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 is a quick snapshot of my progress with Maria. I have been practicing since Saturday, so I guess that is four days. It's still a bit slower than I'd like, and has a few problem areas. I'm happy to have it pretty well memorized, though. It is just so fun to play!
I am also posting what I find to be the most difficult measure, specifically measure 41 which has a portamento from E to A on the first string. I play it several times slowly in the video. I'd be very interested to hear what Martin or any of you think could improve my playing of it. Right now, I'm only accurately hitting the correct notes about 50% of the time.
Martin - I did watch the video you suggested on shifting and have already begun doing the exercise you gave. Man, that is a killer! I am hopeful that practicing the exercise will help this piece and many others.
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Martin I just want to say that I am blown away by the fact that you took the time to make a personalized video for me to give me a bit of coaching. Mircea did the same thing in the last challenge. I am so impressed by your generosity and dedication.
I am at work right now, but tonight I will try all those things you spoke about and demonstrated for me in the video. I am certain that it will help a lot. I will post my progress again in a few days hopefully. Thank you so much!
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Eric Phillips Bravo!!!
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Giuseppe Gasparini Thank you, Giuseppe!
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Eric Phillips Eric - that's wonderful. I am working on that piece and I've a way to go before I can perform it like that
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Derek Looking forward to hearing it from you. Good luck with measure 41! I saw a fingering that avoided the portamento and was a bit easier for me to pull off, but I really like the sound of the portamento, so I'm giving it my best. I love the YouTube videos of it by Andrea Gonzalez Caballero and Irina Kulikova.
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Eric Phillips Great Videos Eric. well played, such good control in short time. Thank you for sharing. Martin, your video is such a good instruction. Very helpful.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. I hope you are doing well.joosje
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Eric Phillips thanks! yes, I’m ok, just too tired to make recordings. Practicing a bit though. Maybe next week
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Eric Phillips wow that is after 4 days of practice !!!!! Beautiful achievement !!!! Looking forward to more beautiful music from you
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Emma Thank you, Emma. I look forward to hearing you play as well!
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Eric Phillips You are very welcome, excited for your next progress update!
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Eric Phillips Bravo!!! wonderfull playing and 4-days progress
I'd like to hear you playing it once again this week! -
Daniel Thanks, Daniel. I actually have already posted some progress on measure 41 below.
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Hi Martin, I enter as a mere novice compared to the other cognicenti . I throughly enjoy other peoples music, but I am still a beginner. So this is for the ones who keep trying (50+years). I am trying to improve my Lagrima, love Tarrega. I tend to play in isolated rooms so it can be very nerve wracking to expose my attrocious playing. Today starting with the first sentence.
Easy: Being over 6' and longish fingers, the stretching for the left hand was not too difficult.
Hard: Going from measure 4 to 5 and avoiding the barre to ghet speed and pain in left thumb.
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Bill Dodd We are happy to have you here, Bill!
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Bill Dodd Awesome, this is the goal of our Community Challenges, to motivate and to inspire each other! I have been playing Lágrima for about 20 years now and I still try to improve it, and I am sure that this piece will be with me for the rest of my life!
Thank you for your update! Always find spots to reset your hand so that there is no build-up of excessive tension and pain!
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Bill Dodd lagrima is beautiful!!! Not exactly a beginner piece, so take it easy, looking forward to listening to you!
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Bill Dodd Looking forward to hearing you and am always happy to provide feedback in any capacity.
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I chose Estudio en forma de Minuetto because I like the way it moves along and uses scales. Not sure there is an 'easy" comment I can make, but it looks like a challenging piece to play up to tempo. I hope to eventually play it up to the tempo that I've heard from guitarists online. It looks like a good challenge, and it looks like a piece that will help me improve my technique. Neil
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Neil Thompson Awesome, thank you for your initial update! Don't push tempo too early in the process to maintain an overall relaxation to your execution! Excited to hear more from you!
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Hi everyone, here is my warm up piece- LaGrima. As I mentioned a bit above, I have learnt Lagrima and Recuerdos de la Alhambra. I am posting this La Grima as a warm up, thanks to the nice suggestion from Blaise Laflamme . I am choosing to work on Adelita and Gran Vals in this challenge. In the next few days, I will post my progress about Adelita :) Look forward to seeing your progress also; hope we can all motivate each other :)
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Khiem Nguyen So beautiful, Khiem!
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Khiem Nguyen great start! I'm looking forward for your next submissions!
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Khiem Nguyen Eric Phillips Very good, I want to do it too and it can help me
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Khiem Nguyen bravo,
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
