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The library · Classical

Prelude in C major, BWV 846

Johann Sebastian Bach

A single arpeggio pattern, repeated bar after bar: the whole piece is a chain of chords to identify.

C major · 4/4 · 60 beats per minute · 35 bars · 2 min 20 · advanced level

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The form

The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.

A B C D E F G G' Coda

SectionBarsChordsPhrase ending
A 1–4 C · Dm7/C · G7/B · C
I · ii7 · V7 · I		 Perfect cadence
B 5–8 C · D7/C · Bm · Cmaj7/B
I · V7/V · vii · Imaj7		 —
C 9–12 Am · D · G · Gdim
vi · V/V · V · v°		 Imperfect cadence
D 13–16 F · Fdim · Em · Fmaj7/E
IV · iv° · iii · IVmaj7		 —
E 17–20 Dm · G · C
ii · V · I		 Perfect cadence
F 21–24 F · F♯dim · Fm/A♭ · G7
IV · ♯iv° · iv · V7		 Imperfect cadence
G 25–28 Em/G · Gsus4 · G · E♭/G
iii · Vsus4 · V · ♭III		 —
G' 29–32 Em/G · Gsus4 · G · C
iii · Vsus4 · V · I		 Perfect cadence
Coda 33–35 C · Cmaj7 · C
I · Imaj7 · I		 —

The key

C major
No sharps or flats
Scale
C · D · E · F · G · A · B
Pillar chords
I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7

The tricky passages

  • Bar 6: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (more than an octave (15 semitones)), notes outside the key, lots of notes
  • Bar 10: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor seventh), notes outside the key, lots of notes
  • Bar 32: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor seventh), notes outside the key, lots of notes

The plan: 27 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.

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