Ok, after testing several of the etudes out, more specificaly the more difficult ones, I have decided that the first of the 12 grande etudes is impossible lol. The revolutionary is actually not that hard, if you take lessons and practice arpeggios. The 4th in C# minor is extremely difficult and I can only play about 2 pages of it. But the first etude, Practicing arpegios does not help me, because they are not ordinary arpegios. On the website chopinfiles.com it says that Horrowitz said it was too difficult to play. I was wondering if anyone can play it well, or at least the first page up to speed, and if you can umm... tell me what you did to crisply play all the notes without pressing wrong notes at the right speed.

Yes the first etude is going a bit too far, it is stupidly hard to play without missing the notes at speed. I think its funny that he wrote these 12 etudes and I should think a lot of people cant even get past the first one.

I am avoiding the first study on purpose because learning it will only serve to strengthen the right hand. I want my left hand stronger so the revolutionary is a good one to pick. I cant play the first study because my hand hurts after the first few bars, its all about strength in the right hand, and you have to play the notes loud an at an alarming pace, the f major arpeggio after the opening c major is well hard, how do you space your hand out at such speed!

I have chosen the last etude of the second set of 12 studies, in C minor. I highly recommend this one, it uses both hands to play the arpeggios this time, and its very difficult but not as hard as the first one, both however need almost titanic power to play all the way through. There is something almost cataclystic about the last study, it is so powerful, so rewarding.

The easiest etude he wrote is the `butterfly` one, I cant see why people would have trouble with this one. I have learned the black key study and it is not the easiest study in my opinion as some have suggested.

The only thing I would suggest on the first one is leave it alone for a while and learn the others, otherwise be prepared to practice for AGES on the first etude

the black note etude is DEFINATELY not the easiest. i think the first one is the hardest in the book, and people don`t usually attempt it until they`ve been YEARS at the Academy or College. if you`re looking for a challenge though, try the op.25 no.6 one, the 18th piece in the book. it`s all about right-hand thirds, and NO THERE ISN`T AN EASY WAY OF LEARNING IT!
but have a go. most people can never master it

Ah, number 18. This is arguably the most difficult etude. But he wrote two others in 6ths which, though they fit well under the hand, require a great deal of stamina. But back to the double-thirds... I studied this at Tanglewood for 6 weeks, and believe me, it took the greater part of my time there to learn it. The most excrutiating aspect of this etude is descending thirds at breakneck speed. I wish Horowitz had a recording of this, for the pianists; the average person doesn`t realize how difficult it is, only that it`s quite lyrical when the technical challenges are mastered. He writes `sotto voce` under the staff, which can be interpreted as bringing out the left hand or making the right hand`s hellish 6 pages of sixteenth-note thirds clear and decisive. This means that not only do you have to execute one of the most difficult sixteenth note runs in the repertoire, you are required to play it delicately and without much volume at all. If you`ve played this well, you`ve done a lot of work. I sometimes wonder what i got out of it, except that I`ve never met anyone that can play minor thirds as well as i can...

Hey,
The Chopin songs are very difficult to learn, i agree. Unfortunately there are no easy ways to learn any of them, its all just practice and practice. From playing all these difficult songs, you get major strength in your hands and arms. I almost had to stop playing at one point because of tendinitis, and carpal tunnel, but surprisingly it passed with more excercise. Anyhow, The best way to learn is practice practice practice and more practice.