Chopin Revolutionary Etude - Tutorial - Paul Barton, piano

[AppolloHunter]

This helps :) I'm not into fast classical music but i was challenged to get into it. Watching your hand movements turned the light bulb on. Thanks!

[hannahchanxox]

PLEASE HELP ME!!

I have extremely small hands, so it's hard for me to even do an octave, never mind playing the notes between it as well, extremely fast, with control and accuracy!!

And please do not just say to give on the piece, because it's obviously not JUST THIS ONE, most pieces I am learning contains LOTS of octave-y things, and it's really hard for me to play. Are there any tips to help me? Exercises to make my fingers grow longer?

Thank you sooo so much :)

[PaulBartonPiano]

@hannahchanxox -- small hands are common, especially in countries like Japan. Often children that play piano do stretching exercises as they grow up. It's sometimes a question of increasing the the spaces between the fingers called webbing, as making them longer is just not possible. Vladimir Ashkenazy has very small hands, yet he is one of the world's favorite pianists. Chopin used to sleep with wine corks between his fingers as a child as his hands were smallish too.

[PaulBartonPiano]

I can't post a link here but Goggle this below and you will see a perfect solution for you.

Perfect-Fit Piano

Ergonomists Measure Benefits of Keyboard for Smaller Hands

[colourfulwithaU]

Very nice tutorial! This piece seems a lot less daunting now.

[twgirl1]

Hello !! very good nice channel ! Thanks for sharing

[willemvdr12]

at 06.46, where is his bass line?

[Hitherto90]

My only issue with this piece is the three against four in the fourth section.

[ijustretired]

Paul you are truly inspirational, you have no idea how many people you inspire to go back to piano playing if they have stopped.

[Ishimilated]

Thanks for this! But still, no matter how much I practise, I can't play fast without making mistakes all the time. Any advice? :(

[etude555]

very very great pianist. perfect technique.

[willemvdr12]

too bad that isn´t an acoustic piano

(is it?)

[darkwolfevanish]

@willemvdr12 of course it is an acustic piano. all instrumints whitch their sound is made by the bibration that is created when you "hit" theme are acustic. maybe you mean that it is not a grand piano ??

[willemvdr12]

@darkwolfevanish

No, I thought it sounded better than a normal acoustic piano of this size,

and it sounds too much like he´s playing in a concert hall, which he´s obviously not.

I would say it´s an electric piano, built in an acoustic case or something.

I almost can´t beleve that this is the sound of that piano.

[mrpolaroid123]

Paul! Bars 15 - middle of bar 17...... Do you (Can you) (Should you!!) Play these ridiculously awkward bits legato, by bringing the 4th right over, then on the return tucking the thumb under.... Or do you lift off and re position...... Thanks!

[Hitherto90]

I have got to get the fingerings for this.

[stoklund]

Those dynamics are amazing!!!!!!!! 

[killerqueenx94]

Hey Paul,

Your tutorial was wonderful; haven't been as productive aswhen I was using it in months...I have a question though; my left hand gets fatigue in the elbow, and eventually seizes up so that I can't play properly. Any tips?

Thanks so much!

[andreea140794]

Thank you Paul ,you help me a lot with these tutorials ! I would love if you'd do Etude Op.25 No 10 .

[UKpiano]

bar 27 I noticed you dont play the f in the chord, is this because its a difficult stretch? I cant quite get this chord either, I have difficulty with it, but the score says to play the f, e, a and d together! This chord is very tricky to play.

Also the octaves near the end - section 5 onwards, I notice you dont play them at full tempo that matches the left hand semi-quavers, I think its almost impossible to match them, and there is always going to have to be a relaxed left hand, this right?

[nelsyeung]

Love this, I missed so much things when playing, thanks!! I have one problem though, I found playing section 2 after the first "main melody (C D Eb) bit, where the base line changes, my "arm" get tired very easily because of the large leap of notes. I really want help with that :(

[katiush65]

0:04 "Hi, I'm Paul, and it's been suggested to me that I make some tutorial videos..." ah... so unassumingly the words pass into the rank of famous opening lines! ;-)

This is fun to play, I read through it (a bit), it has... bravado! Couldn't help but see contrast between Chopin's emotions writing this and the "fun" in playing it... Also played 1st page of Rach 23/2, any of his preludes or etudes, I adore. That one needs some boldness to sound right! some pieces sound ok if tentative, not 23/2

[mazzolaf]

Paul, I have just discovered your tutorials and they are awesome! Thank you for offering this to those of us who want to make beautiful music but need to work through technical challenges. Any thoughts on the Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No 2?

[PaulBartonPiano]

@mazzolaf -- Thanks! - yes, LOVE 23/2 (+ all the Rach. P's) Have you been practicing it?

