WEEK 2: Keep on practicing! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the End-Of-The-Year Community Concert Challenge!
If you want to describe your process (optional), feel free to use the following template.
- Things you found easy:
- Things you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
- (Optional:) questions
↓ Reply below with your assignments and questions! ↓
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I've been practising Sor's minuet Opus 11 No 5 since last week (not continuously :-)). Here's a video. A few hesitant moments. Will continue working on it.
I added a little equalisation and reverb to the video using a program called VideoPlus (I tried to use Da Vinci Resolve but I installed a Black Magic Intensity Pro input/output device recently and now it won't play to my audio interface!) I've also attached another video for your amusement - or for all you lo-fi audio fans- where by adding the reverb I seem to have got it backwards. Sounds a bit like a Mozart quartet played very badly :-)
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Derek sounding good Derek!
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Sor Op 6 No 12 Dec 17
I haven't had a chance to post anything in a few days, but I am sneaking this one in between chores, job, and errands.
What I like: I do have it pretty much memorized, and I am playing here with no score.
What I don't like: The trouble spots I have had since the beginning do not seem to me like they are getting much better. Some measures I can only play cleanly about 33% of the time in practice, and 0% of the time when the record button is red.
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Eric Phillips It's sounding very good to me, Eric. Just one little rough spot that I imagine will be ironed out in no time. What I most like is how 'musical' it is sounding now. (Your use of dynamics and rubato is very effective.) Do you think the fact that you now have it memorized contributes to a more focused performance? I know the claim is made often enough, but I continue to wonder whether the association is causative or correlative. Anyhow, great work!
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David Krupka Thanks, David. I’m glad to hear that you find it more musical. I did not set out to memorize it. It just happened through repetition. Strangely, I usually find Sor to be almost impossible for me to memorize (even his easier pieces), but this one just happened. If it’s more musical, I suspect it’s more because of playing it so much. I just wish those difficult measures would get better quicker - it’s very frustrating.
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Eric Phillips I generally find memorization works the same way for me - it somehow just happens. (Unfortunately, it rarely persists - if I put a piece aside for a week, I'll scarcely remember even how it starts.) I agree some music seems particularly difficult to memorize. One thing I've noticed with Sor is that when a musical idea is repeated, subtle changes are often introduced - sometimes of rhythm, sometimes of voicing or texture. (I occasionally wonder whether these might be printer's errors, but It happens so often that I presume them to be intentional.) Internalizing all these small differences seems to a problem for our 'natural' memory systems. I suspect we need to engage a more conscious analytical system in such cases, but that is a laborious process indeed! (I'm often struck by the fact that, outside of the world of classical music, memorization is a non-issue. I suppose it's because what is learned is structure on a fairly large scale (say, a tune or a chord progression) while details of execution are safely ignored.)
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David Krupka Eric Phillips great subject for thought. Spontaneous memorization is i guess mainly based on motor and oral memory, our brain easily memorizes tunes and even harmonies…. Being aware of the exact notes you’re playing demands more concentrated brain activity. Ashley once talked about this in a live stream: Knowing (naming) the notes you play is a good help for memorization and also to avoid memory slips under stage pressure. Speaking of stage, also (stage) actors are memorizing pages and pages of text, including gestures, movements, accents, pauzes etc. They do have prompters, can’t we find something like that?
Eric Phillips , this is sounding so beautiful and musical, the little moments of stress in those measures you will overcome gradually. Don’t allow them to interrupt the flow, or to irritate you. I encounter these same stumble stone passages every time I take up this etude, and must practice them all over again.
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Eric Phillips that's sounding really good Eric
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Eric Phillips wow, your interpretation is taking shape and everything is more refined... more legato, balance of the voices, direction, ...
You're right the more natural way of memorizing is when it happens 
... Most of the time when we focus on fast memorization we then use shortcuts and then the whole is more fragile, nothing is better than experience over time and memorization is then built at multiple levels and it strengthen your references and self confidence. Don't worry too much, for me even when everything is in shape within a few days or weeks of work, some passages can take up to a few weeks or months to be in par with the rest! 
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David Krupka you're right, and to persists I think we also should maintain it over a medium to a long period of time, at least for me it's how it works. The main rule for me is «often and short», 6 times of 10 minutes spread over the day is more effective than 60 minutes straight. Also for me the main memorization reference is the music itself, not the fingerings or the instrument, and the way I do my interpretation is based on how I represent (or hear) the music mentally, like you would project an image in your head before drawing it. That's also why my fingerings change a lot up until the music sounds as in my head, and the music also evolves in my head... so it's an endless wheel!
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joosje what a great idea.... music prompters!
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Eric Phillips Wow! That was beautiful, Eric. Your performance and interpretation were excellent. Great job.
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Eric Phillips Really well played, Eric! It was so great to listen to your playing again! I couldn't believe that I missed the first week of the challenge and I am practicing a harder piece right now, but found that when playing difficult pieces, it was very hard to record them without memorizing the music. Hope that I can make it and share it with you guys before the end of the challenge. Thanks again for sharing great music here!
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Eric Phillips bravo Eric your grasp of this piece is impressive
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Eric Phillips This is really good Eric. I forgot it was a work in progress there for a while and just felt happy along with the piece. Congrats.
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I've been practising Un Dia de Noviembre the last couple of days and it's getting better. Going into the B section is much improved compared to my last video. Still needs smoothing out throughout and I would like to add more colour to the piece. But i'm happy with how it's going.
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Andrew Gray This is sounding great, Andrew!
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Andrew Gray very nice interpretation, Andrew. I like the way you change the mood in the brighter B part, and then move back to the softer tones and calmer flow of the reprise.
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Andrew Gray Very nice, Andrew. Good warm and rich tone. I enjoy your playing of that wonderful piece.
Just a suggestion - maybe you already have done this on jour practicing journey: You can try out some experiments with changing some tone colour in between (sul tasto, for example). Maybe you will like it - or not. If not, forget it. :-) I am sure, that you will find your personal 95-100% interpretation (and please do not misunderstand: I do like your current version!). At least, this is the way I approached that piece. -
Andrew Gray bravo Andrew, this already sounds good and secure
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Andrew Gray That was beautiful, Andrew. The 'B' section was definitely improved and had a very solid feel to it. Wonderful performance.
I hesitate to offer a suggestion as it was such an impressive performance. However, I do feel the transition to the 'B' section was a bit abrupt.
I have never played this piece so take that observation with 'a grain of salt'. I am looking forward to your next submission.
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Robert Thanks for your feedback and suggestions Robert. I have been trying today to add different colours and experimenting with the tempo a bit.
I also really enjoyed your performance at the community concert.. Well played!
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack.
I will definitely experiment with the transition between A and B sections. Thank you for the suggestion :)
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Andrew Gray The performance and sound were really better on this one. Congrats on this. OIt makes me want to pull out he score and give it a shot.
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Andrew Gray yeah! You definitely should be happy with how it's going! The B section is day and night to where you had it. You're making great progress. Very nice work.
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BWV 996 Allemande Revisit
I am reviving / updating my interpretation of the BWV 996 Allemande from last year's Bach Challenge. This is still a bit rough (further complicated by my losing my 'I' fingernail (fake) just before recording this). I have revised some of my ornamentation which I like better - I think. The trills were difficult w/o the I fingernail but hopefully clear enough to suggest what I am trying to do.
Note: We had to cancel our Portugal / Spain trip due to various reasons. Actually we just postponed the trip - we will try again later this year, I hope. We are trying to arrange something more local over the next week.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
