Ranking Chopin’s Waltzes by Difficulty: A Piano Teacher’s Perspective

Among piano works, Chopin’s Waltzes are some of the most beloved pieces.

Famous pieces such as the “Minute Waltz,” “Farewell Waltz,” and Grande Valse Brillante captivate listeners with their pianistic flair and characteristically Chopin-esque beautiful melodies. For piano learners, these pieces are must-haves in their repertoire.

Although grouped as a collection of waltzes, there are 19 pieces in total, each varying greatly in difficulty. To help, I’ve decided to rank them by difficulty level.

Note: Those experienced with the piano will know that difficulty can vary greatly depending on the individual. People with large hands or small hands, those who excel at intricate passages or struggle with them, those who find chordal playing easy or challenging… What might be “easy!” for one person could be “incredibly difficult!” for another. This ranking is based on general difficulty levels (or, you could say, my own personal opinion). No complaints, please! (Haha)

Let’s Learn About Chopin’s Waltzes! [Part 1: Posthumous Works]

Before diving into difficulty levels, let’s talk a bit about Chopin’s Waltzes.

As mentioned earlier, the waltz collection consists of 19 pieces, and you may often see titles like “Waltz No. ○, Posthumous.” The term “posthumous” refers to works published after the composer’s death.

For example, the Polonaise that Chopin composed at the age of 7 but was discovered and published after his death was titled “Polonaise, Posthumous.” Out of the 19 Waltzes, a surprising 11 are posthumous works! This means Chopin himself approved and published only 8 during his lifetime.

It’s quite characteristic of Chopin to be so critical of his own work.

Later, sequential numbering (unrelated to the chronological order of composition) was assigned in addition to the opus numbers (Op. ○). So, just because it’s Waltz No. 1 doesn’t mean it was composed first. In fact, Waltz No. 14 (Posthumous) was composed earlier than No. 1.

Let’s Learn About Chopin’s Waltzes! [Part 2: Editions]

There are various editions of sheet music available. Different editions may have different slurs or staccato markings, and sometimes even the notes themselves may differ.

This is not due to printing errors but rather reflects the editorial intent. Often, composers’ original manuscripts lack dynamics or omit details under the assumption that performers would naturally interpret them correctly.

For learners, however, such sparse scores can be quite daunting. That’s where editors come in, adding what they believe to be “musically appropriate” interpretations before publishing.

In Japan, editions from publishers like Zen-On or Shunjusha are well-known. Internationally, you’ll often encounter editions from Henle or Wiener Urtext.

When it comes to editions specializing in Chopin, the “Paderewski” edition is highly regarded. Many piano teachers use this edition for instruction. However, in recent years, the “Ekier” edition has gained popularity, especially as it has been recommended for the Chopin Competition.

Articulations can vary across editions, so if you’re taking lessons, it’s a good idea to use the same edition as your teacher. Comparing different editions can also be an eye-opening and enjoyable experience.

Difficulty Ranking

The introduction got a bit long!
Now, let’s dive into the difficulty ranking!!
(Notation: ☆ = Easy → ☆☆☆☆☆ = Difficult)

☆　　　　　No. 3 “Brilliant Waltz” in A Minor, Op. 34-2
　　　　　　No. 19 in A Minor, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 10 in B Minor, Op. 69-2, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 18 in E-flat Major, Posthumous

☆☆　　　　No. 12 in F Minor, Op. 70-2, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 6 “Minute Waltz” in D-flat Major, Op. 64-1
　　　　　　No. 9 “Farewell Waltz” in A-flat Major, Op. 69-1, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 15 in E Major, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 7 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64-2

☆☆☆　　　No. 8 in A-flat Major, Op. 64-3
　　　　　　No. 14 in E Minor (without opus number), Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 11 in G-flat Major, Op. 70-1, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 16 in A-flat Major, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 17 in E-flat Major, Posthumous
　　　　　　No. 13 in D-flat Major, Op. 70-3, Posthumous

☆☆☆☆　　No. 1 “Grande Valse Brillante” in E-flat Major, Op. 18
　　　　　　No. 4 “Brilliant Waltz” in F Major, Op. 34-3

☆☆☆☆☆　No. 2 “Brilliant Waltz” in A-flat Major, Op. 34-1
　　　　　　No. 5 “Grand Waltz” in A-flat Major, Op. 42


The unique sound and performance style of Chopin bring challenges to every piece, but pieces ranked up to ☆☆☆ can be mastered with sufficient practice by piano learners who have been diligently working on their foundation.
In terms of lesson book levels, it’s roughly equivalent to completing Czerny’s 30 Etudes de Mécanisme, Op. 849.

From ☆☆☆☆ and above, things start to get really tough—I struggled with these back in the day!

Take No. 1, for instance. Even before worrying about the performance itself, just maintaining the tempo and delivering a graceful rendition until the very end was enough to leave me gasping for breath (No. 2 was the same). As for No. 4, despite its nickname “The Cat Waltz,” I received the harsh critique, “That sounds more like a pig’s waltz,” which left me crushed. (Haha!)
And when it came to No. 5, it was so tricky to play that I gave up halfway through.

But still, every single piece is a masterpiece that you simply can’t resist trying!!

Summary

Unlike the waltzes of Johann Strauss, which were all the rage at the time, Chopin’s waltzes possess a unique beauty, lyricism, and elegance. (Not to diminish Strauss—he’s amazing too! But that’s a topic for another time. Haha!)

Every one of these exquisite Chopin compositions is far from being simple, and even the pieces ranked as just one star require painstaking practice to infuse every note with expression and soul, especially when considering tone and expressiveness.

Start with the easier pieces, and since this is such a wonderful collection of waltzes, I hope you’ll try tackling two or three—or even four or five pieces!!

“Waltz” Sheet Music