Chopin Op. 25 No. 4: Study in A minor: tempo and how to practice it

Chopin Op. 25 No. 4: Study in A minor is part of “12 Études, Op. 25” by Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849). Main focus: left-hand accompaniment in detached leaps. Suggested tempos: start at ♩ = 80 to learn it, practice at ♩ = 126 and work up to the target of ♩ = 160. Difficulty 9/10 (concert).

What it trains

• Left-hand accompaniment in detached leaps.
• A syncopated right-hand melody.

How to practice it

1. Work on the technical problem out of context (for example, thirds as a scale) and then go back to the piece.
2. Rest your hand often; quality matters more than the number of repetitions.
3. Listen to the color: pedaling and voice balance are part of the technique.

Tempo ladder: ♩ = 80 → ♩ = 103 → ♩ = 126 → ♩ = 143 → ♩ = 160. Only move up a step once the take comes out clean; in the app, the progressive metronome does it for you.