Week 1: Pick a Piece! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the "Music YOU Love" practice challenge!
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- Watch the kickoff livestream! (<- link comes soon)
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Sor - Menuet from Op 3
I know I posted above that I want to work on Mallorca during this challenge, and I do indeed want to continue with that. A couple days ago, however, I heard this piece by Sor that has absolutely captivated me. I had never heard it before, and I knew immediately that I had to try to play it. I guess you could say that it was love at first sight!
Here is a video of where I am at after a couple days practice. The big challenges have been legato and phrasing.
I have attached a score if you are interested. The menuet is on the last page.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. For some reason, I can never get enough of Sor. I'd love to play the theme and variations that precede this minuet, but that seems beyond my level. Sorry to confuse you with the full score of the opus!
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Eric Phillips Very Beautiful Eric, Thanks for sharing.
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Andre Bernier Thanks, Andre!
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Eric Phillips thats again a beautiful discovery you are sharing with us. Thank you for that., Eric. Great work in such short time. Phrasing and legato are very clear and convincing. Sor's menuets are (almost) all incredibly sweet and colorful miniatures. Only one down side, they are so short...
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joosje Thanks, Joosje, I agree!
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Eric Phillips Easy to see that you fell in love at the first sight!
A magnificent performance, you are really comfortable playing this piece. Phrases are clear and cantabiles in a beautiful way! As said Joosje, it was great work in a such short time. Thanks for sharing! -
Moyses Lopes Thank you, Moyses. I never get bored playing Sor. I know some people do, but I always find joy in playing his music.
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For this challenge I will be learning the song Lágrima by Francisco Tárrega.
This song has to do with love, because it has to do with the heart, and certainly in this case…heartbreak.
This morning, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I came across a post with pics of a man who lost his 15 year-old daughter in a building collapse due to the earthquake that recently shook Turkey and Syria.
As a man with two teenage daughters whom I love dearly, this absolutely ripped my heart apart.
I had difficulty composing myself and wondering how to proceed with my day.
It was then that I thought about how sometimes only music can appropriately express our deepest sorrows. I wondered what song might be able to express this grief and loss, and this song came to mind.
I have read different reasons for the story behind the song Lágrima, but the most prominent view seems to be that it had to do with the untimely death of the composer’s daughter.
How appropriate.
Valentine’s Day this year, sadly, also marks the 15-year anniversary of the death of my friend’s daughter who was killed in a mass-shooting tragedy on her college campus - the same college that my daughter now attends.
I have wanted to learn to play Lágrima for a long time. Now I have a good reason to - to honor the memory of loved ones whose lives were tragically cut short.
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Steve Pederson Those are heart wrenching accounts and a powerful dedication for your project. I look forward to hearing your progress and will keep these events in mind.
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack!
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Steve Pederson Powerful stuff, Steve. Always good to have a reminder for me to be grateful for what I have in this short time we get.
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Hello all,
I am working with the Tuscany Publcations score for Jose Luis Merlin's Evocacion. I feel good about knowing the score, but my rhythm needs work. I am also challenged when I record. It seems, then, that my finger placement becomes halted. Sigh! Nevertheless, this is where I am at the moment. I am posting Part A. I will post Part B soon. I do very much enjoy learning this score. I like the challenges presented to me. So, it's back to the metronome and also taking the voices apart and playing them separately.
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Stephen Holland Thanks for sharing your video Stephen. You are on a good start and have a great approach. This will be fantastic to see your progress over the month. Good luck
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Andre Bernier Many thanks, Andre.
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Stephen Holland It is a beautiful piece. I agree with Andre, it sounds like you have an effective strategy mapped out. I well understand the deleterious effects of recording. I would go thru so many recordings and none of them seem to work. It does seem like it has gotten better (
oh no, did I just jinx myself by saying that?!) -
Jack Stewart Many thanks, Jack. I appreciate your sense of humor. Intriguing how a recording can surprise you. Still, it’s helpful. One has to keep working. In the end, it’s so rewarding.
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Stephen Holland good work. Would be great to hear your progress on this piece. It's beautiful
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Stephen Holland Great start Stephen! This is a wonderful piece, and I'm sure you'll have a great time getting it to where you want it to be.
Can I ask how you are recording this? What type of equipment are you using? The reason I ask is that the audio is a little garbled and only coming through one channel. Perhaps we can help you with that technical aspect.
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Steve Pederson Thanks, I will check with Geek Squad at Best Buy. My home can be noisy in winter - furnace, fridge, dehumidifier and such. Plus, my computer fan is noisy. I use a noise filter when rendering. I appreciate your kindness and will work out a solution.
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Stephen Holland good work, it was a beautiful start! Thank you for sharing this with us!
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Hello Joosje, Thank you for the kind encouragement.
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Mallorca Feb 10
Here's an update on Mallorca. I tried to play it with more dynamic, tempo, and timbre variation. Listening back, the changes are less than I thought they'd be (as usual).
I forgot to silence my phone, and I received a phone call around 5:23. Sorry about that! I didn't lose my focus too much, though, so I suppose that was good. The note of my ringtone is F, so at least it didn't clash with the music in D minor.
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Eric Phillips Way to go Eric! Bravo! Sounding really good. I definitely noticed the differences in timbre. Nice job staying focused during the distractions!
Do you find there is one particular part of this piece that is more challenging than the rest? Or are there greater challenges on a more macro scale, such as perseverance, memorization, dynamics, etc.?
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Eric Phillips Great performance Eric. This is such a beautiful piece. Your control of the phone event is just exceptional. Bravo
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Steve Pederson All of the above! There are several very tricky parts that I had to practice in isolation a lot, and that still cause me trouble. The macro-problem I am most aware of when playing it is soreness in my left hand. I always begin feeling pain when I reach the recapitulation of the opening theme of the B section, which is probably about half way through the entire piece. I have found a few good spots in the piece to relax my hand, but I’d like to learn how to do that more while playing.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
