The library · Classical
Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7
Frédéric Chopin
Sixteen bars, two almost identical phrases and one recurring rhythm: one of Chopin's shortest preludes, like a little mazurka.
A major · 3/4 · 120 beats per minute · 16 bars · 24 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A A'
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–8 | E7 · A · E7 · Bsus4/E · A · A/E V7 · I · V7 · IIsus4 · I · I |
— |
| A' | 9–16 | E · E7 · A · A6 · Bm · Bm6/F♯ · Asus4 · A V · V7 · I · I6 · ii · ii6 · Isus4 · I |
— |
The key
- A major
- 3 sharps in the key signature: F♯, C♯, G♯
- Scale
- A · B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯
- Pillar chords
- I = A · IV = D · V7 = E7
The tricky passages
- Bar 11: fast runs (8.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (major sixth), notes outside the key
- Bar 13: fast runs (8.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave), notes outside the key
- Bar 15: fast runs (17.5 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave)
The plan: 9 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
- Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 · Christian Petzold
- Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart