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Chopin – Étude Op. 10 No. 5 in G-Flat Major “Black Key”

Étude Op. 10, No. 5, in G-flat major, also known as the Black Key Étude, is a solo piano work composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1830. This work is characteristic for the arpeggios played with the right hand, almost exclusively on black keys except in measure 66, where Chopin wrote an F-natural, the only white key for the right hand throughout the entire piece. The left hand plays the melody, with mostly chords and octaves, while the right hand accompanies with quick triplets on black keys. Structure This piece is unbalanced in terms of structure, but as a romantic study, Chopin favored melodic interest over rigid structure. This étude can be divided into four parts, depending on interpretation. The first theme is introduced and expounded upon with some variation after its second repetition. The second theme is presented after two sweeping arpeggios covering half the length of the keyboard. It lasts only 16 measures and is in the étude’s dominant key, D-flat major. The first theme is immediately restated once, and begins developing into the coda. This development is where the only right-hand white key, F-natural, is played, in bar 66. Because this bar contains the only quarter notes in the right hand except for the last bar and it contains the previously unused F-natural, it sets up a cadence into the coda. The coda is a legato flourish in the tonic key, and ends in a rapid octave passage in both hands, which is entirely staccato. Some prominent performers, including Horowitz

  1. tehnoobshowskychi
    October 6th, 2009 at 23:25 | #1

    Lol is impossible too play this say this fast. I’M NOT KIDDING

  2. tonyngjichun
    October 8th, 2009 at 10:18 | #2

    You can check out Pollini’s version. It’s even faster than this.(I can play this fast too^^)

  3. wingson1986
    November 23rd, 2009 at 05:15 | #3

    this’s not rely fast as all

  4. OrangeSodaKing
    July 24th, 2010 at 16:15 | #4

    @tehnoobshowskychi Yeah, it’s not impossible. Maruzio Pollini plays this very quickly, light, clean, and playful. :)

    But tonyngjichun, how come you slowed the octaves at the end down?

  5. JproxLeft4Dead2
    August 28th, 2010 at 19:00 | #5

    i learned the first 7 seconds over about 2 weeks of training is that bad in ur eyes? i cant read music and i just started playing 8 months ago?please need some critique.

  6. VanargrandsEnd
    September 12th, 2010 at 12:37 | #6

    @JproxLeft4Dead2 i would say for this particular Chopin piece there would be plenty of easier tutorials on youtube to watch ive used these videos before to learn pieces as a start im grade 8 now in 2 years october marks the thrid year but i just said id say that there mabye easier ways for this particualr one on youtube due to the movie jay chou secret alot of people wanted to learn this.. peace x

  7. JproxLeft4Dead2
    September 12th, 2010 at 16:38 | #7

    @VanargrandsEnd i originally saw a young boy play this somwhere on youtube. and then heard it on FFR and in Jay chou secret.

  8. OriginalBasaliskos
    September 16th, 2010 at 22:44 | #8

    @JproxLeft4Dead2 You should under no circumstance be attempting this if you have only been playing eight months, especially when it takes you two weeks to learn seven seconds of it.

  9. toontownrocksccp103
    November 19th, 2010 at 20:13 | #9

    i’m going 2 try to learn how to play this for a piano audition to get into this high school

  10. M13MusicNut
    December 14th, 2010 at 16:43 | #10

    One of my favorite etudes! where did you download the MIDI file? :)

  11. gayerest
    March 26th, 2011 at 17:32 | #11

    @JproxLeft4Dead2 You shouldn’t really be trying to play this if you you have only been playing for eight month and can’t read music.

  12. tonyngjichun
    March 27th, 2011 at 08:43 | #12

    @JproxLeft4Dead2
    Are you mad?
    LoL im not being offensive but seriously this is an LTCL piece
    Its just same like you go to the NBA draft without ever touching a basketball before

  13. Hitherto90
    March 31st, 2011 at 19:08 | #13

    This is faster than Petit Chien

  14. ipoodaily
    September 2nd, 2011 at 18:52 | #14

    @JproxLeft4Dead2 screw them. i think u shud keep trying.

  15. JproxLeft4Dead2
    September 6th, 2011 at 18:08 | #15

    any tips on how to get better at arpeggioes?

  16. BizzMarki
    September 9th, 2011 at 08:30 | #16

    @JproxLeft4Dead2 I notice you wrote that first comment a year ago… how has your progress come? Are you able to play this at all?

  17. TheZomgRice
    September 20th, 2011 at 21:18 | #17

    0:28

    the e flat should be a g flat.

  18. PianoDude1011
    October 26th, 2011 at 20:17 | #18

    1:14 a white key
    please give me a reply comment if u find another one

  19. JLyteHaven
    December 4th, 2011 at 03:20 | #19

    @PianoDude1011 there are plenty of b naturals

  20. PianoDude1011
    December 12th, 2011 at 02:01 | #20

    @JLyteHaven in the RIGHT HAND

  21. annaxtraordinary
    December 15th, 2011 at 00:16 | #21

    It’s not going to kill anyone if someone that doesn’t know how to read music or hasn’t been playing long tries to learn this piece -_-

  22. 5minlatecomebacks
    December 23rd, 2011 at 00:53 | #22

    yep, well, im learning this now

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