160 Eight-Measure Exercises No.15

Description

A fine thirty-second-note figure that includes semitones, B, C, C-sharp, D, E, D, C-sharp, D, runs through the right hand. The piece is in G major, in 2/4. Almost all of the right hand's notes are thirty-seconds, and in the middle of the piece a scale also sweeps upwards. The left hand gives a simple accompaniment, striking chords such as G major in quarter notes to support the right hand from below.

At about eight seconds it is very short, yet it packs in 148 notes. Among the Op. 821 numbers on this site, Nos. 15 to 18 form a group in G major, and this one opens it.

It is rated beginner, but a stream of thirty-second notes gets very fast as the tempo rises. A figure containing semitones easily falls apart without a fixed fingering, so start with the playback slowed down a lot and check the order of the fingers as you play. The left-hand chords are easy, which lets you concentrate on evening out the right hand. Since the piece is over in eight seconds, it suits repeating many times with an A-B loop. The range runs from G2 to E6, which fits a 61-key keyboard.

A set of 160 short studies by Czerny, each condensed into just eight measures so a single technical point can be worked on quickly. Their brevity makes them well suited to beginners building basic piano technique efficiently.