These are 24 etudes that I composed for solo piano.  I hope you enjoy them! (I will keep editing these performances throughout this year.)

24 Etudes for Piano

This piece describes my favorite time of the year that is so fresh and bright. 

爽やかで明るい４月の日を描写した。

Etude in E Major "A Windy Day in April" (４月の風)

I aimed to capture fleeting images, like how the shadows dance in the wind. The beginning theme is repeated, but it arrives at a different outcome each time.  The middle part is somewhat menacing, which is overcome by brightness at the end.

踊る影のような儚さを表現した。出だしのテーマは何度も繰り返されるが、それは毎回異なったところにたどり着く。中間部はやや焦燥感があるが、明るいエンディングで闇は消える。

Etude in C# Minor "Falling Shadows" （落ちゆく影）

This is when I feel like I have something coming and don't know what it is, and have butterflies in my stomach. They are in a joyful flight in the grand field of adrenaline. The right-hand figure of this piece is modeled after Chopin Etude, Op. 10 No. 7.

「緊張する」ということの英語の表現「腹の中の蝶」を描いた。何かが来るけど何かわからない時のようなエキサイトしたアドレナリンに乗っていく感覚。右手はショパンエチュードOp. 10 No. 7をモデルにして書いた。

Etude B Major "Butterfly in the Stomach in Flight" （腹の中の蝶が飛ぶ）

I love to watch heavy rain, or to be in it, as I find it strangely liberating. This piece is about the time when small bursts of whirlwind were sweeping across the street during such downpour. It is somewhat modeled after Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 2, which has lots of crossing motion over the thumb.

土砂降りは解放感があって好きだ。この曲では突風が雨を吹き上げながら道を横切っていく様子を描いた。ショパンのエチュードOp. 10 No.2を少し意識しているため、左手の指くぐりを駆使している。

Etude in E Minor "Twirling Rain"（つむじ風の雨）

A piece in 5/4 with repeated chords resembling resounding laughter. In this piece, I see a dog who is uncouth and somewhat sarcastic. In the end, the dog gets tired from laughing and lies down for a nap.

５拍子の曲。やや無骨で皮肉屋の犬がワハハと豪快に笑う感じを、繰り返される和音を通して描いた。最後には犬は笑い疲れて昼寝する。



Etude in Ab Major "Laughing Dog" (笑う犬)

This is modeled on Chopin Etude Op. 10-4, and has some clear references to it. But it turned out to be not even remotely similar to it. 

ショパンエチュードOp. 10-4をモデルにして書いてそのモチーフも少し引用したが、まったく似通ってもいない曲になった。



Etude in G Minor “A Gust of Black Wind” (漆黒の突風)

It feels like flying in a dream, but with a sense of stillness at the same time. I love the key of C major for its transparent quality, so that is what I used for this. The secondary section is more cushy sounding in the key of Db, but it returns in C major towards the end with more of an affirmative character. Technically speaking, this etude has gazillion notes with intercrossing hands, so I am not sure how much of a “cloud nine” it will be for the performer.

夢の中のように澄んだ静寂の中で飛んでいる感覚。クリアな透明感があるハ長調を使った。中間部は変ニ長調なのでもっとまったりしているけど、最後にはこのテーマもハ長調で肯定的に現れる。手がたくさん交差するし音符が山ほどあるので、演奏者にとってはクラウドナインというほど天に昇る経験にはならないかもしれない。

Etude in C Major “Cloud Nine” (クラウドナイン）

I have always felt that there is a sense of melancholy and pathos in pandas’ expressions despite their friendly impression, and that is what I aimed to capture. The outer sections of the piece portray an idyllic scenery, while the inner section (cadenza for the left hand) offsets the simplicity of the outer part by portraying the rainstorm and the subtle changes that take place.

