Clair De Lune

Lesson Notes

Breaking it down

• Note-by-note breakdown:

  The piece opens with the left hand playing E + G, then the right hand echoes the same E + G just after (not at the same instant). After that, the left hand holds one rolling chord while the right hand plays a short run of single melody notes over it — one row below per left-hand chord change.

  Section	Left hand	Right hand
  1 (left hand plays first, right hand echoes just after)	E + G (an octave higher than usual)	E + G (an octave higher than usual)
  2	(still holding E + G)	C + E
  3	F + A♭	D, E, D
  4	E + G	C, D, C, E
  5	D + F	C, B, C, B
  6	C + F	A, B, A, D

  This piece has the least explicit timing of the set — the grouping above is a best-effort guide based on the note counts, not a guarantee of the exact original rhythm. Use it as a starting map and adjust by ear once you know the piece.

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• Practice tips:
  • Practice each hand alone at a slow tempo — the right hand carries the melody, the left plays soft broken chords underneath.
  • Keep the left hand light so it never covers the melody.
  • Use the pedal sparingly — enough to blend the harmony, not so much it blurs.
• History: The third movement of Debussy's Suite Bergamasque, composed around 1890 and revised before its 1905 publication. Inspired by Paul Verlaine's poem of the same name, it's one of the most famous Impressionist piano pieces ever written.