Chopin Preludes Op. 28: Ranked by Difficulty

[@Rhodesymusicofficial]

I wanted to do this as a collab vid with u :(

[@acactus2190]

Hold on, lemme update the desc. Because I got the idea from you!

[@-.a]

@@acactus2190 this is literally one of the most popular types of piano videos, he really does not need credit for the idea

[@acactus2190]

@@-.a nevertheless, regardless of the idea, it’s still in good courtesy to credit where you got the idea from. I would’ve never made this video had he never voiced this.

[@johnchessant3012]

amazing. I have played no. 16

[@ewe-et1xv]

Definitely agree on a lot of them, like no 24 and 16. The only one I would say is a bit under ranked is no 12, but overall a fantastic list!

[@pepitillop2673]

Can you rank prokofiev “Visions fugitives” next?

[@FranciscoElena-u5j]

Maravilloso muy bien interpretado

[@-.a]

19 is underranked, 3 is underranked, 24 is overranked, 2 is underranked, 4 is underranked

[@alsuhkte-hr4ih]

For a video ranking 24 pieces, only disagreeing with 5 would mean the list is quite good

[@-.a]

@@alsuhkte-hr4ih its absolutely not a bad ranking. my comment is also only my opinion, there is no "correct" ranking

[@compositeur8455]

24's LH is no joke

[@AMoonShapedPoo]

​@@compositeur8455Not so tricky if you can reach 10th or more

[@potatohunter3763]

video looks at technical difficulty,any beginner pianist could play those "easy" pieces like 2 and 4 And no 24 has many different technical difficulties that other preludes just dont or only have one only one i played that i would say overranked is prob 22

[@tungholau2457]

easiest： 4，6，7 easy： 9，15，20 easy-medium：2，21，13，17 medium：11，14，23 hard：1，3，10，22 Very hard：5，8，18 Insane：12， 16，19，24 In reference of Pollini，Argerich performance.

[@BlueArchiveClassicalPiano]

Prelude 19 is absolutely gnarly

[@ChalumeauCauchemarLOL]

Thats a really useful video, thank you! ❤

[@SCRIABINIST]

Personally think 12 is harder than 19. 24 isn't too hard except for the thirds in the end but it is longer than 16 so I would put these two tied.

[@acactus2190]

@@SCRIABINIST very fair ranking. I think the LH in 24 (not the thirds) for me was by far the hardest, especially when you actually have to hold the middle key down as shown in the score while reaching for intervals bigger than a 10th is just awful to play.

[@SCRIABINIST]

@@acactus2190 Yeah I think that's where subjective strength comes in. I personally hate 3rds but the left hand is difficult but not insane for me. Side effect of playing Scriabin I guess. Either way, both are very difficult and Chopin are criminally underrated in rankings.

[@TenorCantusFirmus]

I just disagree upon the nn. 6 and 24, which on a technical standpoint are both easier their place on this ranking would suggest. Agree on the rest, however, and even the "easier" ones still are beautiful pieces. The n.6 in particular is a masterclass for the use of textures and voice-leading.

[@acactus2190]

Definitely see your point. I find no 24’s LH extremely difficult, especially when you have to hold the middle key because I have smaller hands. But tbh, any of the top 4-5 can be interchanged

[@TwitterChannelOfficial]

How long for an average joe does it take to learn all of chopin prelude repertoire?

[@fmismydream6520]

For avarage joe infinity, for pianist with master degree probably few months. For ppl like trifonov 2-3 weeks

[@fmismydream6520]

And i mean it to the competition lvl. To play slower tempis and not clear ofc less

[@bw2082]

19 is low key the hardest prelude. 12 probably 3rd hardest.

[@SaimoodPianoVersions]

24,16,19,12 and 3 these are the most demanding ones in my humble opinion.

[@jesemepardens9151]

8 seems like a very tricky one too

[@Piotr-jx4bu]

No 5 is much harder than no 3

[@SaimoodPianoVersions]

@@Piotr-jx4bu to me it's not, the interpretation is much easier and also can be played a bit slower which makes it musical and easier, but indeed 5 and 8 are also pretty hard ones.

[@tungholau2457]

@@jesemepardens9151 not as tricky as the 5, 5 melody isn't on the first beat and extremely syncopated whereas the 8 melody is fixed and certain.

[@Dylonely_9274]

No. 4 is the best one.

[@oscarnguyen7999]

Prelude 24 is actually not that difficult. 19 is by far the hardest

[@acactus2190]

Very fair, I just find the LH in 24 extremely hard.

[@oscarnguyen7999]

@acactus2190 Yes, it's not easy at first, but once you've learn it it's not too much of a problem. For the prelude 19, I think that even if you practiced it a lot, it still very tricky.

[@jakubdzwonkowski]

Tbh no. 7 isn't as easy as it looks - the most difficult part is the interpratation, it gives me the most problems. From the preludes that I have played that is 4, 6, 7, 15 and 20, the 7th in A Major is actually the hardest for me

[@acactus2190]

Definitely!

[@RoninsMusic]

For me 16 > 24. 8 and 19 are prob even harder for me as I'm not motivated to learn them lol

[@acactus2190]

Any of the top 5 can be interchanged imo, but I def see your point. Having played 16, 19, and 24, I just find 24 to be the most comfortable because of the LH

[@Thesampler-qb3fo]

Can you do a little microtones content?

[@acactus2190]

Lmao idk much about microtones

[@andywalls8707]

My personal order of difficultty: 1. No 20 2. No 7 3. No 4 4. No 6 5. No 2 6. No 1 7. No 10 8. No 11 9. No 14 10. No 9 11. No 13 12. No 15 13. No 3 14. No 23 15. No 17 16. No 5 17. No 21 18. No 22 19. No 8 20. No 18 21. No 16 22. No 19 23. No 24 24. No 12

[@Andrew-sw1cv]

12 is fiendishly difficult

[@andywalls8707]

​@@Andrew-sw1cv Yes.

[@loganm2924]

Fair enough list

[@ensiehsafary7633]

19 is crazy hard harder than 24

[@Andrew-sw1cv]

@@ensiehsafary7633 yeah lol 24 is actually pretty comfy except the thirds

[@noahgreenstein-sheppard1461]

I haven't played many of these so maybe this is wrong but 19 (Eb maj) is really really hard - easily the hardest i think (tbh i would rank it above most etudes) because of the constant wrist motion and pivoting on both hands while still keeping a light & airy & even sound throughout (no weird accents). also I haven't played it but I don't think 8 (F# min) is that hard - yes it's really fast but (for me at least) the bottleneck in really fast passages is writs&hand motion (not finger motion) and there's barely any of that in 8 (to me everything fits under the hand pretty well) but there's a ton in 19. Wrist muscles are slower and slow me down way more than fingers Still, really nice ranking!

[@jesemepardens9151]

9 is E major

[@acactus2190]

Thanks! Yes 19 is a beast. Any of the top 5 are switchable, so definitely a fair judgement!

[@noahgreenstein-sheppard1461]

@@jesemepardens9151 Thanks, it's fixed

[@Charles-pm4so]

Have you even played and recorded all of them before making this assessment ?

[@acactus2190]

I have played most of most difficult ones (24, 16, 19, and 22). I have also tried a lot of preludes prior to this video. I also checked in with my teacher (who is a concert pianist and professor at my local conservatory and has played all 24) about this list. I also held various polls on my channel and found a general internet consensus.

[@potatohunter3763]

he/she doesnt need to