Taught by renowned pianist
Frederic Chiu
There's more to this étude than meets the eye. Although many pianists treat Chopin's Étude in A-flat, Op. 10 No. 10 as a study in rotation, American maverick Frederic Chiu discerned the underlying principle that is the key to playing it successfully: it's a study all the different ways you can divide up 12 notes.<br><br>Chopin gives each 4-bar unit a unique subdivision of 12: here it's 4 groups of 3 notes, there it's 6 groups of 2 – and even 12 groups of 1! Since this applies to the left hand as well, Chopin creates an infinitely varied framework of accentuation. He uses all the means at his disposal to mark different groupings: barring, slurs, accents, articulation, and more.<br><br> In addition to being more captivating musically, this approach also solves the problem of constantly building tension: by changing up the groupings, you're constantly releasing tension in what Chiu calls the "three axes of tension": up and down, left to right, and rotation. To help you learn the notes, Chiu also offers insight on how to practice blocking (playing the chords together instead of as successive notes) and how it will help you make the hands more independent as well.
Étude Op. 10 No. 10 in A-flat Major
There's more to this étude than meets the eye. Although many pianists treat Chopin's Étude in A-flat, Op. 10 No. 10 as a study in rotation, American maverick Frederic Chiu discerned the underlying principle that is the key to playing it successfully: it's a study all the different ways you can divide up 12 notes.
Chopin gives each 4-bar unit a unique subdivision of 12: here it's 4 groups of 3 notes, there it's 6 groups of 2 – and even 12 groups of 1! Since this applies to the left hand as well, Chopin creates an infinitely varied framework of accentuation. He uses all the means at his disposal to mark different groupings: barring, slurs, accents, articulation, and more.
In addition to being more captivating musically, this approach also solves the problem of constantly building tension: by changing up the groupings, you're constantly releasing tension in what Chiu calls the "three axes of tension": up and down, left to right, and rotation. To help you learn the notes, Chiu also offers insight on how to practice blocking (playing the chords together instead of as successive notes) and how it will help you make the hands more independent as well.
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