Chopin Left Hand

ChopinNocturnes

The nocturnes, ranked by difficulty

All 21, easiest first, each hand rated on its own.

In a nocturne the left hand usually decides how hard the piece is, so it gets its own rating here. Levels are out of 8, the same scale as every piece page. Right hand: melody, ornaments, runs. Left hand: span, speed, stamina.

Start with Op. 15 No. 3, Op. 72 No. 1 or Op. 32 No. 1. Op. 9 No. 2’s left hand leaps a tenth and more and has to stay quiet, so it sits at seventh.

Ranked by amateur pianist Richard R. Fisher from Chopin Left Hand

  1. 1Nocturne in C minor, B. 108Level 3 of 8Right hand 3 A plain melody with a few turns.Left hand 2 Simple broken chords, few changes per bar.
  2. 2Nocturne in G minor, Op. 15 No. 3Level 4 of 8Right hand 3 A single line, marked languido. The middle section is a slow chorale.Left hand 3 A quiet accompaniment with no wide stretches. In the chorale both hands play chords.
  3. 3Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1Level 4 of 8Right hand 4 A single-line melody that thickens toward the end.Left hand 4 The same broken-chord pattern from first bar to last, so once it is in the hand it stays.
  4. 4Nocturne in C♯ minor, B. 49Level 4 of 8Right hand 5 Easy until the fast runs near the end.Left hand 3 Plain broken chords. The middle section puts two rhythms against each other.
  5. 5Nocturne in G minor, Op. 37 No. 1Level 4 of 8Right hand 4 Melody with some doubled notes. The middle is a chorale in E♭.Left hand 4 Chords under the melody, moderate stretches.
  6. 6Nocturne in B major, Op. 32 No. 1Level 4 of 8Right hand 4 An ornamented melody, then a bare recitative at the end.Left hand 4 Simple broken chords in a small span.
  7. 7Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 5 of 8Right hand 5 The ornaments grow with each return, and the coda has a fast run.Left hand 5 Bass note then two chords, with leaps of a tenth and more. Keeping it quiet is the work.
  8. 8Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1Level 5 of 8Right hand 5 A march-like tune, triplets against the left hand in the middle, a fast run at the end.Left hand 4 Bass and chord in the outer sections. The middle moves faster.
  9. 9Nocturne in B♭ minor, Op. 9 No. 1Level 5 of 8Right hand 5 Long decorative runs of 11 and 22 notes over a steady beat.Left hand 5 Broken chords up to a tenth, all the way through.
  10. 10Nocturne in F♯ minor, Op. 48 No. 2Level 5 of 8Right hand 4 A long single-line melody. The middle section is chordal.Left hand 5 Unbroken wide arpeggios through both outer sections. Stamina more than speed.
  11. 11Nocturne in F♯ major, Op. 15 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 The most ornamented melody in the set, and a fast middle section.Left hand 5 Calm outside, awkward cross-rhythms in the middle.
  12. 12Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1Level 6 of 8Right hand 7 The theme returns as a chain of trills under the melody.Left hand 5 Broken chords with a few wide reaches.
  13. 13Nocturne in G major, Op. 37 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 7 Thirds and sixths almost all the way.Left hand 5 A rocking barcarolle pattern, moderate span.
  14. 14Nocturne in C♯ minor, Op. 27 No. 1Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Single notes, then octaves and chords in the loud middle.Left hand 6 Wide arpeggios in the outer sections, octaves in the middle.
  15. 15Nocturne in A♭ major, Op. 32 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Melody in double notes. The middle section is fast triplets.Left hand 6 Fast, wide triplets through the middle section.
  16. 16Nocturne in F major, Op. 15 No. 1Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Gentle outside. The middle, con fuoco, is chords and octaves at speed.Left hand 6 Fast triplet figures through the whole middle section.
  17. 17Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Melody with inner voices. The middle is agitated counterpoint.Left hand 6 The middle section runs in sixteenths against the right hand.
  18. 18Nocturne in D♭ major, Op. 27 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Melody in thirds and sixths, with cadenzas.Left hand 6 Wide arpeggios without a break.
  19. 19Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 55 No. 2Level 6 of 8Right hand 6 Two voices at once, with trills, over a left hand that never stops.Left hand 6 Continuous wide arpeggios from first bar to last.
  20. 20Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3Level 7 of 8Right hand 6 An ornamented melody, and a long piece.Left hand 7 The agitato middle in B minor: fast figures under a loud right hand, for a long stretch.
  21. 21Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1Level 7 of 8Right hand 7 A chorale in octaves, then the theme over racing triplets.Left hand 7 Octave runs in the chorale, then fast broken octaves and chords to the end.