Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner If Clair de Lune is so "easy"...

Why is it grade 10 RCM (highest level in piano excluding ARCT diplomas) I was just looking through some pieces that a student of mine could do for grade 10, and came across this.

Who said Claire de Lune was easy?

As far as I can tell, no one.



Cathy

Well, it's not very difficult to, as a friend of mine who took up casual piano lessons once said, "punch the right keys at the right time".

Whether that means the piece is easy or not is an entirely separate question.

Clayton -

T-O-N-S of people say it's easy, technically it's very simple, and the tempo is quite slow. Like the person above said, "punch the right keys at the right time."

Interpretive difficulty, I'd say. Debussy is a whole other kettle of fish than the Romantic music. That's why I haven't touched any. I do love to listen, however.

I'm a lowly intermediate (though improving) and I found it an awkward bear. Easy enough to "punch the right notes." Another matter entirely to play it well.

Scarbo and the Liszt Transcendental Etudes can also be played using this method.

I'm not familiar with RCM's grading scale and don't know offhand where to find a syllabus. What else is classified as Grade 10?

Steven

Thanks everyone for the answers, they are all very helpful. (especially Horowitzian)

Sotto Voce, I reckon you are from the U.S and is probably and only familiar with the ABRSM system. Well, many say that Grade 10 RCM is similar to Grade 8 ABRSM, the Repertoire, technical requirements, aural, and sight-reading. The only difference is that there are 5 repertoire pieces instead of three. This is a Grade 10 syllabus similar to the RCM syllabus: http://www.bccmexaminations.ca/downloads/grade10.pdf

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” - Bach

Actually, I'm equally unfamiliar with RCM and ABRSM; neither is standard here except for teachers who choose to follow their curricula, and we have no such national organization of our own.

Thanks for the link!

Steven

Have you actually looked at the score? It's not that easy to actually count it correctly. I don't play this piece myself, but I've taught it numerous times. Invariably, I am *always* correcting rhythm.

I'm pretty sure that whack-a-mole uses the same philosophy! Debussy always has it's challenges whether it requires big chords, fast linear passages, or slow solemn tempi. Debussy is rarely "easy".

Well said, many people play it in the wrong time, or try to hide it with rubato.

By the way, while the opening may be slow, the middle section moves at a brisker pace and does actually contain some awkward moments for fingering.

"La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin" is grade 9 by RCM standards as well. Technically someone of grade 5 or above would probably be able to hammer out all the right notes, but I think the RCM is trying to say that the interpretative demands of this pieces are not suited until a certain level of proficiency is attained.

Why is Clair de lune listed under Preludes, Book 2 rather than Suite Bergamasque on the syllabus?
I'm not all that familiar with Debussy preludes, but I've listened to all of them a few times.
It probably means La terrasse des audiences au clair de lune, the seventh prelude in book 2?

Which would mean that Clair de lune (from Suite Bergamasque) is actually not on the G10 syllabus at all. So to the OP, if you're thinking of entering a student for G10, you need to contact RCM and check this.

This was the song that I first picked up after not playing piano for four years. It was daunting at first, especially when you look at the second page. But everything becomes easier with practice.

There are parts that I still need to polish like the arps, but I would say Clair de lune is fairly intermediate or intermediate/advanced piece.

I believe that Claire de Lune has been previously classified as a Grade 7 piece by ABRSM which means that a good student could be ready for to learn it with help from a teacher after anywhere from 4 to 5 years of structured lessons and appropriate practicing. This seems to agree with kbk's comments that a Grade 5 student was able to use time and energy to learn it to a good standard.