Rachmaninoff often indicates emotional intensity and climaxes through repeated chords on the same pitch. There is no shortage of examples of this technique, such as at the end of the development section of the first movement of Piano Concerto No. 2, in the Cello Sonata, Prelude, Op. 32, No. 10, the song "How Fair This Spot!", Op. 34, No. 12, Variation 14 of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and the climaxes of each movement of Piano Concerto No. 4. This work is where that technique is utilized as an etude. The incessant chord repetitions played by both hands in the main section, while passionate, must avoid monotony as an accompaniment and require ingenuity to effectively project the continuous melody in the soprano voice. The middle section is a transitional passage where the tonality becomes unstable, contrasting with the main section in terms of the left-hand arpeggiated accompaniment and dynamics, and also serving as a foreshadowing for the tranquil coda.