Coronavirus Etude – A New Viral Piano Piece

A classic viral piano piece, “Dusting the Piano” has finally got a follow-up. While Dusting the Piano should be managable for players of ABRSM grade 1 and suitable for performances during less critical times, the new Coronavirus Etude is more complex (around ABRSM grade 5) and aimed to be more effective against viruses.

Which piece is most useful?

The effectiveness of the new Coronavirus Etude may be questioned since most of the effort probably does not remove, but just move the viruses and bacteria sideways. Most likely, a lot of it will just get stuck on the sides of the keys and “Dusting the Piano” may end up as the winner.

Viral spread

The Coronavirus Etude itelf appears to have gone viral, with dozens of performances already recorded and published in various social media. Check out the Instagram tag #coronavirusetude for some examples.
Here are some of the more notable interpretations so far. If you have recorded it, please post a link in the comments below!

Download sheet music: Coronavirus Etude

More advanced: Dichotomie

If you are into something even more advanced, check out Dichotomie, a piano piece by Esa-Pekka Salonen composed in the year 2000.
Here, pianist Aura Go plays the first movement, ‘Mécanisme’:

On a more serious note

While pandemics are no fun at all, these musical jokes remind us about the importance of hygiene when using shared instruments in lesson and practice spaces and may be justified. If you want to learn more about how to effectively clean your piano keys, please read our article:
“How to Keep Your Piano Keys Clean from Viruses?”