Piano songs · Beginner to intermediate
Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2 on piano
Burgmüller's Arabesque is the piece every piano student plays sooner or later: quick, five-note runs in the right hand over crisp left-hand chords. Here's the opening.
this song
Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2 sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: A minor, 2/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
It's the second of Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, published in 1851 and still used by teachers everywhere. Each study teaches one skill; this one is fast, even finger work in five-finger patterns.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: A B C B A; A B C D E; D E F G A; A B C D E; E E F D D; G D E C E; C C E B C; A E B C A A; E F E D C B A. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- Left hand first: two bars of A minor chords set the tempo before the right hand comes in.
- The runs: A B C B A, then A B C D E. Keep the fingers close to the keys and every note even.
- Staccato chords in the left hand: short and light.
- Slowly first: evenness matters more than speed. Use the speed slider.
Learning Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2 on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
Is Burgmüller's Arabesque easy?
It's an early-intermediate study: the patterns are simple, but it needs quick, even fingers.
What book is Burgmüller's Arabesque from?
25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, where it's No. 2.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.