Eb Minor - Research on Harmony - Variation 5

The first departure from the waltz. Variation 5 moves in four even beats rather than three, and its contour dips down before rising — an inverted bell, the only one alongside Variation 7. Six notes from Eb2 to Gb6, Animé, p, legato. The soft dynamic makes this the quietest study in the cycle, the phrase sinking toward D3 before climbing back through the triad.

The valley shape begins at Eb2 in dark blue-violet, descends to D3 — an orange non-chord accent, a warm dip at the phrase's lowest point — then rises through Bb3 and Bb4 in violet, arriving at Gb5 and Gb6 where green brightens toward the upper register. The orange at D3 is a brief warm glow in the bass, quickly overtaken by the cool violet and green of the chord.

Soft, four beats, a valley that sinks before it rises. Variation 5 introduces a different pulse and a different shape into the series — the only p marking, the only dip into warmth at the bottom of the phrase rather than as an accent above.