Question for the pros...

[coop_jac]

Hello,

I am brand new here and had a question. I am a self taught piano player, tinkering for approx. 20 years. I can't sight read but I can pick apart sheet music (very slowly) and also have a decent ear.

The past year or so I have been expanding my memory collection and learning new pieces. The first was Chopin's Nocturne Op 9 No. 2, then Valse Op 70 No. 2. (at least that's the name on my mp3 player).    Just two days ago I finished memorizing the Maple Leaf Rag which btw is amazingly fun to play.

I want to learn Clair de Lune next but listening to it over and over again I am really frightened about the left hand. I understand the technique involved in that piece and that it's more than just the notes, I believe I can master that with time and practice, but for those who can play it, is the left hand extremely difficult? Or is it not so difficult but add the right hand and you will just be lost in a world of notes?

I searched through the forum and found some advice for people thinking of learning the piece but I thought I would ask for my specific situation.


Thanks!

[lostinidlewonder]

It's only arpeggios which would pose some threat in the LH. If you do it all by ear you must have good sense of the length of arpeggios, that is know how many notes exactly you are listening to when one is completed. But the sheet music is there, don''t torture yourself if your ear isn't able to hear everything.

[imbetter]

It's acctualy not very difficult if you can recognize the different arpeggios and have decent arpeggio technique

[thierry13]

It's actually a beginner level piece. It can have some frightening passages, but I'm sure you could do fine if you played the nocturne and the waltz 

[dan101]

As mentioned, the left hand is constructed of arpeggios. Your only concerns are fingering and working passages up to speed. Do a lot of hands separate practice in the beginning stages.

I would invest in a technique book listing scale, chord and arpeggio fingerings. It sounds like that would be a useful reference for you.

[jinfiesto]

It isn't the arpeggios you should be frightened of. It's the polyrhythms at the beginning of the piece

[leuthold]

you will generally separate arpeggios into two parts. from L.H to R.H... ease them

[allthumbs]

It's actually a beginner level piece.

Hardly, it's listed in the Grade 10 RCM repertoire.

[sborovic]

Ummm, why are you playing these pieces when you are not a "true"/decent piano player? You'll never get it rightly...

[0range]

Ummm, why are you playing these pieces when you are not a "true"/decent piano player? You'll never get it rightly...

Why do anything in life?

[stephen22]

You are obviously committed and musical. Why not take time out to improve your score-reading skills? The effort would pay you back in no time.

I'm sure you could play Claire de Lune. Most of these terrifying arpeggios fit under your hands. I remember playing the easier bits before I was 10. You do have to know which notes to play, however. This is easier if you can read music!

Stephen

[thierry13]

Hardly, it's listed in the Grade 10 RCM repertoire.

Gradings are crap, and RCM gradings are particularly ridiculously high.

[allthumbs]

Gradings are crap, and RCM gradings are particularly ridiculously high.

My only point was it's not a beginner piece. ABRSM, I am led to believe has only 8 levels, so I would imagine it would be placed at a much lower level in their syllabus.

As far as gradings go, these music bodies need to have a method of presenting pieces for study at increasingly more difficult levels I suppose.

A difficult piece is a difficult piece, regardless if it is given a grade level.

[thierry13]

My only point was it's not a beginner piece.

My point was that it is one.

A difficult piece is a difficult piece, regardless if it is given a grade level.

That was my point also. Clair de lune is definitely not a technical challenge for those who aren't beginners. And for musicality and interpretation, it can be worked all your life... there is no grade for interpretation.

[guendola]

In order to learn the appreggios, see them as several chords played after each other and play them that way. Don't try thumb-under, just shift your hand from one position to the next and enjoy the existence of movement speed and the right pedal.

And there is wrist rotation too, for huge spans. Rotate your left wrist to the left then spread the small finger to the left as far as possible, then the index or middle finger to the right side, see how far you can reach, then rotate the wrist back and see the span between index (or middle) finger and your thumb. The three notes of a chord can be this far apart (of course not playable as a chord then) and this can be close to two octaves without shifting the hand position - perfect legato . This works with other fingers as well, feel free to experiment.

It requires a bit of practise to narrow the gaps when shifting, but after a while you will be the only one noticing it - and that is just because you know that you aren't playing perfect legato here.

About "is this for beginners": I think it won't be so beautiful when played by a newbie musician, but an experienced musician who started piano playing and got some control over the instrument should be fine.

[pwla]

Clair de Lune is so easy tehnically speaking the left hand is only in arpeggios don't worry about that.And by the way never be afraid of any piece

[j.s. bach the 534th]

the arpeggios are the only thing I found remotely hard about that song. The best way to deal with them is use both hands to do the arpeggios. Use the middle pedal to sustain the right hand chords so you can focus on the arpeggios more.