Right hand
Bar 1: F, D flat, a long A flat, then B flat. Bar 2: a long C and D flat. Bar 3: E flat, F, a long G flat, F. Bar 4 comes down F E flat D flat E flat. Bars 5 to 8 repeat the phrase and close on D flat.
Raindrop Prelude - Piano Sheet Music (Easy Version, Op. 28 No. 15)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) 1839 D-flat major 4/4 Intermediate 0:32 Both hands
Loading the score…
The Raindrop Prelude gets its name from one note: an A flat that the left hand repeats gently, eight times a bar, from the first bar to the last, like rain dripping from a roof. Over it, the right hand sings one of Chopin's calmest melodies: F, D flat, a long A flat, then B flat and C. This easy version gives you the melody of bars 1 to 8 as printed, with the ornamental turn of bar 4 reduced to its first note, and keeps Chopin's repeated A flat in the left hand under one bass note per bar. Play the raindrops very softly and evenly, and let the melody float above them.
How to play it
How to play Raindrop Prelude on the piano
Left hand
A flat below middle C, eight quavers per bar, all the way through. On the first beat of each bar a lower note sounds with it: D flat or the low A flat. Bar 8 ends on D flat and A flat together.
Tricky passages
Keeping the raindrops even and quiet while the right hand holds long notes. Practise the left hand alone with the metronome until the eight A flats are identical, then add the melody.
Fingering
Left hand: the bass note with 5, the repeated A flat with 1, or 2 and 1 alternating if the thumb tires. Right hand bar 1: F with 4, D flat with 2, A flat with 1, B flat with 2.
Notes
Raindrop Prelude piano notes
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: F Db Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb F F Eb Db Eb F Db Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb F …
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F Db Ab Bb | Fa Réb Lab Sib |
| 2 | C Db | Do Réb |
| 3 | Eb F Gb F | Mib Fa Solb Fa |
| 4 | F Eb Db Eb | Fa Mib Réb Mib |
| 5 | F Db Ab Bb | Fa Réb Lab Sib |
| 6 | C Db | Do Réb |
| 7 | Eb F Gb F | Mib Fa Solb Fa |
| 8 | F Eb Db | Fa Mib Réb |
Chords
Chords in Raindrop Prelude
The chords this arrangement holds for at least two bars, read from the score with the root in the bass. Each one opens its page: the notes, every inversion and the fingering, playable on a piano.
About the piece
About Raindrop Prelude
The Prelude in D-flat major is No. 15 of Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, completed in 1839 on the island of Majorca, where he spent the winter with the writer George Sand in an old monastery at Valldemossa.
In her memoirs, Sand tells of coming home through a storm to find Chopin at the piano, having dreamt he was drowned in a lake while heavy drops of icy water fell on his chest. The prelude was later linked to that story and nicknamed Raindrop; Chopin himself never gave his preludes titles.
This transcription: Chopin, Préludes, Op. 28, No. 15 (1839), Edition Peters: Mutopia Project no. 471, placed in the public domain; melody of bars 1-8 as printed, the turn of bar 4 reduced to its first note; left hand keeps the repeated A flat under one bass note per bar, arranged by GOONS Studio. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
Keep playing
More piano sheet music
Easy Version, Bars 1-12 · E minorPrelude in E Minor
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)EasyPlay the score
Complete, Op. 28 No. 7 · A majorPrelude in A Major
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)IntermediatePlay the score
Easy Version, Op. 28 No. 20 · C minorPrelude in C Minor
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)IntermediatePlay the score
Theme A · A minorFür Elise
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)IntermediatePlay the score
In the studio
Practise with your MIDI keyboard, record your take, export MIDI
The full piano studio opens this score with your MIDI keyboard and sustain pedal, records what you play and exports it as a MIDI file. It comes with the GOONS Studio subscription - start with the 7-day free trial, no card required.
Questions
Raindrop Prelude on piano: frequently asked
Why is it called the Raindrop Prelude?
Because of the A flat the left hand repeats from beginning to end, like dripping rain. The nickname came after Chopin's death, from George Sand's account of a stormy night in Majorca.
How hard is the Raindrop Prelude?
The opening is level 3 of 5 in this easy version. The full prelude is longer and harder: its dark middle section turns the A flat into G sharp and builds to loud chords in both hands.
What key is the Raindrop Prelude in?
D-flat major, with five flats. The middle section moves to C-sharp minor, the same black keys under different names.