A Study of Chopin Études

This is a brief rundown of some of the many different musical techniques that appear in Chopin’s études.

Perfect octaves

An octave is an interval between one tone and another with double its frequency. This is equivalent to 12 keys apart (counting both black and white keys) on a piano.

Arpeggios

Arpeggios are the notes of a chord played in succession. They can travel across the piano or repeat in a particular space. An arpeggiated chord, also known as a rolled chord, is written with notes stacked on top of each other, but each note is also played in succession.

Chromatic scales

Chromatic scales consist of consecutive semitones. On the piano, this means playing every key – both black and white. Some of the ways they appear are as single-note scales, a series of octaves, or as a chromatic melody where the chromatic scale is separated by other notes.

Shifting intervals

Shifting intervals are two notes played simultaneously. The space between the two notes can be constant or varying, and the intervals themselves can appear consecutively or with single notes between intervals of varying sizes.

Staccato

Staccato, denoted by a dot above or under a note, indicates that the note should be played for a shorter duration of time — that the playing finger should not rest on the key.

Now that we’re done with that quick music theory lesson, let’s quantify some of their appearances in the études. Please note that this data was manually collected and is only intended to highlight some of a piece’s prominent techniques, rather than capture every intricacy. For example, two arpeggiated chords appear at the end of Op. 25 No. 4, but the piece is not counted as containing arpeggios because they are not a defining feature of the étude.

Here, we see the number of études that use each technique. Octaves appear most commonly in Chopin’s études, followed by arpeggios and chromatic scales. Arpeggios and octaves appear more frequently in Opus 10, while shifting intervals and chromatic patterns appear more in Opus 25. Chopin's use of staccato also dwindles in his latter two sets of etudes.

Despite being written after Opus 25, trois nouvelles études bears more resemblance to Opus 10 with its arpeggios and octaves. But the use of shifting intervals that Chopin explored in Opus 25 can still be seen in these pieces.

Another way to look at these techniques is whether Chopin used them in only the left or right hands, or both. Arpeggios and octaves appear more in the left hand than in the right. Chromatic scales and shifting intervals are seldom played by only the left hand and staccato is never prominently used in the left hand.