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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Hello challenge buddies! I'm late in the week with this but better late than never. Sorry for the guitar. I'm in between guitars right now as I just sold the last one and a new one is being shipped to me on Monday
What I I found easy: I was able to work on this four days this week. I did not find the first page particularly difficult but later when I work more on phrasing and increasing tempo for the fast passages I will have to practice much more.
What I found difficult: Playing the intro and the first part of the next section in one go. I finally gave up and did two different takes. I just had too many brain farts. I try to memorize a new piece as I'm working on it so putting it together wasn't working yet.
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Ron thank you Ron!
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Barney thanks Barney! An encouraging compliment coming from someone who plays it so well! Are you going to continue polishing it or work on a different piece?
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Debbie I know which parts need work ( watching and listening to the recording playback really helps a lot) and Martin was very kind to suggest (via video) a solution to one of the issues presented.
So the next piece will be Maria (Gavota), which I hope to record soon.
I like to mood you a creating on the Capricho. Keep up the great work!!
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Debbie Great Debbie! And sorry that this post came in a little bit late due to some automatic filter of our forum software, glad that you were able to share it now! I really enjoy those little details, i.e bar 7-8 where you keep the pinky just a little longer to connect the melody! Great stuff!!!
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Martin thank you Martin. And also thanks for being so attentive to the glitch. Cool that you noticed I held that note longer. It was definitely intentional. As I go back through the piece I plan to try and implement more right and left hand preparation. I should probably do that as I learn it from the start but old habits die hard.
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I chose a piece I have not played previously, Estudio en forma de Minuetto, although I hope to re-learn Recuerdos de la alhambra later in the Tarrega Challenge. With Estudio en forma de Minuetto, I'm practicing it sometimes with free stroke, sometimes with rest stroke. It seems like people play it either way. Anyone have thoughts on that?
Thanks,
Neil
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Neil Thompson I've heard that Tarrega's style really is to use rest stroke a lot. That said, he did play without nails. so maybe he used a lot of rest stroke for volume. Martin would probably have much better insight, though.
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Eric Phillips Thanks for your reply . I believe there are still some who use fingertips and rest stroke. That was the practice in the 1970s at University of New Mexico.
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Neil Thompson I am a great lover of a good rest stroke, but it's true that several schools don't use it as often, I talked a little bit about it in yesterday's workshop Rest Stroke Demystified. For me, the big musical lines really ask for a more vivid shaping via rest stroke and Eric Phillips remarks are absolutely correct as far as I know!
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Hello everybody! congratulations to all of you, beautiful job in your playing!
So, this week I took a look at Lágrima and Estudio en Mi menor. Didn't have time to upload a video until now. I agree with Martin, these are pieces for working on them a long time, trying to figure how to develop them always better.
The next week I'll be working on Capricho Árabe, which I haven't play since a year or so, and I was taking a look at The Variations on the Carnival of Venice, perhaps I'll keep on studying it... I'll tell you if I'm still alive at the end
- What I found difficult: mostly the shifts, I used to do one of the fingerings notated on the Lágrima score, at the penultimate bar of the A section, where was written to do the B 7th chord on the 7th fret. But it was a bit difficult for me, so now I do it on 2nd position.
- What I found easy: The Etude was pretty easy to remember. And in Lágrima is almost everything pretty easy with the new fingerings.
Sorry, for the noise in the background
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Daniel Beautifully done, Daniel!
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Daniel nice job Daniel! I couldn't finish my piece in one week, you already submitted two videos.
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Eric Phillips thanks Eric!
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Gokce Turkmendag don't worry on that! These two pieces are pretty short and easy to remember. I'm sure you could learn them in one week too! Capricho Árabe, in the other hand, is more complex, and I know you'll do a good job with it this following weeks! When you realize, you'll already have the piece learned!
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Daniel Bravo, very well done
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Daniel Well played Daniel - I'm still working on my first piece!
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Daniel bravo, well played Daniel!
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Daniel Thank your for that wonderful submission! I've just revisited Lágrima (for the millionth time) and I discover always new details and approaches I want to bring forward, it's a never ending, yet beautiful story! Glad you are part of this challenge!
Great sounding etude as well! Why all of you are executing that shift into the b-major 7 so flawlessly?!? It's amazing, I even changed my fingering a bit so I can guide myself with the 4th finger into that chord, how all of you can do that so effortless truly surprises me!
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Hi, here is my output after practising Receurdos de la Alhambra the A section this week. I've never managed to get to a level where I'm confident of recording this but using the practise techniques I've learnt over the past few weeks (using Tonebase material) I've managed to get my first recordings done so I'm happy with that. My microphone is not very good so the sound isn't very good - as well as my mistakes :-). It is amazing how the pressure of a camera makes playing far worse !! Regards Dennis
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Dennis Greensmith Hey Dennis, You are very brave to attempt this piece for the challenge. I think it is one of the most difficult pieces to perform because you need to really master the right hand tremolo so it's even, legato, and well balanced between melody and supporting bass line. Very tough challenge, but I know you can do it if you practice the tremolo skill carefully and consistently and listen to yourself. The left hand is easy. Good luck with this one!
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Dennis Greensmith Bravo!!!
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Dennis Greensmith well done! Tremolos are always very challenging for me. Maybe you can practice at a slower tempo at first, and increase gradually after you feel confident. Keep going!
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Dennis Greensmith Well played Dennis. Tremolo is still smething that I struggle to get even and consistent
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Dennis Greensmith Good Job! And how Barney already pointed out, a very brave choice, very well done! I am not a Tremolo guy, but it's still on my bucket list to improve it (my go-to tremolo pattern is pmia, that already tells a lot ...). I'm excited for more submissions from you, well done!
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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#
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
