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How hard is Clair de lune on piano?

It has been used in film and video games. I think most pianists discover Clair de Lune at some point because it's not a very difficult piece to play, although it's a difficult piece to play well. It was as a young pianist that I discovered it. It's got all the things that you enjoy as a pianist.

magazine.wellesley.edu - Shedding Light On Clair de Lune | Wellesley Magazine

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Gurminder Kaur Bhogal, Catherine Mills Davis Associate Professor of Music, has been teaching at Wellesley since 2006. Her book, Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune (Oxford University Press), was published this summer. We spoke with Bhogal about her fascination with the piece and the pleasures of teaching music at Wellesley.

This is the first full book ever on Clair de Lune, which may be Debussy’s most recognizable piece. What drew you to it?

I was asked to write something, anything, on French piano music. Within a split second I said, “It has to be Clair de Lune.” My editor said, “But you can’t write a whole book on it, can you?” “Oh, yes,” I said. I’m not only contextualizing it historically and in relation to French poetry and French art, but also in relation to pop culture. It has been used in film and video games. I think most pianists discover Clair de Lune at some point because it’s not a very difficult piece to play, although it’s a difficult piece to play well. It was as a young pianist that I discovered it. It’s got all the things that you enjoy as a pianist. It’s got little soft bits in thirds, and it’s got these beautiful, floaty arpeggios. It makes you feel like you’re really making music.

Is Wellesley a congenial place to teach music?

I’ve really enjoyed working with the students. That’s the reason I’m here, more than anything. I love their curiosity. When I say, “OK, we’re going to listen really closely,” they say, “OK, let’s do it.” They’re really up for the challenge. You know, listening to music is something everybody does, but when you say we’re going to really listen, that’s a whole other thing. I wish people would stop thinking about music as an elite thing that only certain people have access to. In the department, we try to teach it in a way that welcomes everyone. Even if you don’t have a background, you should be able to walk into almost any class. We’re there to help you discover music.

What’s an early memory of hearing music in your own life?

It was definitely not French piano music! I was in the U.K., so it was disco, and a lot of David Bowie. You know—the British pop scene. It was very late that I discovered classical music. I must have been about 10, and it was Beethoven.

What are you reading these days?

The last decade or so has seen a real growth in scholarly literature on video game music. So I have been eating up all these books on it. You know, I played these things as a kid, and I’m discovering all these wonderful ways scholars are now engaging with its blips and bloops.

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What is the most evil chord?

Most Evil Chords – Tension and Dissonance Minor 2nd. Tritone. Minor 9th.

professionalcomposers.com - What is the Most Evil Chord in Music? - Professional Composers

Are you looking for evil sounding chords to use in your music? Now, there are of course different “types” of evil sounding harmonies in music. And then there are variations of these main types, which you can shape and color with chord inversions, different choices for layering certain notes, weight and instrumentation per voice etc.

Let’s learn the sound of evil chords and harmonies in music! =)

The Most Evil Chords in Music

C Diminished 7 D Minor (add b6) Dm/G

I would personally make two main distinctions of “evil chords”. The first type is a very dissonant and high tension harmony, very good for creepy atmospheres, scary background music, spooky vibes etc. And the other kind is more about powerful evil, like an evil boss, hardcore villain, demon, monster, or that kind of vibe.

1. Most Evil Chords – Tension and Dissonance

The main thing you need to learn here, are the most dissonant intervals in music, and then build chords and harmonies from those. Here they are:

Minor 2nd

Tritone

Minor 9th

Chords using any of these intervals, such as a diminished chord or an “add b9” chord, or an inversion that creates a minor 2nd interval, will be great for a dissonant and high tension mood in your music.

2. Most Evil Chords – Evil and Powerful

Now the main difference here, is that instead of chaos and dissonance, you create harmonies with a lot of weight on the root and 5th. This is what will create that sense of power. Then you sprinkle in some tension from a minor 3rd, or even a higher tension interval. However, sometimes a classic power chord is even exactly what you need for maximum focus on power. Here are some examples of evil and powerful chords:

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