WEEK ONE Updates: Main Thread - Awakening Tárrega's Spirit
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright my friends - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between Mai 31st and June 21st, I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music here! (← click)
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
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Here's my first take of Maria - quite a few hesitations in there but I think most of the notes are correct. It still needs a lot of work but hoping to post a decent video without the strange faces where I'm concentrating too much (I need to work on this as much as my guitar I think).
Thing I found easy : not much - I would have said the run of little motifs in bars 22 to 26 from the open E on the 1st string to the E9 chord with the top F on the 13th fret but I seemed to struggle with it on this recording
Things I found hard : quite a few things. In addition to bar 41's notorious slide I think the stretch in bar 2 with the G#, F and D on strings 1, 2 and 3 quite hard to get in time. I'm trying to prepare my 2nd and 3rd fingers on the F and D while I play the preceding note (B) on the 1st string then moving my first finger up one fret to the G#
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Derek Good work, Derek! Yes, the chord in bar 2 is not easy. I think I probably turn my elbow a bit in toward the guitar to make it work. I bet Martin might have some really helpful advice, though.
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Derek Bravo, the piece is not easy and it takes longer to mature, I would be happy to play it like this
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Derek I never played this piece and it does not look easy, but you already managed it. After practising few days more I am sure it will be perfect.
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Derek Well done Derek - I'm glad it's not just me that makes strange faces - I didn't really know I was doing it until I started to record myself! I find it really difficult to stop. But great performance - wish I could play it like that.
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Derek well played Derek. I’ve never played this piece. It looks challenging and you’ve done an excellent job!
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Eric Phillips thanks Eric - I'm hoping he will
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Giuseppe Gasparini grazier Giuseppe
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Gokce Turkmendag thank you Gokce - I don't think it will be perfect but hopefully it will be better :-)
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Derek Hey Derek, I made a small video about that second bar, let me know if that helps! I go for a "virtual" shift instead of shifting into the 4th position, you'll see in the video what means!
Eric Phillips I haven't noticed too much work in my elbow there as I tried to secure the fifth position in order to "side-step" with the index finger to the 4th fret instead of really going down.
Our hand has several directions to which it can extend, I generally try to avoid to stretch with the 3rd and 4th finger as they just aren't very stable. Extending with the index finger causes usually no trouble, which is the way I went for Maria! -
Martin Martin, thank you very much for this advice. You are right the thumb is the problem. I may not have done it on my video but I have tried to prepare fingers 2 and 3 when placing 4 on the B but because I have been also moving the thumb it was still very difficult. I've had a practice with keeping my thumb fixed in fifth position and then extending the first finger (barre) and it is a lot easier. I'll keep practising this and hopefully post an updated video later next week (I'm away for a few days early next week). I'm really grateful that you have taken the time to do this. Thanks again Derek
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Derek Awesome, glad that this works for you! I think preparing 2 and 3 is quite challenging, we always need to assess whether a solution doesn't introduce new solutions!
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Martin Hi Martin. You are right, preparing 2 and 3 is difficult but preparing 3 at the same time as 4 gives me a bit more stability for the first finger stretch so I am not preparing 2 any more. You asked about Da Vinci Resolve - yes I have a new computer, nothing too exciting but a lot more powerful than my 10 year old laptop, so it will run Da Vinci Resolve - I'm still trying to learn it but enjoying using it. I don't know if you saw the video that Gokce and I did, I posted it on the virtual duo forum, but that was also done with Resolve. Thanks for the update, Derek
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Derek Oh, I need to check that out!!!
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I find Tarrega's pieces so musical, they make the guitar really sing. Working on Adelita, Lagrima and Capricho Arabe. I chose the Arabe for all the scales, to get me working on them and improving my scale technique. I expect it will take many months to get this piece to a comfortable level, but it is great fun. Worst part is the buzz I get on the first string at the 11th fret. Might just be a worn fret, it is very annoying.
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francis edwards Exactly, Tárrega knew the guitar so well and his music makes this strung piece of wood really sing!
You can also try to raise the action of your bridge a little bit (I put some photo paper underneath my bridge when that happend to me), that might reduce the buzz! I wouldn't raise too much though, better if a luthier takes a look at it and maybe exchange the saddle or/and the bridge!
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What is easy is to fall in love with the music. This is a great beginning. I've been listening to as much as I can of Tarrega while choosing pieces to work on. I am beginning to polish Lagrima, Adlita, Study in Eminor. I have been studying Recuerdos for tremolo and Capricho Arabe for all the fun scales, something I need work on. I am finding the greatest discipline in all this is patience! Without it, learning and developing is impossible. But daily patient practice works wonders. I don't have a recorder, but will see if I can arrange something.
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francis edwards Wise words!
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Hi Martin;
Bit late to the party as I've only just joined the tone base community. This seems like fun :)
I've begun the challenge with Capricho Arabe;
Easy; The bits I've played before came with greater ease than I feared after so many years.
Difficult; There's a lot missing in terms of detail, rhythmic accuracy and speed... I've also reached the bit I stopped at last time at the end of page one...
I'm also having a look at Jota... I'd like to nail the tremolo section and maybe extend that to the last two pages.
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Tom Reed It's never too late to make some music!
Capricho is a wonderful choice!
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Not sure what week this is, but here are my challenges:
1. Adelita - left hand, little finger ornamentation in melody in B part (measures 11 and 12)
2. Lagrima - practice and consistency. Working on playing it musically, I think I've covered the technical.
3. Capricho Arabe - I have worked through part A and am making my way through measures 23 to 40. Looking forward to the final measures. I find this piece is mostly about consistent practice, understanding the rythym, working on scales and being a bit capricious,,, as the title suggests.
Good Parts - I am loving this and this forum is contributing wonderfully to my progress. And the music of Tarrega is a joy to study and play.
I especially appreciate all the posts from everyone, they are an inspiration and provide a sense of camaraderie in a quest for the music of Tarrega and the guitar.
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francis edwards Awesome, you have quite a program going on!!!
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Here is Preludio No.5, which I never played before. Martin inspired me to learn it, since he played it so beautifully in his livestreams, and it's such a great piece. I wanted to squeeze this one in before the Challenge ended.
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Barney Very well done, Barney! Great musicality. I am impressed by how well you played the notes above the twelfth fret - very clean, accurate, and fluid.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric!!
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Barney Awesome!!! Very sensitive interpretation, I love the calmness that your recording radiate! Great performance!
A small advice to make it even better: Try to lift your ring finger for those shifts in bar 3-5 to avoid string squeaks on the 4th string!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
