Classical Pianist ranks Chopin Etudes Op.10 

I finally found the answer to what’s the hardest etude: it’s whatever etude you’re currently practicing! 🙃 Because whenever I’m practicing an etude I feel like it’s the hardest

S tier: op10, op25 A tier: --- B tier: --- C tier: --- D tier: --- E tier: --- F tier: this category doesn't even exist here what are you doing!

Agreed with everyone you said except nr 9. That one’s the easiest in Op 10 imo

Actually op 10 no 9 is the first I learned, and the easiest in my opinion, its surprising you see it comparable to op 10 no 1.

My daughter found No. 2 to be insanely difficult because it was hard to play it consistently. Some days she would breeze through it, other days her arm and hand would just cramp up halfway through. I remember watching Kate Liu play it at the Chopin competition in 2015 and her no. 2 etude was the one piece she made significant audible mistakes in both of her performances of it. Her teacher also said that you'll seldom find people performing it publicly because it's so easy to crash-and-burn.

I love this video. Please do one for Op. 25!

I think its better to keep everything in one channel. Multiple channels will just divide the viewership and slow the growth.

Love a video on this subject! I wrote a whole article on the topic 10 years ago when I had just learned No. 1 & 12. For me, since I am not very good at sight reading and music theory, No. 1 is by far the easiest to memorize, and I have no problem playing it endlessly today but I never seem to get through without 1+ mistakes

Absolutely wonderful insight into the required techniques and training to produce the desired keyboard performance! Always remember the feeling together with the brilliance is so difficult to master and only when your mind is in the zone can you will your hands to bring to life the performance required! A new name for another channel.... Annie's Keys 🎹🎼🎹🎼🎹

I'm so excited ! I think that if I had to do this, I would put every etude in the top tier, each of them is so unique and incredible !

I like your video a lot ,i love Chopin, specially the preludes ,etudes, and i have to mention the nocturnes because they are so beautiful dreamy pieces , you played all 24 etudes, you are such a good pianist . I like your análisis !

I really like your style to play Chopin! I am working on my first Chopin, Valse in e minor. A hard piece…

No surprise about the No. 2, might be the hardest Chopin etude with Op. 25, No. 6

Great video! I liked a lot!!

Would love to see your ranking of the op 25 etudes next

Great video ! Waiting for the op.25 ranking !

I think there are different types of players, those racehorses with fast fingers, or those lyrical singers, or those analytical superbrains etc.. For each of them the difficulty ranking will be different, also depending on hand size or even the circumference of your fingers (I knew a professional pianist who couldn't put his fingers on the white key between two black keys, that's why he needed to play them turned laterally or outside of the black keys). During my studies, my professor told me that Chopin etudes always go to the limits for everyone. However, after 20 years of living with them, I have now a completely different opinion: There is always one specific simple technical cell out of which every etude is made, and which is then exercised in all variances. This one cell is very physiologic, and they all help make your hand more relaxed, more balanced, and more flexible. Once you understood how to master this one cell, you'll know how to play the rest of the same etude. If you encounter bars where you think that the cell needs to be changed, it might direct you to the actual way how to play the whole etude. It is from the easy bars that you learn how to play the difficult ones, but also vice versa. For example, in Op 10no1, the bars between e-flat minor and A major seem to be tricky for every pianist, but once you know how to do them (with the original and not the alternative fingerings!), the whole etude suddenly makes more sense. For me, these 24 etudes are the holy book of hand physiology!

Im so hyped for this😍

Great vid!

This is amazing! It would be great if you could share your practice in Op10n2. Thank you!❤

Much depends on speed. No. 3 and 6 become easy if you play them in the usual slow tempo, but with Chopin's metronome markings they become much harder. Especially op. 10:6 becomes extremely difficult if you try to play it at Chopin's speed, which is at least three times faster than the tempo of most recordings. For Op. 10:3, Chopin's speed is about the double.

Ich übe im moment die no 1.. und ich glaube ich kann sehr gut bestätigen, dass sie nicht grade die einfachste ist.. dennoch glaube ich, dass egal welche Etüde man nun spielt, sie die schwerste für einen in diesem moment ist. Wirklich sehr gutes video und sehr interessante Meinungen zu den stücken :) (deine Übungsmethoden bei der Wasserfall Etüde sind echt gold wert thx dafür)

Very interesting, I did not not know many of this, thanks!!!

No.1 is my first practising song of the etude op10. When I started to practice no.1, I thought it was the easiest one of op10 etude. However, it was very hard for me. After watching this video, I would like to try to practice other sheets of etude op10.😂

nice, waitin for the Op.25 etudes

Marvelous!

'KeyTalk'? :3 so excited for this other channel

i agree 100% with this list, specially on no.4, because at 2 years of playing i was able to finish it!! so yeah it looks hard but once u try it, it gets easier and easier

Interesting video. Thanks for doing that. May I ask you what device you use to record these videos? Your piano sounds clear and nice. Do you use microphones together with a certain device? Thank you.

