Piano songs · Advanced
Minute Waltz on piano
The Minute Waltz chases its own tail: a right hand that spins round and round four notes while the left hand keeps the waltz going underneath. Here's the opening: the spinning start and the first theme.
this song
Minute Waltz sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: D♭ major, 3/4 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
Chopin's Waltz in D♭ major, Op. 64 No. 1, was published in 1847 and dedicated to Countess Delfina Potocka. "Minute" means small, not sixty seconds: played well, it takes nearer two minutes. Its other nickname, the "little dog waltz", comes from the story that Chopin was picturing George Sand's dog chasing its tail; in Japan it's known as 子犬のワルツ, the puppy's waltz.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: A♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ B♭ A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C; B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G; A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ B♭; C D♭ E♭ F G♭ B♭; A♭ G♭ F F E♭ E♭ D E♭; B♭ A♭ G♭ F F E♭ D E♭ F B♭ G A♭ C B♭; G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭ C B♭ G A♭; B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ B♭; A♭ G♭ F F E♭ E♭ D E♭; B♭ A♭ G♭ F E♭ F E♭ D E♭ E. 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
- The start: four bars of the right hand alone, rocking between A♭ and G like a trill, before the left hand comes in.
- The spin: A♭, C, B♭, G, round and round. Fingers close to the keys; let the wrist turn a little with each circle.
- The waltz: the left hand plays a low note, then a chord twice: D♭, then A♭–D♭–F.
- Even before fast: it's marked Molto vivace, but practise it slowly until every note is the same size.
Learning Minute Waltz 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
Does the Minute Waltz take a minute?
No: "minute" means small. Most pianists take between a minute and a half and two minutes.
Is the Minute Waltz hard?
It's upper intermediate to advanced: the notes are quick and must stay perfectly even. The slower middle section is easier.
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.