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There are 26 of them in all, the 24 Op28, the Op45, and the one without opus number, but nicknamed P. Wolff. (What does the P stand for, by the way). Of these, I can play Op28 #'s: 2, 4, 6, 7, 15, and 20. What I want to know is, how difficult are the other preludes. My ultimate goal is to someday be able to play all of them. So, if you play any of them, I would like to know the difficulty, and what I should know/keep in mind while playing them. What I mean by this is, are there alternitives to fingering, etc. that may be better than suggested in the sheet music.

jgoo:

Why don't you try some of the others to see how difficult they are for you?

No 3 is great for developing LH dexterity, but keeping it light and fluid is a good challenge.

No 8 in f# minor is quite difficult: thumb melody in the RH, accompaniment in the other fingers of the RH, and three against four as well.

No 12: Good exercise for the fourth and fifth fingers of the RH

No 14: Good prep for the final movement of the Bb minor Sonata.

No 16: Very difficult. large leaps in the LH which become larger as the piece progresses; and a real finger-breaker in the RH

No 17: Great for RH legato melody

No 18: A fantastic recitativo in less than 60 seconds

No 19: Exquisite harmonies and wonderful exercise in broken triads in both hands.

No 24: Great for LH stretches, and the last two pages require some stamina.


In short, in many ways, the Preludes are a wonderful set of "etudes"; almost a preparation for the Opp 10 and 25.


Try them; you'll like them!

Regards,

Numbers 16 (B flat minor) and 19 (E flat major) were said to be the two most difficult out of the twenty-four. For the B flat minor, the most difficult part does not lie in the right hand, but in the left hand, with those gigantic leaps. The hard part is pulling those off with the correct phrasing. For the E flat major, we have those wide reaches where you also have to bring out the melody.

My favorite one out of all of them has to be the F sharp major one. This is definitely a good one to know; it's not too difficult yet it is very rewarding.

Thanks for the feedback from people thus far, and in advanced to those who give more. My personal favriote prelude is Op28 No1, which looks and sounds difficult, with the speed and all of those triplets! I think that I'll try No3 first, and them move onto some of the others. I have a CD with the complete Chopin Prelude collection, (as played by Martha Argerich) and No9 also sounds like one that I might want to give a try soon. Its very beutifull.

The Ab major one (don't have my book nearby, forgot number) is my favorite. It is a beatiful melody, combined with lovely chords. The main difficulty lies in controlling the volume of the accompanying chords, and the melody in the same hand. Try it, not too hard to sightread. Number 1 in C is also one of my favorites, short, temperamental, lovely, and while it may look difficult, you will develop a feeling for it very soon, for there are only two different rhythm patterns to play (make SURE the quintuplets are played starting on beat one!). The 25th prelude, also, the "Brahms" Prelude, is extremely beautiful. Not hard, except for the double note cadenza.

I think that the Ab major one is the prelude without opus number, since it was published after his death, and against his wishes. It is a very nice one, but doesn't begin (in my opinion) to compare to the beauty of the 1st prelude in C Major. The 9th prelude is also a very nice prelude. They are all beautiful, even the 2nd one, which sounds kind of strange.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm not very good with high tempo stuff. Is there a way to progress easily to high tempo. Is there any way to achieve high tempo other than repeatedly playing something while getting progressivly faster each time? This is what I've had to do in the past to achieve high speeds, and if there is a better or faster way, please tell.

jgoo:

Aznx... was referring to number 17 in Aflat major (Op 28, No. 17).

The other Aflat prelude, first published in 1918, is dedicated to Pierre Wolf

Regards,

[ January 30, 2002: Message edited by: BruceD ]

ever tried playing this prelude and following it with the barcarolle? i don't know, but to me it sounds like these two pieces were written for each other... haha...

Heh, I have a favorite progression of mine too. Play Prelude No. 23 in F major, and because of that Eb tinged ending, the sound ends up as a dominant seventh, and then if you progress to a piece in Bb, it sounds like you are flowing smoothly (well, sort of) into the next piece because well you are basically playing a 5-1 chord.

P.S. feel free to correct my theory, I am just starting out!

NO. 22 is a really fun one to learn..getting it up to speed and not letting your L.H. cramp is a challenge, however. another really neat one is No. 14. it's like a thunderous growl..quite fantastic, in my opinion.

I just started no9, but I'm having some problems with the left hand trills. This is my only real problem with the peice, I just can't seem to get them right. Any tips?

btw: another 100 for me, this is my 400th post.