[katiush65]

for the left hand, I wonder if this one or 10/4 is better... I'm out etude shopping today and torn between this and 10/4 which you just uploaded... maybe both of them? (they are called e-TWO'd) And as always right now torn between Youtube and work... Thx for comments on tone, that is a HUGE problem for me, church pianist has to bang the keyboard just to hear myself, ... well interludes are different... but my touch is as elegant as work boots, as I discover with horror when re-listening

[jeranbrown1]

This is great! Thank you very much.

[wojtekmetal]

You look like exactly like Eric Clapton:)

[lospazio]

I don't know whether it is because I have small hands, but for me, the most difficult part of this work are bars 15 and 16. Unfortunately there's no reference to that section in this tutorial.

[tototenkul]

thanx for the answer .

[RagtimeIrvin]

@katiush65 Well today I learned the first two measures of it.

[RagtimeIrvin]

i just got the sheet music yesterday i i gave up just after reading it lol

[katiush65]

@RagtimeIrvin just a thought, maybe you could pick one passage that really sounds good to you, and learn that, and also it will give you a little jumpstart if & when you come back to it later! I did that once with the Heroic polonaise, I just could not sound anything like Rubinstein so I soon gave up ;-) but there were some great sounding runs up the keyboard and chords, & I learned those bits and they have helped me in other areas! best wishes

[TonyWRO]

gdybym miał pianino to bym się tego nauczył ale mam tylko chujowego keyboarda z czterema oktawami

[mcnamarad37]

Hey Paul! As a lover of Chopin and his brilliant works, I have played some of his pieces (my favorite being his nocturne in c sharp minor op. posthumous). I would love to play one of his etudes, but do not know which one to start with in terms of mechanical aspects and fingering. I was either thinking of his Revolutionary Etude or the Waterfall Etude, both of which are brilliant pieces, but I am open to other songs. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!

[PhrygianBlack]

Your technique is absolutely superb! You are a professional, right?

[PaulBartonPiano]

@PhrygianBlack -- thanks! (semi-p. my "job" is artist)

[vivianbalerina]

wooooow, its incredible thanks for upload this tutorials, you help me a lot with my proyects of piano. keep like that;)

[wowitsjon522]

Paul, this is so great, Thank you so much! Ah, I'm learning this piece and have an audition soon in which I'm going to play it. I'm having a bit of trouble though with the left hand in Sections 3 where the L.H. arpeggio starts and Section 4. Any tips? Also, I noticed that your pinky fingers are very powerful and you still have full control even when they are fully extended...how do you do that???

[raondaim]

Great! Which fingers do you use in bar number 8 for both hands?

[fkpiano111]

This is awesome! Please make one for op.10 #9!

[Martel211996]

Paul You seem so shy in this video comapred to your recent tutorials!

[PaulBartonPiano]

@Martel211996 - :) yes, I noticed that too!

[omguanyin]

Screw Steinway. I want a Yamaha instead.

[MrIgorzaumm]

Hello Paul! I would like to see a OP10 N8! Thanks!

[PaulBartonPiano]

@MrIgorzaumm -- I'll be concentrating on completing the Etudes with corresponding tutorials next March onwards, when the piano and recorded sound will be upgraded. Have you been studying 10/8?

[MrIgorzaumm]

@PaulBartonPiano Yes, i have studied the op 10 n 12, op 10 n 2,op 25 n 1 and the op 10 n 8 that is incomplete. I have a big facility to learn piano, so I do not needed a base pratice and I only play chopin preludes, nocturnes, etudes, and the Two and Three Part invention and the WTC from bach. I am planing on learning Mozart and Beethoven, but my favorites is Bach and Chopin. I dont study at a music college but I have a good teacher that help me when I need.

[afertyus1000]

these tutorials are a godsend,i have seen many on YT some masterclasses by concert pianists talking about 'soul' etc in a mystical way,your pragmatic approach is refreshing and people would gladly pay hundreds for you as their piano teacher,although the pieces still require hard work and commitment/talent you show the right way to practice and give people the chance to at least become successful,thanks

[ciaoitalia84]

Fantastic video! I'm just studying this piece.. i gave it a general shape but when I play it at the right speed there are some "holes" (mostly in the left hand!) and I miss some group of notes. What do you suggest me to sharpen and clean up the piece definitively?

[PaulBartonPiano]

@ciaoitalia84 -- thanks! - just play deeply and firmly into the notes, making good contact with each finger (especially 4th and 5th) at a tempo you can manage without "holes" and just keep repeating, over time you'll get there.

[o0oWynNzo0o]

nice ending~ =D

[o0oWynNzo0o]

nice ending~~ =D

[cossito0907]

C: great!!

