Description
The metre itself is the problem in this study, written in 6/8. It is No. 4 of the 160 Eight-Measure Exercises, Op. 821; the first three were in duple and triple time, so the set is evidently working through ways of feeling the beat, not merely finger patterns.
The key stays C major. More than eighty per cent of the right hand's motion is stepwise, drawing a smooth scalar melody, while the left combines thirds and leaps into broken chords that carry the swing of the metre. It is over in just under fifteen seconds.
Feel the 6/8 in two large beats rather than counting six. Counting six chops the music up and the right-hand scale breaks with it. Place a light weight on the first and fourth eighths and pass smoothly through what lies between. Keep the left-hand broken chords even and the right hand starts to flow of its own accord.
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.
Browse all songs in 160 Eight-Measure Exercises Op.821 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Carl Czerny (1791-1857)
Carl Czerny was a Viennese pianist and composer who studied under Beethoven and later taught Franz Liszt. He is best known for his enormous output of piano etudes, which remain widely used in piano pedagogy around the world today. This site includes selections from the 160 Eight-Measure Exercises, Op. 821, and the 50 Progressive Studies in All Keys, Op. 840.
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