Week 4: Harvest Melodies
As the air gets crisper and the days grow shorter, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the beauty and transition that autumn brings. We're excited to introduce our newest community challenge: "Music of the Fall"! This is your chance to explore pieces that capture the essence of this season – whether they evoke the feeling of change, a fresh beginning, or the quiet nostalgia of falling leaves.
What’s the Challenge?
Select a guitar piece that you personally associate with the change of seasons or the idea of starting anew. This could be a work that resonates with autumnal moods, melodies that conjure up images of falling leaves, or pieces that mark a new chapter in your musical journey.
Suggested Themes:
- Transition: Pieces that reflect change or transformation.
- New Beginnings: Works that symbolize starting something new, like a new season in life or music.
- Autumnal Mood: Music that captures the essence of fall – perhaps something contemplative, warm, or even bittersweet.
Timeline:
- Start: October 1st
- End: November 13th
-
Shand - Il Pensieroso Oct 29 update
This is a quick recording on my iPad. The piece is feeling a bit more fluid to me.
-
Eric Phillips Beautiful! You’re right—the phrasing is lovely, and it really flows.
-
Eric Phillips Indeed it flows very well... you'll have a final version in to time! Are you using the USB microphone with the iPad?
-
Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. It's just the microphone that's built into the iPad. There is no USB port to use.
-
Eric Phillips Hmmm, it's surprising how well it sounds!
-
Eric Phillips you should be able to use the USB-C or lightning port at the bottom with an adapter (or a mini-hub) if you want to use the microphone.
-
Eric Phillips Excellent performance, Eric.
-
Eric Phillips Beautifully played Eric - definitely flowing well with perfect contrast between the voices
-
Eric Phillips Very nice Eric.
-
-
My third and final submission of this piece. Learning has often been a 'one-step forwards, two-steps' back journey for me. I'm not entirely sure if this version is better. I tried to speed up the scale sections. Annoyingly, the mind goes blank every now and then and struggles to synchronize with the fingers. As a result, I fumbled through at various points. But hey, I'm enjoying the process. And this challenge has been a joy to participate in, with so many beautiful submissions from fellow members.
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Very pretty piece and very nicely played.
-
Debbie Thank you, Debbie.
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Beautiful! I really enjoyed your playing!
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary That is sounding so good, Nijwm! That is one piece I think you should keep in your repertoire, for sure.
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary this is sounding better each time and more in control, even if not everything is at the same level. You're reaching a point where some stuff, like the scales, has to be worked and cleaned up separately to keep the overall shape, but as Eric said this is definitely a piece you should keep in your repertoire, bravo!
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Beautifully played Nijwm. This just keeps getting better.
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Well played Nijwm - definitely gets better each time!
-
Marilyn Blodget Thank you, Marilyn. Lovely to hear.
-
Eric Phillips thank you, Eric. Yeah, for sure, it's become a favourite of mine.
-
Blaise Laflamme Thank you, Blaise. Yeah, scales are something I have been neglecting a bit since I'm weak in that aspect. Thanks for the advice, it's really valuable to me.
-
Jack Stewart Ron Thank you, Jack and Ron. Your encouragement will drive me to do better.
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary no worries, we all have spots in pieces that need far more work!
What I usually do in a session on a piece is to isolate and work on these spots for two-third of the allowed time and the remaining for the last third, at least that helps me keeping a similar level across the piece. Also when something needs more than fixes I usually find or create a small technique exercise to develop the skill better. -
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Well done
-
Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary This is your best update so far. You already know what needs to be done, so keep going. Excellent work!
-
Barney Thank you!
-
-
I can't believe it's the last day of the challenge. I'm getting this in just under the wire. I've been workin on Milonga del Viento (Milonga of the wind) has a nice flowing feel - which I'm still working on. I'd like to increase the tempo, memorize it better so I can eliminate some of the hesitations and play more it more freely. I'm still working on sustaining some of the higher notes in a few of the chords which I find challenging.
I look forward to having a listen to everyone else's submissions.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