[biblebuds]

Very generous of you to create this. It is very helpful.

[kingjepoy]

Oh, I'm favoriting this! I wanna add this piece to my etude repertoire one day. Thanks for showing the way!

[MissLadyGagaDiva]

you play really fast! =O awesome (=

[ishikawa686]

Thanks, this is AWESOME !!!

[Godlesshappy]

Thanks for your e-mail. Here once again my wish, as I cannot read any score (!):

It`s unfortunately too fast to follow. I would appreciate to find a tutorial video of this etude "played very slowly". Great would be also "left and right hand played seperately". I wonder if you can do this, as you obviously have already much do to. Thanks anyway! Mark.

[SHINYamAHA21]

I picked two pieces as if I can play???Revolutionary...fascina­ting!

"you need to find a right mood inside"....exactly!

I love what you mention...that's the key! indeed.

section by section(precisely) 1, 2, 3, not rushing to the learners,

Paul's tutorial scores how they were studied by his manner scientifically,

we are grateful.

Since yesterday, I've been happy to discover "PAUL BARTON's tutorial"

amazing! such efficient way of teaching.

cheers!

[bvsfdgbvws]

bravo, This video has been a tremendous guide for me, thank you thank you!!

[PurityGuru]

your technique is extremely brilliant!

[LastPlacePianoPlayr]

this rox

[greeky1]

what speed should i use in metronome as a good start while still learning AND as a normal tempo. thanks for this vid, this is VERY VERY HELPFUL!

[PaulBartonPiano]

@greeky1 -- the correct speed is one you can manage to play the notes clearly, as time goes by you get used to the notes, increase it a little, but if you find you stop or go out of tempo in a bar, drop it back down again. Good luck with it and thanks for the feedback.

[lllllllllllllll88]

07:27 on your video, or Sec. 4, HOW do you keep the left hand tempo EVEN, when some of the notes are more close together than others? That is another dilemma I have. My left hand is very sporadic in this section.

Thank you so much for any help you can give me with these two questions.

This is the BEST tutorial I've seen! It's EXCELLENT and very helpful and I will do what you said because the piece will definitely sound better. Such great musical ideas.

[lllllllllllllll88]

My question is whenever I play the C's in bar 9, I canNOT get my fingers in place to play the rest of the bar - going up and down. I don't know if I pedal too much and should release the pedal before beginning that passage starting with G? I tried, but it doesn't work. Also after bar 18, I can't recover following the C again. I have trouble hitting the G, C, D, E going up.

[lllllllllllllll88]

OMG! A tutorial on one of the most difficult pieces I'm currently working on! I can't believe it! JUST want I was wishing for! And this is a GREAT video! GREAT ideas that I will try. Thank you, thank you thank you so much!

[robertslistening]

You sit really high at the keyboard. Your elbow level is quite a bit higher than key level. You must be used to it. I find it a little to high.

[juanpst77]

thank you so much for this tutorial!!

[afonsomario065]

My great master.

A wonderful work. congratulations! 5 +5 *

[MAStudio64]

great piano,5*

very good lesson too.

[Kazek61]

bravoo , very thankful for this video

[douglassmcann]

the emotional demands in performing such a masterpiece is might in a counter-intuitive sort of way allow the virtuoso to play such a challenging work without flaw.

paul seems to be more of a mentor than simply a teacher.

bravo

douglas

[virtualetude]

Ive been trying to use a metronome for this work but i'm not sure how to use a metronome. Maybe you can post a video on how to use a metronome.

Thanks

[PaulBartonPiano]

I'll put it on my list of things to do, thanks for the suggestion.

[lilythepink123]

Thanks for this very helpful tutorial! I have started to play the piano after having neglected it for many years owing to travel, family etc. You have helped me immensely. My technique will never be what it used to, but thanks to your tips I am improving. I will upload a few pieces soon and would be delighted if you comment (favourably or not, of course...!)

[kwongin]

Any tips on avoiding fatigue in the left hand?

[PaulBartonPiano]

@kwongin -- It's a combination of things ... think of it as training for a marathon, the more you 'work out' with this piece over time, the stronger your left hand will become and resistent to fatigue. Avoid unnecessary finger movement, keep the fingers low and in contact with the keys taking the shortest distance between A and B. Fatigue is increased when there's tension in the wrist and arm. Use body weight to produce volume when it's needed. Hope that helps :)

[kwongin]

Thank you, if I ever decide to play it again seriously, I will bear this in mind. As for body weight that is good advice - I ought to sit a lot lower when I play^^

[ChTheWise]

You great! thank you very much for the lesson! Very detailled explaination.

[tototenkul]

how do you for the independance of the left hand please?

