Prelude Op. 28 No. 21 in B-flat major

Frédéric Chopin · Level 5 (Advanced) · Romantic · Piano

One of the 24 Preludes Op. 28 (1839): a singing cantilena over left-hand eighths in double notes, then a middle part that broadens in wide waves down to the bass register. B♭ major, 3/4, 59 bars (about one minute), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• The left-hand double notes are the core difficulty: practise them alone, very legato, keeping the upper voice more present. The original grace notes are not in the playable score: add them once you know the notes. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together. Fast writing: work section by section in Wait mode, then in dotted rhythms, and raise the tempo in steps of 5–10%.

More pieces by Frédéric Chopin

• Prelude Op. 28 No. 9 in E major
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 in E minor
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 6 in B minor
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 20 in C minor
• Mazurka in G-sharp minor Op. 33 No. 1
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 10 in C-sharp minor
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 11 in B major
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 14 in E-flat minor

Source : PDMX / MuseScore · CC0 1.0