Week 2: "Brazilian Rhythms Rendezvous"
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of "Villa-Lobos Voyage" practice challenge!
Select a mesmerizing piece from Villa-Lobos or a composer connected to his Brazilian heritage. Whether it's a soulful Villa-Lobos composition, a rhythmic Brazilian-inspired work, or a piece by another artist inspired by the Brazilian musical tradition, the choice is yours!
Commit to regular practice and share your progress with the community. Strive to practice daily and upload at least two videos per week to showcase your musical voyage. This not only keeps you motivated but also allows you to share your artistic journey with our tonebase family.
Share your favorite performance or recording that captures the spirit of the "Villa-Lobos-Voyage Challenge." Your submission will inspire others and create a vibrant collection of potential pieces for fellow members to explore.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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HVL Prelude 2 B section (Aug 11)
Here is another update on the B section. Since my last post two days ago, I was only able to increase the tempo by 10bpm, so this is up to 87bpm. It feels like I am at the limit of what I am able to control reasonably well, but we’ll see.
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Eric Phillips great! I agree this tempo is ok. Now, switch that metronome off, just focus on the bass line (as in prelude#1) and keep the arpeggios as soft and smooth as possible.
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Prelude no 3
Not too happy with the progress. Especially with B section when I still cannot decide how to phrase it. It always end up sounding a bit too rushed.
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don very nice, Don. I find your phrasing really convincing. From what I remember it’s so difficult to make the bridge into repetition of the B part sound natural and smooth (with the repetitive high E). Well done!
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don Well done, Don. Your sweet tone works well with this Prelude. I think your phrasing also works pretty well, just need to smooth out that transition to the B section. Otherwise, excellent job with this piece.
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don Well done Don, you play this very well. For me the key to the B section is for it to sound very relaxed - I like the phrasing on Bream's version (Julian Bream plays Villa-Lobos). Excellent job!
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don Nice. I like this piece remembering hearing Segovis edition in black and white on YTas the first.
I think in the B section you should connect the highest note in the chords to the foregoing phrase
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don You are doing great on this Prelude. I have always found its challenge is in creating a convincing interpretation because it is so exposed. I think you are making very good progress in exploring its possibilities. I think that is what this piece requires - to try different phrasing and see what feels right.
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Jack Stewart joosje Dale Needles Ron Lars Kjøller-Hansen thank you for taking the time to listen and for all for the suggestions.
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Valseana
I thought I played it slowly but when I re-listened to the recording it sounded way faster than I had in my mind. Certain passages still not fluid enough. Will break into spot practice this week.
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don beautiful Don. What a wonderful piece this is. You’re well on your way to control it. There are a few shifts that may be more fluidly connected, but overal: such a musical rendition, very pleasant to listen to
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don Don this is really coming on very well and flows beautifully - well done!
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don This is a beautiful piece that you have played very well, Don. You have 2 very contrasting pieces (HVL Prelude #3) that you will have added to your repertoire.
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I’m still practicing the 2 HVL pieces, but today took a little break to learn a short piece that my friend from Ireland shared. Are you guys familiar with this piece? I think it goes well with the motto of this 2nd week. (I skipped the middle part which is a little more complicated.) Choro Chorado para Paulinho Nogueira
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joosje Very nice find. I like Pauhlino's music. I have an old record album of him and may have some sheet music as well. I will have to dig through some boxes to see if I can find something by him. Thanks for sharing.
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joosje What a pretty tune. It had a familiarity to me (like so many strong tunes do--even when you hear the for the first time), but I don't know it. Thank you for sharing it!
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joosje what a lovely piece, nicely played!
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joosje What a delightful piece - certianly fits the theme for me. Well played Joosje!
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joosje This is wonderful, Joosje. You played this lovely piece beautifully. I really like your tone and expressiveness.
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joosje Such a nice piece, I've not heard of the composer before. It sounded a bit like one of Piazolla's piece (I cannot remember the name of it). Thank you for sharing!
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Week two update, medium speed, no repetitions this time, just trying to get the notes right, and still no focus on colors or dynamics. This is one of those mini-marathon unforgiving pieces, any mistake gets amplified.
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Calin Lupa Well played Calin - looks like it's sitting under the fingers very well!
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Calin Lupa very good Calin. Great sound. Well played.
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Calin Lupa Way to go Calin! I can definitely hear improvement over the last video. Keep up the good work!
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Calin Lupa Great job, Caitlin. This is sounding very clean and under control. I think you are ready to dig into the phrasing.
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Thank you Jack, Steve , Joosje and Ron. I wish it was indeed under control, but with limited time for practice, some days it works better than others... I will work next on phrasing though.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
