Week 1: Whispers of Wood 
WELCOME TO THE MAIN THREAD FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF "THE TRANSCRIPTIONS" PRACTICE CHALLENGE!
Pick a transcription that was originally composed for another instrument, like piano or violin. Don't be afraid to choose a challenging piece or explore works from composers you haven't played before.
Commit to practicing daily and share your progress with the community. Aim to practice every day and post at least two videos per week showcasing your progress. This will help you stay motivated and accountable, and also allow you to share your transcription journey with others. Whether you're tackling a complex piece, refining your skills with a piece you already play, or experimenting with new playing techniques, the community is here to support you and celebrate your achievements.
Share your favorite piece that you would like to see transcribed or your favorite recording of a transcription. This will not only inspire others in the community but also provide a rich resource of ideas for everyone to explore. Plus, it's a great way to celebrate the creativity and artistry involved in adapting music from one instrument to another.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Pourquoy doux Rossignol - Jean-Baptiste de Bousset
This time I would like to share one beautiful piece with you all, It's a baroque song called "Pourquoy, doux Rossignol". When I first heard this song, I told myself I wanted to learn this piece, but after some research on the internet, I found that there is no guitar version that exists in the world, so this time I had to arrange it myself again.
I found the sheet music (Vocal + Basso continuo) on Imslp, so the arranging part was relatively easy this time. The most challenging part was this time I didn't think of any chords when arranging this piece, I followed the music's indication, keeping a 6-7-6 progression for the whole piece. Keeping the preparation note (6 in this case) was a pain in the neck on guitar because keeping a note means our hand has to be fixed in a certain position, which makes me wonder how lute players handled basso continuo in the past. Anyway, this is a simple arrangement, hope you guys like it, thank you.-
Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack! Yes, the more I read about the early music, the more I feel the "Jazz" vibe in that era, which makes me want to know more about music in that era.
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Andre Bernier Thanks, Andre. I really don't know about the spelling issue of the word "Pourquoy", but when I searched the lyrics of this piece, I found 2 spelling and didn't know which one was correct. Thank you for giving me that little piece of historical information, one thing I really like sharing music in Tonebase is we can always learn something from other people through sharing, which really makes this community beautiful.
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David Krupka Thank you so much, David! Your generosity in sharing knowledge really helped me a lot when I started getting into early music. This is my first time arranging a piece using counterpoint techniques instead of thinking in chords, and I found that composers in the past liked using Bass schema with specific counterpoint movement, a really interesting concept.
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don Thanks, don. It's the 2nd week actually, I mistakenly posted it on the first week.
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Wai Interesting that you mentioned Jazz in early music. I’m now learning to play the Cello Suite no 1 and my teacher said the same thing about the Prelude. The sheet is like a Jazz lead sheet, there are no dynamics marking and I should play it like I’m improvising along the way.
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Wai So lovely Wai! I listened to your performance while simultaneously listening to nightingale song on YouTube. I was specifically listening for intervals in the birdsong that I could hear in your melody. I didn’t hear any, but it was a very “zen” experience. Beautiful arrangement!
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Marilyn Blodget Thanks, Marilyn. If you'd like to hear this song with bird singing, maybe you could try this version
: https://youtu.be/sURtVKei_ks?feature=shared -
don Yes, the more I read about music in Baroque & Renaissance period, the more amazed I become. However, I am still in the early stages of exploring this topic and have only acquired a limited understanding so far.
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Wai I'm starting to appreciate it more too. Earlier I had my lesson and my teacher said this thing about the Barouque era that stuck me. He said we have to remember that this was an pre-industrial era. Everything were handmade and no house or clothes or musical instruments were made the same. And this translate it somewhat into the music.
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Wai Thank you Wai! I loved it! The sounds of nature add a whole new dimension of enjoyment.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
