Is Clair de Lune too hard for me?

[AndyD]

Trust your teachers.

What grade have you passed & how long ago?

I'd add, the bars are quite repetitive regarding fingering...
And the fingering on the free music I limked on the other thread works well

[Bernard]

IMO, Clair de Lune is not much harder (if any) than Arabesque No. 1, some might even find Clair de Lune easier. I think Reverie is harder than either of them. Fingerings shouldn't stop you from working on a piece, and I think fingerings for Clair de Lune are easier to come up with than either of the other two. They can always be worked out and your teacher should be able to contribute to that. I am a big believer that one should be working on a piece that is just beyond one's current ability. The struggle is real but it is how one grows.

So here’s my question: would playing either (or both) of these pieces, Reverie and Arabesque No 1, before starting CdL make CdL much easier to learn?

They might but I don't think it's because they are easier. If someone asked me to prepare one of these three for a student recital next month, I'd pick Clair de Lune. But everyone is different.

[CHAS]

I don't know the answer.
I do know I want to hear you play all three of them. So get crackn'

[ShiroKuro]

thanks for the comments everyone!

@AndyD said:

What grade have you passed & how long ago?

I have never taken any grade exams, so I don't have a sense of my level. I've been playing for over 25 years, but I started as an adult.

Although, one piece I'm close to finishing is apparently an ABRSM grade 6, and that piece is easy for me. The internet AI says CdL is grade 8, so that should be do-able in theory...

@Bernard said:

Clair de Lune is not much harder (if any) than Arabesque No. 1, some might even find Clair de Lune easier. I think Reverie is harder than either of them.

this is interesting because just looking at the score, CdL looks harder to me...

re fingering

@Bernard said:

They can always be worked out and your teacher should be able to contribute to that.

Yes, but I don't want to spend my whole lesson working out fingers for the whole thing, if it's a piece within my level, I ought to be able to do the bulk of it myself.

OTOH, learning this would probably push me forward...

Anyway, I'll see how I do during tonight's practice.

[AndyD]

Re fingering, I spent an hour at the dining table adding numbers to various notes (on the third(?) day of practising it) copying from the free music link; then another hour playing it & pausing to add more.
Worth the effort.

[ShiroKuro]

@AndyD said:

I spent an hour at the dining table adding numbers to various notes

Wow! I can't do that kind of thing away from the keyboard!

And one of my concerns with CdL is that it won't just be a matter of figuring out the fingering, because I won't know what fingering to choose...

Anyway, as I said, I'll look at it this evening and see what I think.

[Mark]

You are more than capable of learning it.

I have never played it. But, I'm pretty sure I could learn it. I have been so focused on Chopin over the past year that I feel like I should move on to a different composer.

[ShiroKuro]

@Mark thank you for the vote of confidence!

I just finished a session on another piece, so now I'm heading over to CdL...

[ShiroKuro]

@AndyD said:

And the fingering on the free music I limked on the other thread works well

This one, right?

https://vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/5/5a/IMSLP664379-PMLP2397-SheetMusic_29267.pdf

I wish it were bigger, but it’s very helpful!

I think I’ll use my Henle score and use this one tonight in some fingering away from the keyboard.

Also I just realized it suddenly seems much easier if I turn my iPad sideways, bc the score is larger and easier to see

[AndyD]

Yes.
I'd be surprised if the linked music and the Henle have many differences in fingering. There's usually an accepted best way for fingers.

(e.g. no matter how big your left hand, arpeggios will need a certain finger next over your thumb in preparation for the continued run.
Although the lowest note may be played with 5 or 4 if hands are big and it helps flow.

And in the right hand for thirds, where all hand sizes will find a run easiest with the same fingering depending on how black notes fall, and what's to be played next)

[AndyD]

@Mark said:

You are more than capable of learning it.

I have never played it. But, I'm pretty sure I could learn it. I have been so focused on Chopin over the past year that I feel like I should move on to a different composer.

What Chopin are you playing?