[olliezabell]

Thanks for the lesson,

one thing which i noticed that i play differently is that when you play the left hand at the beginning, i alternate between finger 1 and 2 on the C during h last 8 notes of bars 2 and 4. It seems to work well both ways but some people may find it easier to change finger for more clarity. i enjoyed the lesson!

[PaulBartonPiano]

@olliezabell -- excellent feedback., you are quite right.

[ambika6467]

This is so hard but it helps alot

for howl ong you been playing yhe piano?

[PaulBartonPiano]

Yes, it's hard you're right, but I'm sure you can play it, the main thing is just lots of repetition. Good luck.

(been playing quite a few years I guess, lost count :)

[serhyrania]

This is very handy for the piece I'm trying to play at the moment. I mostly do anything by ear but this was just a litlle to hard, same with the hand positioning, so thanks very much for that. ^^

[pianistboy2000]

Thank you for posting this amazing breathtaking tutorial!

I'm a 9 years old kid and my small hand can only spread to 71/4". Is this etude good for a 9 y/o kid to play it well?

And this revolutionary etude compare to 'thirds' etude, which one is easier to practice?

[PaulBartonPiano]

'Revolutionary' doesn't need difficult stretching like in (Op.25/8 for example which is inside the hand rather than past an octave) I think Op.25/6 is a very good piece to work on, there's nothing to be feared in double third scales, once you can play one you can play the whole of this piece! Go have fun with the thirds ... :)

[17Sasori]

GREAT PERFORMANCES ! i have a question , your piano keys are from plastic or of ivory ?? ANSWER PLEASE

[PaulBartonPiano]

Plastic, I think almost all pianos recently manufactured have different grades of high quality plastic as an alternative to ivory. I feel strongly against the use of ivory for piano keys, I'm married to a wildlife artist and animal conservationist, and we both work for an elephant resure foundation in Thailand. I hope that answers your question (?)

[17Sasori]

In that case i also prefer plastic too, THANX for your answer

[Templaris05]

Fantastic tutorial. Was looking for some help with this piece. I'm cross dominant and mostly play by ear even though I can read sheet music (not a sight reader) so that gives me some trouble. Got the first and second sections down thanks to you! :D

Peace.

[PaulBartonPiano]

Thanks for the feedback :)

I'd be interested to know how you get with the rest of the piece and any thoughts you have about it along the way.

[luieio]

I like your music, its very beatiful, tanks

[clauswerker]

Great  performances!!

[MyPianoChannel]

wonderful tutorial

thank you very much for all the work you did and for sharing this

Liz

[xxxwind]

Thank you very much for this video!

p.s. you may want to try Chopin op25 no.7

just a different style:)

[PaulBartonPiano]

Thanks for the good idea, I will.

[djunirbt]

Great performaces

[PaulBartonPiano]

Thanks for watching and the comment.

[blueyoyi]

thanks for this Paul....

MY TEACHER IS ASKING ME TO START ON SOME chOPIN eTUDES...LIKE THE "bLACK kEYS".... this should help me a lot.

[PaulBartonPiano]

I think that's an excellent idea, and perfect choice of Etude to start with. Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll play it VERY well indeed.

[XPKpianist]

Do you mind making op.25 no.6,11 for me?

[PaulBartonPiano]

Interesting, both these studies are associated with wind. No.6 is sometimes refered to as 'Siberian'. Some writers confess to not knowing why, but I think the closing pages really can sound like wind howling, espeically played quietly ... what do you think?

... and well No.11 ...

(I will see what I can do :)

[kankudai1956]

this is one of the best videos I've seen on here. Really instructive on many levels and not just is playing this piece. What about doing a similar exercise for your rendition of the Montagues and Capulets?

[PaulBartonPiano]

I'd like to do that, thanks for the suggestion.

[frankwong1983]

that's great! for a self-learner like me! you're my teacher now, thanks!

[PaulBartonPiano]

be my pleasure :)

[pcaptmike]

Great performances!!1

[pcaptmike]

Great performances!!1

[pianogirl4ever]

Whoa, awesome video! I hope I can play this some day! (*^^*)

[thomandy]

Great Tutorial :) Not only are you a great teacher, got a great style but you also present it in a Very understandable way, both the lecture and the technical presentation :)

I am learning this now, I can play the left hand at a little over half speed almost flawless every time, but I have to master the quick left hand jumps/cords better to be able to use metronome on both hands... Only thing I hope is that my book present me the proper fingering.. :)

Good job :)

[PaulBartonPiano]

If you're right handed, this piece will give you more coordination and strengh in the left. Good luck with it and keep me posted on progress :)

[abhikmazumder]

Paul, your video has now inspired me to learn this Etude. You are a great teacher. Thank you.

[PaulBartonPiano]

Thanks and good luck with it, it's a lot of fun to work on.