Ballade No. 1 in G minor
About this arrangement
Chopin finished it in 1835 and published it in 1836, with a dedication to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen. Schumann reported that Chopin told him it was the work he liked best.
Split the work into sections and loop the hardest ones slowly, especially the Presto con fuoco coda. Practise the coda's left-hand jumps on their own before adding the right hand.
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 difficult is Chopin's Ballade No. 1?
It's advanced and one of the harder pieces in the standard repertoire. It needs fast octaves, wide left-hand leaps and a lot of stamina.
02 How long is Ballade No. 1?
Our edition has 262 bars. A typical performance lasts about 9-10 minutes.
03 What should I practise first?
Learn the main theme in 6/4 first, since it comes back several times. Leave the coda for last and build it up slowly with loops at 50% tempo.
04 What time signature is Ballade No. 1 in?
It opens with a short introduction in 4/4, most of the piece is in 6/4, and the coda switches to 2/2.
