Here are Chopin’s four Ballades ranked from easiest to hardest on Road to Virtuosity.
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Chopin - Ballade No. 3 - Op. 47, No. 3
3,900,000 Points · Level 10 -
Chopin - Ballade No. 1 - Op. 23, No. 1
4,350,000 Points · Level 10 -
Chopin - Ballade No. 2 - Op. 38, No. 2
4,550,000 Points · Level 10 -
Chopin - Ballade No. 4 - Op. 52, No. 4
5,000,000 Points · Level 10
Quick facts from the RTV ranking
The easiest Chopin Ballade on this list is Ballade No. 3 - Op. 47, No. 3, with 3,900,000 RTV points.
The hardest Chopin Ballade on this list is Ballade No. 4 - Op. 52, No. 4, with 5,000,000 RTV points.
All four Chopin Ballades are listed as Level 10 on Road to Virtuosity.
The original order of the Ballades does not match the RTV difficulty order. Ballade No. 3 appears third in the original set, but it is the lowest-ranked Ballade by RTV points.
Ballade No. 4 has the highest point value of the four Ballades on this list.
Because all four Ballades are Level 10, the RTV point values are especially useful. They show a more specific difficulty order inside the same broad level.
Chopin Ballades in original order
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Ballade No. 1 - Op. 23, No. 1
View piece — 4,350,000 points — Level 10 -
Ballade No. 2 - Op. 38, No. 2
View piece — 4,550,000 points — Level 10 -
Ballade No. 3 - Op. 47, No. 3
View piece — 3,900,000 points — Level 10 -
Ballade No. 4 - Op. 52, No. 4
View piece — 5,000,000 points — Level 10
About RTV points and levels
Road to Virtuosity uses both points and levels to show difficulty. Levels give a broad category, while points give a more specific ranking within that category.
Points are based on the overall difficulty of learning and performing a piece. This can include factors such as length, tempo, rhythm, hand coordination, technical patterns, jumps, repeated notes, articulation, endurance, voicing, musical structure, and the amount of control needed to play the piece accurately.
Because points are more detailed than levels, two pieces can have the same level but still have different point values. The piece with more points is ranked as more difficult.
About Chopin’s Ballades
Frédéric Chopin’s four Ballades are among the most important large-scale piano works of the Romantic period.
Unlike a short character piece or a simple study, a ballade is usually broad, dramatic, and story-like in feeling. Chopin’s Ballades move through contrasting sections, lyrical melodies, stormy passages, long builds, and powerful climaxes.
Each Ballade has its own character, but all four require advanced musical control. A pianist must handle not only difficult notes, but also pacing, tone, phrasing, voicing, rubato, and long-range musical direction.
Modern piano use
Chopin’s Ballades are still printed, studied, recorded, streamed, and performed on the modern piano.
They are often heard in recitals, competitions, auditions, conservatory study, professional recordings, and online performance videos.
For modern pianists, the Ballades are often treated as major milestone pieces. They are not only technically demanding, but also musically mature works that require patience, control, and a strong sense of structure.
On Road to Virtuosity, each Chopin Ballade is listed separately with its own point value and level, giving each piece its own place in the difficulty order.