← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 11 in F major BWV 880
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 130 chord changes across 72 bars — ranked 2 of 42 by measured difficulty (intermediate) in this survey. Played as block chords, it's a progression you can learn in an afternoon; the piece is that progression wearing sixteenth notes.
Practice this piece → Practice chords → Learn it section by section → Hear the harmony →
How it opens
The first changes are I7 · IV7 (F) · ii7 (F) · V7 (G) · I7 (E) · i7 (C) · V · iiiø7 — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 130 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: I7 (E) (6×), I7 (5×), V7 (G) (5×), ii7 (5×), V7 (5×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)