Oh, i used to struggle with exactly the same thing when I was 19! That is, 29 years ago ... Suggestion 1: you really don't have to play those arpeggios very fast, you know. The piece sounds good also in a slower tempo. Personally I think the video you posted is too fast in the fast sections. No romantic moonlight, rather a stormy night.Suggestion 2: keep on practicing with just your left hand. Play a lot with dotted rhytms but be careful to change the rhytm often, so that you don't get it "stuck" - the final goal is still to play very even, but even is just one version of uneven ... Also experiment with playing staccato or partial legatos.Refine your practice to the troublesome spots - really, the whole bars are not difficult, it comes just when you have to move your hand upwards, and especially right after the "turn" when you are falling down again. At least it was like that for me.
Hi, first time poster here. Just some background (If you don't care, just skip to the second paragraph): I've been playing piano for about 10 years now, and I turn 19 this year. However, I just restarted piano a few months ago, after a two year break. I have a piano teacher, but she mainly just helps me learn new songs. I've never done any tests or theory, and I don't really plan to. I just play piano for fun. Early on I played mostly pop songs, but I started to play classical pieces just before I took the two year break. I know how to play easier pieces, such as Moonlight Sonata (mvt. 1) and Gymnopedie no.1.About a month ago I started Claire de Lune. The first ~2 minutes of the piece is incredibly easy for me, but as soon as I get to the arpeggios, I fail. Horribly. If you look at the video I posted below, I fail beginning at 2:00. So far I've learned up to 2:25. I can do the part from 1:54 to 2:00 perfectly fine because it uses both hands, so I don't have to move that much. I fail purely because I can't get my left hand to move up and down the piano fast enough. I can probably do it at a tenth of the speed it should be played at. I've practiced this section hundreds of times to no avail. I've been stuck on the part that goes from 2:00 to 2:07 for weeks. My fingers just can't move fast enough. I haven't really seen much improvement over the last hundred times I've practiced the bar either. How much more practice do I need? Is it just too difficult a piece for me? Should I move on to another piece? Any tips or suggestions? Thanks.
The first thing that you need to study is the fact that the Impressionists were devotees of the Symbolist movement, which was in stark contrast to the Realists. And, their favorite symbol was the Moon.Musically, they were staunch anti-Romanticists, in terms of the piano. That is why Debussy used to come un-glued during performances of his works when people romanticized them.And, that is exactly what you are doing, as a million (literally) others have done before you.So, I am going to leave with a link of someone who studied the piece under the composer, who was most pleased with his playing. And, please notice the soft quick roll of most of his chords, just the way they are on the recordings of the Debussy piano roll "Debussy Composer As Pianist."Enjoy, and by the way your playing of this piece is at a concert pianist level, so quit the false humble pie routine. You are not fooling anyone.And, as far as the arpeggiated section, you need to explore the Taubman Tapes section on the "Walking Hand." You will never get it fast enough just trying to stretch for it.
Richter plays this at a much slower tempo and I find it near perfect. Mixing up rhythms when practicing those arpeggios is key. You'll find the lag between troublesome intervals mysteriously disappears.
Wow! Information overload. Thanks! There are a lot of things in your reply I don't understand (I'm not familiar with classical music history), but clearly you know what you're talking about and I'll try to research some of the things you mentioned. And sorry, but do you think that was me playing Clair de Lune in the video I posted? I can't play this piece at half the speed, let alone at a concert pianist level! I apologize if I didn't make that clear enough haha!That is certainly an interesting rendition (but hardly considered a "rendition" if Debussy himself approved). But boy is that played rather fast. Thanks for all the info!
Of course, everyone thought that was you playing in the video. You did not state a disclaimer, to the contrary.In short, you cheated, and you got caught. Please leave this Forum discourse for those who are not playing game
Topic: Claire de Lune arpeggios 