Interactive piano piece
Learn Prelude in E-flat major, Op. 28 No. 19
A brilliant and demanding 72-bar Vivace in E-flat major built almost entirely from parallel sixths in the right hand and sweeping arpeggios in the left — one of the most technically challenging of the short Op. 28 preludes. The tempo slider and section loops reveal how this E-flat major waterfall is constructed — wide-spanning arpeggios that sound improvisatory but are precisely notated.
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Press Play for the full piece, or choose Opening and switch to Wait for note for guided right-hand practice.
About the piece
A cascade of wide arpeggios that tests the reach of every hand.
Prelude No. 19 in E-flat major is one of the most technically demanding in Op. 28. Both hands sweep continuously through wide-spanning arpeggio figures — the right hand covering more than an octave in many bars — creating a sparkling, mercurial texture that has been compared to fountains and to the sound of wind through leaves.
Chopin wrote it in a vivace tempo and marked it with a characteristic lightness, yet the physical demands are considerable: the player must cover large distances on the keyboard while keeping the tone even and the line singing. The piece was part of the Majorca revisions of 1838–39, and its brilliance sits in sharp contrast to the more introverted preludes that surround it.
Practice path
Map the hand positions before playing the notes.
Before practising the notes, trace the arpeggio shapes silently on the keys to learn the hand position changes. The wrist must lead each sweep rather than the fingers, or the larger intervals will cause tension. Loop individual bars at 40% tempo until each position shift feels natural.
Score basis: Generated MusicXML from Mutopia MIDI. Public domain composition; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0; MusicXML generated for Pianodemy. Attribution: Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/ChopinFF/O28/Chop-28-19/).
MIDI source: Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/ChopinFF/O28/Chop-28-19/). Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.
Questions
Before you practice.
Short answers for learners and for searchers deciding whether this is the right version to start with.
01Why is Chopin Prelude No. 19 considered advanced?
The continuous parallel sixths in the right hand demand a high level of independence and evenness between fingers 4–5 and 1–2. At Vivace tempo the hand must move fluidly without tension across 72 bars — it is more of a technical study than a lyrical miniature.
02How should I practise the parallel sixths in Prelude Op. 28 No. 19?
Start at a very slow tempo and focus on the top voice of each sixth sounding slightly louder and smoother than the lower. Practice hands separately, then together at half-speed before gradually increasing. A relaxed wrist is essential — stiffness is the main enemy.
How to use this V1
Lead with the wrist, not the fingers.
At 40% tempo, play each bar as a block chord first to hear the harmony, then play the written arpeggio and focus on a smooth wrist rotation that carries the hand across the span. At 70%, use the loop on any bar where a position shift feels abrupt. The tempo slider helps you find the speed at which the arpeggios sound continuous — only move faster when that continuity is reliable.