Flex your piano fingers with these 7 easiest Debussy preludes and piano pieces. Claude Debussy is one of the greatest pianists of all time and one of the most prominent composers connected with Impressionism. His pieces are what most piano players hope to master and many of them attempt to study his unique style at large.
Debussy is best known for his usage of non-traditional scales like pentatonic scales and whole tone scales which had been out of the norm in classical music. He also used several avant-garde elements like bitonality and atonality, parallel chords and labyrinthine modulations in his music that sets his compositions apart from most of his contemporaries.
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Mastering a Debussy tone has a lot to do with sensory elements and most of his pieces are extremely complex to play perfectly. But, we checked through piano lesson sites and took recommendations from several players to select the few pieces which are among his uncomplicated work and easier for beginner to intermediate players to master, and we ranked them according to their level of difficulty. Some of these pieces are of his Children’s Corner Suite that Claude Debussy had dedicated to his daughter Claude-Emma and published in 1908. Others are preludes from his two books of preludes that feature 24 pieces in all
For fairly new instrument players it is always recommended to start out with easier pieces to build confidence and speed. Here is a look at the 10 Easiest Acoustic Guitar Songs to Play for new guitar players before we proceed to the easiest Debussy preludes and piano pieces.
7. La fille aux cheveux de lin
La fille aux cheveux de lin or The Girl With the Flaxen Hair is the eighteenth piece from Debussy’s First Book of Preludes and has a two and a half minutes play time. The piece also happens to be one of the most recorded pieces of Claude Debussy and is known for its uncomplicated composition.
6. Des pas sur la neige
The French title translates to Footsteps in the Snow in English. The prelude is in D minor and is in binary form that Debussy commonly used. The piece is a great example to learn some modes and is also the one of the simplest out of the 24 preludes.
5. Bruyeres
Appearing in the 5th position of Book II, is approximately a three-minute long piece. It is essentially a calming piece as also suggested by its name which translates to “health”. The composition features beautifully crafted arpeggios and is definitely one of the easiest Debussy preludes and piano pieces.
4. La cathédrale engloutie
La cathédrale engloutie or The Sunken Cathedral is another one of Debussy’s calming pieces that is extremely reflective of his style. The piece is formed of two basic motifs and focuses on tempo changes but maintains a slow pace that makes it not so difficult to learn and play.
3. Danseuses de Delphes
With a duration of three minutes, Danseuse de Delphi is a piece that balances tension and bright tones in its composition over a lazy pace. The slow pace makes it an unchallenging play for pianists, however, the composition itself is articulate enough and incorporates various elements to create an atmosphere.
2. Le Petit Negre
The energetic Cakewalk tune is one of the pieces from The Children’s Corner Suite. The springy composition is perfect starting point for pianists getting into the famous classical composers’ works.
1. Jimbo’s Lullaby
Yet another of the pieces of The Children’s Corner Suite, Jimbo’s Lullaby is about an Elephant named Jumbo. The piece is a peaceful lullaby which gains some pace in the middle section but overall is a great tune to tackle and start out with. Arguably, Jimbo’s Lullaby is one of the easiest Debussy preludes and piano pieces.
