Here are Chopin’s 24 Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25, ranked from easiest to hardest on Road to Virtuosity.

  1. Chopin - Etude No. 6 - Lament - Op. 10, No. 6
    450,000 Points · Level 8
  2. Chopin - Etude No. 14 - The Bees - Op. 25, No. 2
    710,000 Points · Level 9
  3. Chopin - Etude No. 9 - Op. 10, No. 9
    720,000 Points · Level 9
  4. Chopin - Etude No. 3 - Tristesse - Op. 10, No. 3
    900,000 Points · Level 9
  5. Chopin - Etude No. 19 - Cello - Op. 25, No. 7
    905,000 Points · Level 9
  6. Chopin - Etude No. 13 - Aeolian Harp - Op. 25, No. 1
    1,030,000 Points · Level 9
  7. Chopin - Etude No. 11 - Arpeggio - Op. 10, No. 11
    1,040,000 Points · Level 9
  8. Chopin - Etude No. 17 - Wrong Note - Op. 25, No. 5
    1,080,000 Points · Level 9
  9. Chopin - Etude No. 12 - Revolutionary - Op. 10, No. 12
    1,100,000 Points · Level 9
  10. Chopin - Etude No. 15 - The Horseman - Op. 25, No. 3
    1,120,000 Points · Level 9
  11. Chopin - Etude No. 5 - Black Keys - Op. 10, No. 5
    1,200,000 Points · Level 9
  12. Chopin - Etude No. 10 - Op. 10, No. 10
    1,205,000 Points · Level 9
  13. Chopin - Etude No. 21 - Butterfly Wings - Op. 25, No. 9
    1,290,000 Points · Level 9
  14. Chopin - Etude No. 24 - Ocean - Op. 25, No. 12
    1,350,000 Points · Level 9
  15. Chopin - Etude No. 8 - Sunshine - Op. 10, No. 8
    1,360,000 Points · Level 9
  16. Chopin - Etude No. 7 - Toccata - Op. 10, No. 7
    1,625,000 Points · Level 10
  17. Chopin - Etude No. 23 - Winter Wind - Op. 25, No. 11
    1,950,000 Points · Level 10
  18. Chopin - Etude No. 16 - Op. 25, No. 4
    2,000,000 Points · Level 10
  19. Chopin - Etude No. 20 - Sixths - Op. 25, No. 8
    2,120,000 Points · Level 10
  20. Chopin - Etude No. 1 - Waterfall - Op. 10, No. 1
    2,150,000 Points · Level 10
  21. Chopin - Etude No. 4 - Torrent - Op. 10, No. 4
    2,900,000 Points · Level 10
  22. Chopin - Etude No. 22 - Octave - Op. 25, No. 10
    3,200,000 Points · Level 10
  23. Chopin - Etude No. 2 - Chromatique - Op. 10, No. 2
    3,950,000 Points · Level 10
  24. Chopin - Etude No. 18 - Thirds - Op. 25, No. 6
    4,100,000 Points · Level 10

Quick facts from the ranking

The easiest Chopin etude on this list is Etude No. 6 - Lament - Op. 10, No. 6, with 450,000 points.

The hardest Chopin etude on this list is Etude No. 18 - Thirds - Op. 25, No. 6, with 4,100,000 points.

No Chopin etude in this list is below Level 8 on Road to Virtuosity.

The first etude in the original Op. 10 set, Waterfall, is not the easiest etude on this list.

The famous Revolutionary Etude is ranked in the middle of the list, not at the very top.

Most of the etudes are Level 9 or Level 10.

Chopin Etudes grouped by opus

Op. 10 Etudes

  • Op. 10, No. 1 - Waterfall
    View piece — 2,150,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 10, No. 2 - Chromatique
    View piece — 3,950,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 10, No. 3 - Tristesse
    View piece — 900,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 4 - Torrent
    View piece — 2,900,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 10, No. 5 - Black Keys
    View piece — 1,200,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 6 - Lament
    View piece — 450,000 points — Level 8
  • Op. 10, No. 7 - Toccata
    View piece — 1,625,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 10, No. 8 - Sunshine
    View piece — 1,360,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 9
    View piece — 720,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 10
    View piece — 1,205,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 11 - Arpeggio
    View piece — 1,040,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 10, No. 12 - Revolutionary
    View piece — 1,100,000 points — Level 9

Op. 25 Etudes

  • Op. 25, No. 1 - Aeolian Harp
    View piece — 1,030,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 2 - The Bees
    View piece — 710,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 3 - The Horseman
    View piece — 1,120,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 4
    View piece — 2,000,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 25, No. 5 - Wrong Note
    View piece — 1,080,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 6 - Thirds
    View piece — 4,100,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 25, No. 7 - Cello
    View piece — 905,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 8 - Sixths
    View piece — 2,120,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 25, No. 9 - Butterfly Wings
    View piece — 1,290,000 points — Level 9
  • Op. 25, No. 10 - Octave
    View piece — 3,200,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 25, No. 11 - Winter Wind
    View piece — 1,950,000 points — Level 10
  • Op. 25, No. 12 - Ocean
    View piece — 1,350,000 points — Level 9

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, 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 Etudes

Frédéric Chopin’s Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25, are among the best-known piano etudes of the Romantic period.

An etude is a study piece, but Chopin’s etudes are also concert works. Each etude focuses on specific technical or musical demands, such as arpeggios, chromatic passages, thirds, sixths, octaves, left-hand motion, voicing, or fast repeated patterns.

The 24 etudes in Op. 10 and Op. 25 are often treated as a major goal for advanced pianists.

Modern piano use

Chopin’s etudes are still printed, studied, recorded, streamed, and performed on the modern piano. They appear in recitals, auditions, competitions, conservatory study, recordings, and online performance videos.

For modern pianists, these etudes are often encountered through short clips, YouTube performances, streaming recordings, social media posts, and online repertoire lists. Many players know them by nickname before they know the full opus number, such as Revolutionary, Winter Wind, Ocean, Black Keys, Waterfall, or Aeolian Harp.

This makes a difficulty ranking useful for today’s musicians. Instead of only seeing a famous title or a viral performance, a pianist can compare the etudes by points and levels and see how each one fits into a larger progression.

On Road to Virtuosity, each Chopin etude is listed separately with its own point value and level, giving each piece its own place in the difficulty order.