It would be nice to see one dedicated video for the Op. 10 No. 04 you know... For those who consider it S++ 😅😅🤚 I love your videos Anni!!✨❤️

11:59 I think the word you are looking for is a polymeter. Specifically at measure 9, you switch polymeters to fit 6 groups of 2 in the right hand AND 4 groups of 3 in the left hand; into one measure, but each hand playing an eighth note in every beat of the 12/8 time.

I like the idea of the 2nd channel , and yes if you want my opinion Piano Talk sounds interesting. It sounds like "Chopin Talk" in the Chopin competition.

It could be interesting to know your ranking in terms of favorite ones and not difficulty too ! Very instructive video by the way !

You should name the second channel "Spill the Key" because you share true knowledge :)

the begining of No.3 is definitely harder than it sounds. Also why does nobody talk about the ending scale too no.8 it Is AMAZING!

Amazing

Of the ones I've played (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12) I think 5 and 12 aren't that difficult, I definitely had a bit of trouble but not to the point of being frustrated; 3 was the first I've learnt and it was fairly easy overall, even the hard part in the middle wasn't that much of a problem; 6 was ok, it's definitely hard to balance the sounds well but it doesn't have technical difficulties; 7 gave me a lot of trouble and still can't play it well, had to take a slower tempo because my right hand always sounds too forte, wasn't expecting it to be so difficult; 4 was definitely the hardest, when the left hand has the faster parts I had trouble hitting the chord with the right hand at the right moment, and the middle section was brutal to learn, the "coda" was fairly simple though; currently learning 11 and it's kind of a nightmare too but so far it's not frustrating as 7 or 4, having fairly small hands (I barely reach a 10th) definitely doesn't help, there's some arpeggios that are a real pain in the... hands I guess, I still play it at a slow tempo though so my judgement might change when I'll try to speed it up.

Revolutionary etude feels like moment musicaux no 4 in some senses, of course rach's piece is much harder but it gets easier and your fingers just slide into the right place, personally that's how I feel ❤🎉

The choice to give your piano a voice of its own is a funny addition and adds to your channel's uniqueness

i would love to see a tier list of all beethoven sonatas, u really should try it. that would be amazingg:))

yes to nocturne list !! Wish you could upload a full version of op 48 no 1 🤗🤗

The harder the better. I have a successful bar and jazz pianist carrier behind me, thanks to these etudes.

You should try either performing or ranking Liszt's Transcendental Etudes in this format (if so it's probably going to be S.139 but seeing S.137 get some attention would be delightful)

I agree with all of these other than No. 1 and No. 12. For people whos right hand has more control than the left hand (a lot of people have this) the no. 12 is very hard to pull off. And the no. 1 is all just about not getting tension in your hands, the rest isnt that hard. So i would put No. 1 in between A and B, and then No. 12 in S

I love!

I learnt 24-12 as my first etude. Next I learnt 10-3. Now I'm learning 10-4 and it's a dream come true! Love the piano

Can you do the same thing, but with the op25?

Question - what chair is that? It looks super comfortable and I want one for my office space.

Best intro on youtube i swear i laughed so hard

Great list! Though I haven't played all of them, personally I would put no 6 a little lower and no 5 a lot higher on the list (I can't seem to get the rhythm down)

Totally agree with no 2. First time I tried to sight read it a little bit I thought it would be one of the easiest etudes to learn. Boy was I wrong.... It one of the hardest if not the hardest out there..

I really enjoyed the sarcastic piano...I hope we see more of this recurring character ;)

nice video!!! Now, what did you say in the end lol. P.S. I loved the begginging

I think you should start that new channel and do podcasts with other classical musicians. That would really be nice to listen to

Ballades and Scherzos next please!

Great video as always! How about "Tips of the Keys" for the other channel?

You are very beautiful. And Chopin is one of my favorite composers.

7:37 I was in front of my family and you did this, thanks for that awkward sound 😅

Hey please can you do one of these videos but for the Preludes?!

It is very interesting when I see you are going to put new video, I always think 🤔 1, 10, 1 hr challenge or you are going to put tips or any other I love that way. Do not divide you channel. Of course I will follow you if decide to do it 😉 Saludos

That was so interesting, could you do it again with more chopin peaces? (not only etudes)

Op 10 no 1 is easy technique If you practice wide arpeggios. The only problems is getting it up to performance tempo - that comes with practice ofcourse

Can you go into the op 10 left hand movement a little bit more? I did not quite understand and am struggling with it myself. Thanks!

The first Etude is my favorite!!!!!

You should name it Soul of the keys !

currently studying op.5, man... I hate repetitive motion so much, my arms are easily gets tired for doing that kind of rotation repeatly, I'm just so confused, i feel like anything that is constantly repeating in one way always makes my life difficult.... I actually like those "musically hard" pieces, because i just feel using my brain and try to work on the color is much easier.....

Please do Op. 25 too!

I feel I should mention that no 6 is meant to be played a lot faster than most people play it, and doing so makes it a lot harder technically. Although I do think it sounds better at the slower tempo.

New Channel Suggestion: Heart of Pianism (idk if that's a word, but it sounds professional)

Do one for op 25!!!

In the black-key etude you do actually play black keys only (at least regarding to the right hand only). I found very useful the ranking according to difficulty level. Thanks ! : )

You could call it Mind of the Keys!!

