Prelude and Fugue in A-flat major
About this arrangement
This is No. 17 in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled in 1722 in Köthen. The edition we use marks the fugue as being for four voices.
Work through the prelude hands separately, then together at a slow tempo. For the fugue, learn the subject alone and mark where it enters in each of the four voices. Practise voice pairs before playing all four, and loop dense bars at 50%.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 How hard is Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A-flat major, BWV 862?
Advanced. The fugue has four voices, so you often hold one note while other lines move in the same hand.
02 How long is BWV 862?
Our score has 79 bars in total: the prelude is 44 bars in 3/4 and the fugue is 35 bars in 4/4.
03 What should I practise first?
Start with the prelude to learn the key and the hand layout. Then learn the fugue subject on its own before adding the other voices.