Étude Op. 10 No. 5 in G-flat major “Black Keys”

Frédéric Chopin · Level 6 (Expert) · Romantic · Piano

The “Black Keys” étude (1830): the right hand plays almost only black keys, in light, brilliant sixteenth-note triplets. A work by Chopin, the poet of the Romantic piano. G♭ major, 2/4, 85 bars (about 3 minutes), 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 single grace note of the source is not written here. Keep the fingers close to the keys and the wrist loose: lightness comes from the hand, not from force. Supple, precise left hand and singing melody; rubato only once the notes are secure. Key signature with 6 flats: name them aloud before playing and spot the places where accidentals cancel them. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment.

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 : Mutopia Project · Public Domain