Category: Videos

Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 1 Analysis: How Chopin Modulates

Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 1 Analysis: How Chopin Modulates

This Chopin Etude Analysis examines bars 12–24 of Chopin’s Étude Op. 25 No. 1, performed by Rachel Billings. In this short extract, we explore Chopin’s remarkable use of modulation and the harmonic methods he uses to move effortlessly between closely and distantly related keys.

Even within this brief passage, Chopin’s ability to navigate between different tonal areas offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of this extraordinary composer.

Chopin Etude Analysis: Modulation and Harmony

Chopin’s music provides a fascinating way to see music theory in action. If you’d like to develop a stronger understanding of keys, harmony, chords and modulation, the All-In-One Music Theory books are designed to help you recognise the patterns and connections within music rather than simply memorising rules.

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Chopin Scherzo No. 2 Dominant 7th to Tonic Resolution, Suspensions and Sequences

Chopin Scherzo No. 2 — Dominant 7th–Tonic

Excerpt performed by Rachel Billings — Bars 65–130

This performance accompanies Rachel’s article, Why Does the Dominant 7th Chord Resolve to the Tonic?

It provides an example of the universal tendency for the 7th of a dominant 7th chord to resolve downwards by step to the third of the tonic chord. Likewise, the third of the dominant chord — the leading note of the key — resolves upwards by step to the tonic.

Suspensions and sequences are also covered, demonstrating how these different concepts work together to achieve a beautiful musical result.

Although advanced music can sound incredibly complex, it is often built from relatively simple musical ideas.

Learning to recognise these ideas when they occur in the music we listen to and perform can make music easier to understand, learn, memorise and perform.

 

This bite-sized tutorial is part of the expanding Theory, Musicianship and Performance series, in which Rachel highlights simple music theory concepts as they occur naturally within the music she loves to play and perform.

In this excerpt from Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2, Rachel explores:

  • dominant 7th–tonic resolution

  • suspensions

  • sequences

Want to understand the theory behind passages like this?

📚All-In-One Music Theory books explain these concepts in a clear, practical way, with resources covering Grades 1–5.

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Chopin Ballade No.1 – How to fix a tricky descending scale run

Chopin Ballade No.1  – How to fix a tricky descending scale run

The Chopin Ballade No. 1 scale run is one of the most recognisable passages in the piano repertoire — and one that many pianists find tricky to play with confidence and evenness. In this short piano tutorial, I break down the descending scale run step by step, with practical tips to help you play it with greater confidence, evenness and musicality. 🎹✨

One of the things I find helpful is to slow the passage down and group the notes mentally while still keeping them even. This is purely a mental hack, but it can make a fast scale run feel much more manageable. It can also help to remember the underlying harmonic structure: here we have F7, followed by chord iv (notice that it’s minor, not major), then V and I in E-flat major.

As you build up speed, keep listening for evenness and clarity rather than simply trying to play faster. Practise slowly first, then gradually increase the tempo. Consistency is key!

🎥 Watch the scale passage in context of my full performance of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1.

(the descending scale runs occurs around the 7 minute mark)

 

Want to understand the theory behind passages like this?

📚All-In-One Music Theory books explain chords, harmony, Roman numerals and much more in a clear, practical way, with resources covering Grades 1–5.

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Chopin Piano Tutorial Etude Op. 25 No.10 The Whole-Tone Scale

Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 10 Piano Tutorial – The Whole-Tone Scale

A Pianist’s Thoughts

Chopin was remarkably forward-looking for his time. In the opening four bars of this Étude Op. 25 No. 10, the main notes form a whole-tone scale — something particularly striking in a piece written in the 1830s.

By “main notes”, I mean the notes around which the others seem to hang — the notes that are given a little more prominence or accent. These are the notes marked in green on this particular score. They are also the notes I find myself singing in my head as I play, creating an interesting offbeat rhythmic pattern in places.

It’s a small detail, but I find it fascinating how this underlying whole-tone pattern contributes to the character of the music.

There is actually another piece by Chopin which uses a whole-tone scale in a much more obvious way than here. Does anyone know which one?  If you know, let me know in the comments.

🎥 Watch the video on YouTube

What Is a Whole-Tone Scale?

For anyone who doesn’t know, a whole-tone scale is made entirely of whole tones (two semitones), giving it six different notes within the octave.

In this example, the notes are F♯, G♯, A♯, B♯, D and E. Each note is a whole tone away from the next.

Because there are no semitones within the scale, whole-tone scales have a distinctive, floating quality. They can create a dreamy, ambiguous or almost trance-like effect, and they are also closely connected to the augmented chord, which can be constructed from the notes of a whole-tone scale.

The whole-tone scale later became particularly associated with the music of the French Impressionist composers, especially Debussy. Finding this colour in Chopin, writing in the 1830s, is one of the many things that makes his music so fascinating to explore.

Want to understand the theory behind passages like this?

📚All-In-One Music Theory books explain about whole-tones, semitones, chords, harmony and much more in a clear, practical way, with resources covering Grades 1–5.

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Shostakovich Piano Tutorial Waltz No.2 | Chord Inversions & hemiolas

Shostakovich Waltz No. 2 – Piano Tutorial – Chord Inversions &  Hemiolas

Learn a challenging passage from Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2, in Florian Noack’s piano arrangement, with this step-by-step piano tutorial.

How Music Theory Helps You Learn Shostakovich Waltz No. 2

This tutorial explores how music theory can help us understand, practise and perform difficult piano passages. We look at chord inversions, hemiolas,  appoggiaturas and harmonic direction, and how recognising these musical ideas can make a challenging passage easier to hear, understand and learn.

Practising Shostakovich Waltz No. 2 with Purpose

Understanding the harmony and rhythmic structure beneath the notes can help you practise more purposefully, rather than simply repeating a difficult passage. It can also help you hear where the music is going, identify important notes and phrases, and make more informed choices about technique and musical expression.

This is a practical example of how music theory and piano practice can work together. When we understand what is happening beneath the surface of a piece, challenging music can become less daunting — and more rewarding to learn and perform.

You may also like: Shostakovich Waltz No. 2 – Part 2

Shostakovich Waltz No.2 (Part 2) Piano Tutorial

Explore More Music Theory for Pianists

For more practical music theory tutorials, piano analysis and resources for musicians, visit All-In-One Music Theory.

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Blog: Chord Inversions Explained: Triads, Four-Part Chords and Figured Bass (Music Theory Guide)

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