The piece is in binary form:

• a (measures 1-8)
• b (measures 9-16)

In the opening, staccato quarter notes are played by alternating left and right hands, ascending and descending, creating a full piano sound, as if someone is tiptoeing stealthily. This musical depiction in D minor links to the work's title.

In the b section, dissonant second intervals are used as a motif, expressing tension; this idiom is often seen in children's pieces, such as those by Bastien.