No. 8

This etude, too, was placed in the most difficult level by Zempleni, the editor of the Budapest edition, when he divided this collection into three levels. As is immediately clear from the score, one cannot play this piece unless the left hand obeys freely. This etude requires more technical ingenuity than musical interpretation.

It can also be said of Czerny's and Clementi's etudes that there are overwhelmingly more etudes written for training the right hand than for training the left hand. In fact, the left hand's ability is quite crucial in piano playing, to the extent that some teachers even say the left hand must be practiced ten times more than the right hand. Regardless of how the figure "ten times" was derived, the author agrees with the rationale that the left hand must be trained.

For students who intend to study this etude, it is an excellent opportunity, and they are encouraged to approach it actively. It is evident that this etude, rather than featuring particularly intricate techniques, contains basic scales and fine single-line movements, clearly showing Czerny's influence. Therefore, while practicing this etude, the author would like to propose studying several other etudes concurrently:

• Hanon: Nos. 1-60
• Clementi: Gradus ad Parnassum, Nos. 2, 6, 8, 13, 16
• Pischna: Excerpts (optional)
• Dohnányi: Excerpts (optional), etc.

A point of caution might be the evenness of tone. To achieve evenness, the fingers must be independent, and independence requires muscle development. Furthermore, in this etude, fingerings are also a crucial issue in passages other than scales. Please carefully consider your fingerings when deciding them.

Regarding the final tempo, the tempo at which the author performed was approximately quarter note = 160. The tempo marking is written as half note = 88, which should be largely within an acceptable range. This piece ideally requires a tempo around this speed.