice, you can start from the easiest of the Chopion etudes and finally give it a try to study for instance the op.10 / 2, the chromatic, which is incredibly difficult.


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## musiklover

BuddhaBandit said:


> That being said, the Étude in A Minor (I think it's #2 in op. 10) is probably the easiest due to the simple left-hand part. The main dificulty lies in playing those darn chromatic scales with the 3rd/4th fingers- but other than that it's not all that terrible.


#2 op 10 has actually been debated as one of the most difficult chopin etudes! Those chromatic scales are really difficult especially playing them sempre legato and at the indicated speed!


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## Lukecash12

Chopin's opus 8 no 12 (Revolutionary Etude) isn't all that bad. You only need have to a little stamina, get down the patterns, and some rudimentary rubato. 

"Black Keys" isn't too bad either. It's all in the patterns, rhythmic consistency, and clarity. In my opinion, it's less complicated than mastering Bach's 4th invention


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## OutdatedPlaylist

If you do revolutionary etude- please post it on youtube. 

(i do not believe that Revolutionary Etude is easy.. The left hand would blow my mind!)


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## Lukecash12

OutdatedPlaylist said:


> If you do revolutionary etude- please post it on youtube.
> 
> (i do not believe that Revolutionary Etude is easy.. The left hand would blow my mind!)


Actually, that sounds kind of fun, so when I have the recording equipment I'll oblige your request.


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## Ravellian

I know this thread is over a year old... but I have to post here because I was rather enraged at the second post which claimed that Op. 10 No. 2 is one of the 'easiest.' Obviously this person has never attempted to study this etude seriously (and I doubt he is a pianist at all). The Op. 10, No. 2 is one of THE most difficult etudes to learn and perform in the entire repertoire, including those by Liszt. I believe it took Brendel about 6 months to perfect this particular etude. What are the 'easiest' to perform? Mike's list is a pretty good starting place.


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## MatsumaruDX

The easiest Chopin Etude, it would be Op 25 No. 1


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## Niklav

MatsumaruDX said:


> The easiest Chopin Etude, it would be Op 25 No. 1


LOL I think this etude(Op.25 No.1) is one of the most difficult! Technically it's easy you say, why? Just hitting the notes is NOT Chopin. Very difficult to approach it as musical as Chopin wants.

I would say that the easiest is Op.10 No.9 in F minor. No serious technical difficulties, and easy to get into its 'spirit'. Try also, Revolutionary etude(well known), Op.10 No.2 (as suggested by others too, which is not that easy as it looks, but quite playable).


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## Couchie

TrippeR said:


> I have just read one book.. Chopins biography


Congrats! My first book was "Goodnight Moon".


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## kv466

For me the easiest is opus 10 etude 6 although it is not at all easy to understand and perform correctly


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## lextune

Other's have already touched upon it, but I'll reiterate, there are no easy Chopin Etudes. 

Each one is a extremely high level piece of the piano literature. That said, depending on your individual hand, and differing technical strengths and weaknesses, some find certain ones to be easier than others, and it will always vary.


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## Pugg

lextune said:


> Other's have already touched upon it, but I'll reiterate, there are no easy Chopin Etudes.
> 
> Each one is a extremely high level piece of the piano literature. That said, depending on your individual hand, and differing technical strengths and weaknesses, some find certain ones to be easier than others, and it will always vary.


And depends also on one's knowledge and technique.


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## ahinton

lextune said:


> Other's have already touched upon it, but I'll reiterate, there are no easy Chopin Etudes.
> 
> Each one is a extremely high level piece of the piano literature. That said, depending on your individual hand, and differing technical strengths and weaknesses, some find certain ones to be easier than others, and it will always vary.


That's absolutely right!

And let anyone who might doubt that come back after trawling through Godowsky's wonderful set of 54 tributes to Chopin that are his Studies on the Étude of Chopin.


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