Progrès, Op. 100 No. 6
Progrès (Progress), No. 6 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, is a Beginner piece in C major and 4/4, Octotune grade 4 of 8: quick scales in both hands at once, a tenth apart, then leaping broken chords.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 132 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 16 measures, about 29 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | E4 to E6 |
| Left hand | C3 to F4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Progrès, Op. 100 No. 6 | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Progrès, "Progress", is No. 6 of Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100. It is a study in scales, and it lasts about half a minute: short, bright and in C major.
How it is built. It opens with both hands running up a scale together in sixteenth notes: the left hand from the C an octave below middle C, the right hand from the E above middle C. The two hands are a tenth apart (an octave and a third), so they move in parallel, like two voices singing in harmony. Then the right hand leaps through a broken chord, up past the top of the staff, and the phrase settles on long notes. The whole idea comes round again.
The tricky parts
- Hands together in scales. The fingering differs between the hands, so the thumbs cross at different moments. Practice each hand's scale alone first.
- Evenness. Every sixteenth the same. Listen for the moment a thumb passes under.
- The leaps in measure 3, up to the D above high C, on the ledger lines over the staff. Look ahead.
- Accidentals. G sharp and D sharp in the bass, and F sharp in the tune, as the harmony leans.
Practice plan
- Each hand alone in Wait for me, with the fingering on the page.
- Hands together at 50% speed, one measure at a time with Loop this measure.
- Play along, raising the speed with the Speed control only while the scales stay even.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 9, and Unit 4's C major scale, where the thumb first passes under. The highest notes and the accidentals go a step beyond it.
Questions
Is Burgmüller's Progrès easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 4 of 8, and one of the easier studies of Op. 100. The notes are C major scales and broken chords; the skill is playing them evenly with both hands together.
Credits and license
- Music: Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874)
- Typeset by Bas Wassink for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece