Nocturne in E-flat

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Walkthrough (2)

Learning the Harmony

The left hand of this Nocturne, although it is “only” an accompaniment, is at least as challenging as the right hand, because of the constant leaping back and forth. Before we practise these pesky leaps, however, it is extremely useful to divide the left hand part between our two hands. Doing this, we realize that the leaps mask Chopin’s seamless 5-part voice-leading – the linear connection of each voice from chord to chord. In the example below, the accompaniment of the A phrase has been divided between the two hands, and the triple rhythm squeezed together into dotted quarter notes....