パンダはそのフレンドリーで大衆的な印象の反面、哀愁とメランコリーも持っていると思う。この曲でそれを表現してみた。初めと終わりの部分がシンプルでのどか。そして中間部（左手のためのカデンツァ）はそれとは対照的に天候の移り変わりの複雑な過程を表現している。

Etude in Eb Minor "Panda Park and a Sudden Storm"（パンダ公園と驟雨）

This etude uses the similar technique as in Chopin etude Op. 10 No. 2, but for the left hand. I have often complained about composers that write music that are unreasonably difficult; little did I know that I will become one of them. 

ショパンエチュードOp. 10 No. 2と似た書き方だが、この曲で忙しいのは右ではなく左手の３−４−５の指。私は弾きにくい曲を書く作曲家たちについてよく文句を言っていたものだが、ついに私も彼らのようになった。

Etude in Bb Major "Pianist Goes to Town"（ピアニストが街へ行く）

This is built on rondo form, with the recurring D major segment portraying the world of flowers - fragrant, generous, and with unmoving integrity. And then there are bees that appear, buzzing and fussing amongst themselves. I see this small portrait of the flowerbed as a caricature of nature with human beings.

ロンド形式のエチュード。繰り返されるニ長調のテーマは、高潔で香り高く優しい花の世界を描写している。そこに蜂が現れ、ブンブンと紛争を繰り広げていくのだ。この花壇での小さなシーンは、自然と人間のあり方のカリカチュアでもある。

Etude in D Major "The Flowerbed and the Bees' Disputes"（花壇、そして蜂の紛争）

Infused with chromaticism, this etude portrays the sense of slowly seeing through the mist and gradually finding different paths within it. The right-hand figures are modeled on Chopin's etude Op. 10 No. 10, but also comes with 3-against-4 rhythm between the two hands (which gets reversed in the middle section). 

半音階を多く使ったメロディーのエチュード。霧の中から少しずつ道を探していく様子を描いている。右手はショパンのエチュードOp. 10 No. 10のパターンに模せられていて、左右の手は３対４のリズムで動いている。

Etude in Bb Minor "Through the Mist"（霧を通して）

This light-hearted piece is the first one from my set of 24 etudes. Since I have never written etudes before, I used it as a way to “test the water” before writing longer ones (which means that this is a warmup not only for the performer, but also for the composer). It uses chromatic lines to portray a playful character, and has a middle section that is more capricious.

指慣らしをしているような短くて軽快な半音階の曲。これは初めて書くエチュードだったので、自分の作曲のウォームアップのための曲でもあった。プレイフルで、中間部は気まぐれな感じ。

Etude in Db Major "A Warmup"（ウォーミングアップ）

There are numerous pieces in piano repertoire with chords that are rolled upwards, so I thought I would feature some descending ones instead. 

The title is created from an image of rain that is like tears with all-encompassing warmth and beauty, soaking the earth. I was told this piece is overly melancholic (possibly, due to the repeated use of the questioning Cb and the pensive ending), but I personally find the imagery of this rain to be uplifting.

涙のように美しく全てを包み込む暖かさを持っている雨。この曲ではそのような、しとしと降ってくる雨を描写した。

Etude in F Minor "Grace"（いつくしみ）

This piece is based on a dream I had, where I was running across a bridge made of wooden chopsticks. With a tinge of oriental flare, it is characterized by ostinato figures within 7/4 meter. I aimed to paint a fantastic picture made of intricate threads, balancing between the tonal centers of d and Gb.

箸でできた橋を駆けていく夢を見たのでそれを描写してみた。７拍子でオスティナートが繰り返されるのと、ニ短調と変ト長調との密接な関係が特徴的。これを作曲しながら私の見ていたのは、細やかな糸で描かれる幻想的な絵だった。

Etude in Gb Major "A Dream of a Chopstick Bridge "（箸でできた橋の夢）

A short piece that features a fleeting moment of conflict, or perhaps, a challenge. There is a brief lyrical theme that functions like bookends at the beginning and at the end, contributing to the transient feel of the etude.

