Debussy
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
Taught by renowned pianist
Peter Dugan
Few pieces of piano music are so simple, yet so rich, as Debussy's beloved La fille aux cheveux de lin, "The girl with the flaxen hair." In this lesson, host of NPR's 'From the Top' Peter Dugan delves into the work's tenderness and warmth, offering advice for capturing the work's magic passage-by-passage. While the work's colors are intoxicating, students often get their feet stuck in Debussy's paint. Dugan shows you the power of observing the precise rhythms indicated in the score, shaping phrases, and generating movement towards the climax. At the same time, it is crucial to control the harmonic and melodic content of the work through careful voicing and pedal, and Dugan shows how to use finger substitution to create legato phrases and avoid over-blurring. Finally, Dugan basks in the Prelude's magic moments and shows you the technique required to capture its warmth and tranquility to deliver a beautiful performance of your own.
Difficulty:Â
Intermediate
Duration:Â
1
 hours
 hour