Interactive piano piece
Learn 50 Melodische Übungsstücke No. 6, Op. 840
A 32-measure study in A minor that pairs an expressive right-hand melody with a steady Alberti-bass left-hand pattern — the most common Classical accompaniment texture and an essential skill for early piano students. The section loop on the practice desk is well suited to this 32-measure study — looping the Alberti-bass left-hand patterns alone at 50% tempo until they produce a uniform pp texture is the key preparatory step before adding the melody.
Browser MIDI check pending
Loading score...
Press Play for the full piece, or choose Opening and switch to Wait for note for guided right-hand practice.
About the piece
The Alberti bass — backbone of Classical piano writing.
Carl Czerny studied with Beethoven, whose piano sonatas are saturated with Alberti-bass accompaniment patterns, and taught Liszt, who moved beyond them into richer textures. The Melodische Übungsstücke, Op. 840, introduce the student to the full range of accompaniment styles in the Classical and early Romantic repertoire; No. 6 addresses the most foundational of them: the Alberti bass, a broken-chord figure that alternates between the lowest and inner tones of a chord via the highest, creating continuous harmonic motion beneath a sustained melody.
Set in A minor — the simplest minor key with no accidentals in its natural form — No. 6 pairs this Alberti texture with an expressive right-hand melody across 32 measures. The challenge is not the melody, which is straightforward, but making the left hand invisible: the Alberti pattern must dissolve into a harmonic haze while the melody projects above it. This independence of volume and character between hands is one of the defining skills of Classical piano style.
Practice path
Silence the left hand, project the right.
Practice the left hand alone at 50% tempo and target a completely uniform, very soft touch — every note in the Alberti figure at the same pp level, no accents on the pattern's top note. When the left hand sounds like a harmonic hum rather than individual notes, add the right-hand melody at full expressive volume and check that the balance holds. At any moment where the left hand becomes audible as a separate layer, reduce its touch further.
Score basis: Generated MusicXML from Mutopia MIDI. Public domain composition; Public Domain (CC0) — Mutopia; MusicXML generated for Pianodemy. Attribution: Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2151).
MIDI source: Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2151). Public Domain (CC0) — Mutopia.
Questions
Before you practice.
Short answers for learners and for searchers deciding whether this is the right version to start with.
01What is an Alberti bass and why does Czerny use it in Op. 840 No. 6?
An Alberti bass is a broken-chord accompaniment pattern that alternates between the lowest and highest notes of a chord via the middle note. Czerny uses it here because it underpins much of the Classical and early Romantic piano literature students will encounter next.
02Is A minor beginner-friendly?
Yes — A minor has no sharps or flats in its natural form, making it one of the easiest minor keys to read. Czerny's No. 6 is an ideal first encounter with minor-key expressive phrasing alongside practical left-hand technique.
How to use this V1
The Alberti bass must be felt, not heard.
The top note of the Alberti figure — the one that matches the chord's upper voice — naturally receives more finger weight because it is at the peak of the hand's reach. Consciously drop the weight on every top note. At 75% tempo, record a few bars and listen: if the Alberti figure is audible as a distinct rhythmic pattern rather than a continuous harmonic wash, the left hand is still too loud. Use the section loop on any measure where the balance tips.