I saw other professional pianists ratings. All agree on number 1 and 2 to be the most difficult. But it is fun to watch you rating based on your experience. Please, go ahead having fun...)

Here is my rating of Op.10 but i am not at the level of performing them except maybe the first one. I put NL for those i have not yet learned (the two slowest ones) Op. 10 no1 : S+ , no2 : S++, no3: B , no4 : A , no5 : C , no6 :NL , no7 : A , no8: S , no9 : NL , no 10: B , no 11: S+++ , no 12 : B So compared to Annick, i find no8 more difficult, and no11 the hardest of all etudes (i learned all of Op 25 already btw), yes more difficult than no1 and no2. I thought that maybe there was a technical approach for it that i had not reached yet that will make it suddenly much easier but no, it's just impossibly hard (and i re-iterate that i can go through no1 and no2 in quite an acceptable way without dropping any note). It's not getting any easier but i noticed she said she used to practice it more like a guitar sound before going to a harp slower arpegiation maybe that's a key. One thing i learned for sure is how to learn difficult pieces, it's a full approach to music from all angles, fingering, sight reading, harmony, structure, musical ear, shading, and even.. recomposing, yes. I have a few tricks too that i know work that i have not seen anyone using yet.

¿Es posible poner los subtitulos en español?I love the channel but I feel like I'm missing things...Thanks!

Op. 10 no. 12 was the first Chopin's etude I've ever played (I was like 16 y old). And I think it's one of the easiest and most comfortable of them to play (well as U mentioned, no Chopin's etude is really easy). There are some hard fragments, I struggled the most with the right hand in bars 50-56. But other from this... I mean the left hand movement is mostly very convenient. Well, all Chopin's etudes are awesome.

No 2, was the first that my piano teacher gave me, and I have small hands;)). Yes cramps that's a sure thing.

Op 10 no 12 is my first etude and i think its not difficult. Thats my mind! But i can unterstand why many peoble say its difficult. Nice Video👍

Maybe u could make rank list of op 25?

Funny how you put n9 (the one I came here for) in the S tier. Henle ranked it 6 out of 9, making it the easiest etude with respect to their standards, the reason why I felt bold enough to start studying it (but I'll admit my big hands are a big+ for this one)

I thought this would be about which one you liked more :c

Excelente introducción, hiciste una buena actuación, podrías ser buena actriz

Is there some kind of debate about the tempo for #3 and #6? A lot of people play them so slowly that it kills the melody and I personally cannot stand to listen to them played this way. What do you think? Have you experimented with playing them at the marked tempo?

lol years ago i tried no.5 and it took me a long long time to get the notes (not even get it musically, just being able to play the notes) and my arms would hurt after playing it through once. And that's by far the easiest one apparently :(

I am starting to learn op. 10, no. 8! I hope, it doesn't get ranked high😅 EDIT: It's in B Tier!

I think you're severely underestimating op. 10 no. 10; there's a reason why so many competitors choose it in the international Chopin competition. It's widely considered to be one of the most difficult Chopin etudes due to how intricate the articulation is. Von Bulow even claimed that this etude represents the top of the mountain for a professional pianist to climb

Oooooh its so cool

After 2 years since i started play the piano i finish to study etude op. 10 n. 9 (i have big hands)... I fount it not so difficult, just for the left hand and for the octaves during the accelerando e crescendo but not that difficult, now i started the op. 25 n. 1, long to read...

Hot key sounds great!

What rating would u give Fantaisie Impromptu? :)

Thank you vry much for your sharing, really interesting ! Long life ;)

I can't believe N.4 it's not on the second spot ahaha, I agree that N.2 is the hardest, but N.4 is not lower than N.1 and for sure N.9 is the easiest of them all, I think. N.3 too, it's too high in my opinion, or N.12 low etc..

I don't know if you can do some series (like "1 min 10 min 1 hour challenge" or analyzes and performances) with Chopin's Preludes or maybe with Liszt's Transcendental Études, what do you think? I could also give several other examples, such as Rachmaninoff's Six Moment Musicaux; Scriabin Études; Rachmaninoff Études Tableaux; if you go further, even some videos of Beethoven's sonatas; Schubert's Impromptus; Chopin's Nocturnes; Liszt's Paganini Études (S. 141 or S. 140); Debussy's Images; Chopin's Ballades; Chopin's Scherzos... Anyway, there are many possibilities for content and suggestions...

In my opinion: ( i played half of them) 1- No.2 2- No.1 3- No.4 4- No.7 5- No.10 6-No.11 7-No.8 8-No.12 9-No.5 10-No.3 11-No.9 12-No.6

i dont know, but Hot Key. I have no words how genius this is even tho its not genius. Loving it :D

Really insightful video - you make me want to attempt to tackle some of these Etudes! (Note the use of the word 'attempt'.)

PLEASE DO OP 25

Actually think no.10 is a beast when you play all the different articulations and accents properly. Also think you underestimate no.8.. That middle section is very difficult to pull off accurately and cleanly!

Would you do Rachmaninoff's arrangement of Fritz Kreisler's "Liebesleid"?

Excellent 🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