いきなり現れて消える「対立」を描いた曲。曲の出だしと終わりにある短い叙情的なテーマが、このドラマの儚さを物語っている。

Etude in Eb Major "Sudden Opposition"（突然の対立）

This short work portrays ephemerality in life. 
The introduction depicts a spider descending from a hanging silk. The moving figures of the hand that characterize this piece were inspired by a mixture of fascination and chills going up my back when I watch spider legs move as they crawl. The main theme depicts an elegant, innocent and carefree courtship, which abruptly turns into an aggressive middle section, where they mate. After that, life simply goes on, with the ending portraying a sense of vanity.

人生の儚さを描く曲。イントロでは蜘蛛が１匹糸からぶらさがって降りてくる。テーマを弾く時のモゴモゴした手の動きは、蜘蛛の歩き方を真似ているのだ。（それと、私が蜘蛛を眺めている時に背中がぞわっとする感じも表現している）はじめは気ままでイノセントな様子の蜘蛛たちだが、中間部では攻撃的になり交尾する。その後は何もなかったように曲は続いていくが、締めくくりには空虚さが感じられる。

Etude in D Minor "Spiders in Love"（恋をした蜘蛛）

My family always sends me prayers, which made me think of a haunting chorus melody that is carried by the wind from afar, like the clear sound of bells. This theme returns over and over, with an increasing sense of inevitability, evoking an image of something that is constant and unchanging. The piece is remotely modeled on Liszt’s La Campanella, which is quoted at the end.

いつも遠くから私のことを祈ってくれている両親を思い出して書いた。何度も現れるコーラス部分は鐘のように透明感があり、繰り返されるたびに必然性を増す。リストのラ・カンパネラをゆるくモデルにして書かれていて、最後にはその旋律が引用される。

Etude in G# Minor "Prayer from Afar"（遠くからの祈り）

This etude is a brief interlude, featuring thirds in the left hand. It portrays a dreamlike, lingering afterimage of light, reminiscent of a golden shawl that gently flutters in the sun. It is ever-continuing, without a clear beginning or ending, making me wish that I could linger in this warm light.

間奏曲のような感じの短いエチュード。左手の３度の音程で動いていく旋律で、金色のショールのように優しくひらひらと舞っている光の残像を描いた。夢の中のような、はじめも終わりもなくずっと続いていくような次元。私はそこにもう少しその暖かさにとどまりたいと願う。

Etude in F# Minor "Golden Shawl"（黄金のショール）

This piece describes human endeavors in life, and has a mixture of gentle and stern moments. The left-hand figure is loosely modeled on the arpeggiated patterns from Chopin’s Etude Op. 10 No. 1, and the right hand utilizes an ascending motif (C-D-E). 

人間の情熱と努力が描かれた、優しさと厳しさを兼ねたエチュード。左手はショパンエチュードOp. 10 No. 1を模してある。

Etude in A Minor "Opened Crevice"（開かれた亀裂）

Etude with sixths in both hands. 
I envisioned a serene starry sky as I wrote the opening. After the introduction appears the first theme section, which consists of repeating cycles of a singular melody that seems to be trying to erupt through. The piece finally comes to a breaking point, after which the tension gradually resides, wavering between keys of D and A major. (I was working on this piece at the time when I was about to give birth, which could have influenced how it turned out.)


両手が６度の音程で動く曲。出だしは穏やかな星空を想像して書いた。その後で現れるのは、噴火しそうなエネルギーで何度も繰り返される旋律。そしてそれはニ長調とイ長調の間を行ったり来たりしながら極限点まで昇りつめる。（出産直前に書いていた曲なので、それが内容に影響を及ぼしたかもしれない）

Etude in A Major "Bustling Waves"（うねる波）

I am a classical pianist based in Canada. Many of the pieces I upload here are for  solo piano. Some are performed by me, but the performances of the recent uploads are created on Staffpad app on my iPad. 

The score of all my etudes and some other small pieces can be found on the link below (more to come).

Having completed a master's degree in music theory and a doctorate in piano performance, I am currently teaching and composing. I adore music analysis. I would love to meet and connect with other composers and get to know your works!

24 Etudes for Piano

Lemon