Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu”: four against three
From measure 5 of Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu,” the right hand places four even notes against three in the left hand over the same span. Practise that relationship alone before playing the written passage.
The Piano Music Encyclopedia identifies four notes in the right hand against three in the left from measure 5. This is a true polyrhythm: the voices share a beginning and end, but divide the time differently. The player below reduces that relationship to taps; it is not Chopin’s melody or left-hand pattern.
The count
Count twelve equal subdivisions. Four attacks land on 1, 4, 7 and 10. Three attacks land on 1, 5 and 9. Both voices meet at the next 1. Say: 1 to 12, then repeat.
Rhythm 1: Quarter-note pulses · Same cycle
Tap a block to change its accent. Mute a rhythm to practise each part separately.
Stopped
The lesson pattern is loaded. Press play, change the tempo, or tap a block to change its accent. Reset brings back the lesson setup.
Set it up in AnyBeat
- AnyBeat Pro is needed for two voices. Open More options (the three-dot menu), choose “Write a Pattern…”, type 4:3, and tap “Create Pattern.” Rhythm 1 has four pulses and Rhythm 2 has three.
- In Polyrhythm, choose “Same cycle” so both rows fill the same span and restart together. Do not use “Same pulse,” which makes patterns of different lengths drift.
- Set View Rhythm Chart > Pulse value to quarter notes and start at 60 BPM for this slow exercise. Listen to each row alone if the overlap is hard to hear, then bring both rows back and mark the shared first click.
Practise it in stages
Phase 1
Separate the hands
Tap four evenly spaced notes with the right hand over one span. Then tap three evenly spaced notes with the left over the same span. Keep the beginning and end fixed.
Move on when: Neither hand speeds up just before the next shared start.
Phase 2
Place both hands
Count twelve equal subdivisions aloud. Put the right hand on 1, 4, 7, 10 and the left on 1, 5, 9. The first attacks happen together. The player shows four blocks and three blocks; your twelve-count describes the smaller spaces between them.
Move on when: You can tap the sequence slowly without dropping a right- or left-hand attack.
Phase 3
Let the grid go
Play both hands with the AnyBeat two-voice loop, then look away. Hold the shared start in mind while the middle attacks move past each other.
Move on when: Both hands return to the next shared start without correction.
Phase 4
Return to measure 5
Open a score and apply the relationship to the actual notes from measure 5. Work hands separately first. Listen to a performance for phrasing after the coordination is secure.
Move on when: The written notes keep their shape without turning the three-note hand into four.
What this exercise leaves out
A strict click isolates coordination. It does not teach the notes, fingering, pedaling or rubato of “Fantaisie-Impromptu.” The Piano Music Encyclopedia cautions that a performance should not sound mechanically timed. Return to the score and a pianist’s recording after this drill.
Listen: Listen to “Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66”.
Sources: Piano Music Encyclopedia on four against three from measure 5; IMSLP work page and score editions.
Build the count. Then play it.
Start slowly, save the loop, and return to it when the group changes stop surprising you.
