What difficulty are Chopin's etudes?

Question

Hi, i'm currently learning Chopin's Etude Op. 25 No. 2. I don't have any formal training, so i'm trying to find pieces at about the same level of difficulty. Does anyone know the grade of this piece? Any pieces at a similar difficulty level you could recommend? Thank you

Answer 1

Chopin's famous "Revolutionary" etude is about at the same level of difficulty I would say. Richter here, takes it a little too fast for my taste:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hOKcdZJJFU&feature=related



Alberich

Answer 2

Well, I believe most of the Chopin etudes are near the bottom of the performance level, in technicality at least. But whats music without musicality? Although most of the Etudes are hard for a beginner for you technically, you also have to find expression within the music. Other composers you'd want to look to are Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann, and Beethoven. Happy Learning!

Answer 3

Purely off the top of my head: Trois Nouvelles no. 3 A flat Trois Nouvelles no. 1 f minor op. 10 no. 9 f minor op. 25 no. 2 f minor op. 25 no. 7 c sharp minor Trois Nouvelles no. 2 D flat op. 10 no. 12 C minor op. 25 no. 1 A flat op. 25 no. 9 G flat op. 10 no. 5 G flat op. 10 no. 3 E op. 10 no. 6 e flat minor op. 25 no. 12 c minor Any of the others fall into the "transcendental" category, and relative difficulty may be safely determined by the technical attainments the pianist already has. For example, a person with huge hands may find op. 10 no. 1 C major to be rather easy - likewise with op. 25 no. 10 b minor. Those with "good octaves" might find this one to be a breeze. Hans von Bulow considered op. 10 no. 10 A flat to be the most difficult. Others might argue op. 25 no. 6 g sharp minor, but if someone is adept at double thirds, it may not be THAT difficult for them. In my opinion, op. 25 no. 11 a minor is among the most difficult, because when the modulation starts the passagework gets more and more difficult, and the hands are constantly stretched out and tension can result.

Answer 4

Chopin Etudes are quite difficult, but that would depend at an individual level. Nobody is at the same level; we all vary. Take a look at his impromptus...they're quite nice and slightly easier

Answer 5

That's probably the easiest Etude. If you like Chopin, check out the Nocturnes (and maybe Waltzes), Brahms Intermezzos, and (most of) Mozart's Sonatas.

Answer 6

Chopin's music is very challenging, but the real challenge is not technical, it having the emotional depth to truly play it at his level.