Technical Issues Playing Clair de Lune

When a pianist first looks at a new piece, there are usually technical challenges that must be figured out before the piece can be performed. In Debussy’s Clair de Lune, there are several:
- the dynamic markings are all piano or quieter, with only one forte which lasts for one bar. This tells us that Debussy wants an impressionistic wash of sound rather than big, loud effects, even when there are many notes. One pitfall for the performer is to hold back, tensing up the arms, trying and keep the sound soft!! Dynamics need to be considered in relation to each other - the forte needs to be louder than the piano. Also, this piece provides the pianist with an opportunity to play with a soft, but very projected sound. Controlling the playing with the entire arm from the shoulders enables the player to build up a rich wash of sound.
- The top melody note in the 3rds needs to ring out more than the lower harmony note. This is very much easier when the pianist’s shoulders and arms are free from tension. Throughout this piece, the pianist should feel the entire weight of their arm sinking into the keys from the shoulders.
- the most difficult challenge is in the middle section. The RH must bring out the top melody and play part of the inner accompanying figure. The difficulty is at the end of the phrase:

There is an A flat that is part of the inner accompaniment, and the very next note is a repeat of that note, but this time in the melody.
The clue to playing this is to observe the phrasing, and to play each phrase with one sweep of the arm. The first inner A flat will slip in on the upward motion that finishes off the phrase. Then there is a new downward sweep, which will bring out the second A flat, the first note of the next phrase.
To learn how to coordinate these motions, it helps to exaggerate the free sweeping motion while playing the phrases. Make a big down motion from the shoulders to start each phrase, and don’t worry about missing notes at first. Once the big whole arm motion is comfortable, getting the fingers to play the notes accurately becomes easy!