WEEK 1: What we've learned!!!
WELCOME TO THE MAIN THREAD FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF "End of the Year" PRACTICE CHALLENGE!
- Select Your Piece(s): Choose one or more pieces that you've learned this year. It could be something you've practiced through our live streams, a personal favorite, or a challenging piece you've conquered.
- Record Your Performance: Film yourself playing your selected piece(s). Quality doesn't have to be professional – it's all about sharing your progress and passion.
- Share Your Journey: Post your video in our community forum under the "End of the Year Challenge" thread. Include a brief write-up about your experience learning the piece – what challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and what this piece means to you. If you don't want to record yourself, show us a video of a piece you plan to take on in the next year!
- Engage with Others: Watch, comment, and encourage your fellow community members. Share your feedback, experiences, and celebrate each other's progress.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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I have been thinking about what I did practice this year (more comments in my practice diary) and decided that I am proud of having learned Landslög I from Gulli Bjornsson. I am far from mastering it but I love playing it and every time I practice; I try to improve my performance.
This was my last recording of this piece during the January Tonebase challenge. Let see what I can do to improve during this challenge.
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Andre Bernier This is such a wonderful piece! I am still on the basics with Daniel the Arakal, but I watch the Landlog videos frequently to stay motivated. I can't wait to learn this piece as well
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Andre Bernier I enjoyed your rendition of Landslag I that you did back in January. I like the steady tempo and being able to do it without mistakes back when it was still fairly new to you. I also play this piece and know that chords are difficult to play at first. Looking forward to hearing how you are doing now with this piece.
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Andre Bernier Oh how beautiful! I will take it out again, its worth the work. Beautiful atmosphere
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Catherina Josepha Pratten - Lament and Twilight
I know that I only listed Twilight in the plan I had posted above, but I decided to add Lament as well. For about a month or so this year, I was playing all of the Pratten music I could get my hands on. On one level, I admit that her music does not have the richness or complexity of much of the music that I love to play. On the other hand, I find that her music is almost like a black canvas upon which I can add my own expressiveness and creativity. Her music is quintessentially Romantic, a quality that I know Jack Stewart will appreciate.
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Eric Phillips Beautiful Eric, you definitely have an affinity with this music period. The interesting aspect you bring up, and also execute well, is the fact that with less complex music you can be more expressive and creative in your performance, this is a wise reflexion.
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Eric Phillips Beautiful Eric. So relaxing to listen. Bravo
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Eric Phillips I love it and it is so guitar! I will look that up, did not know it , so thank you again!!!!
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Ernest Shand - Andante Religioso
Shand was a student of Pratten, so it is nice to play something by him after playing some Pratten. I love Shand's lyrical melodies and rich harmonies. I first heard this piece played by David Jacques on YT, but for the longest time, I could not find a score. This past year I did, though, and I have been addicted to playing it ever since. I seem to have some addiction problems!
On a side note, I think a fun challenge idea would be a "Teacher and Student" challenge, in which we would work on pairs of pieces by famous (or not-so-famous) teacher-student combinations in our instrument's history.
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Eric Phillips Another beautiful performance Eric, Oh I'm happy you first heard the piece by my compatriot from Quebec David Jacques, he owns a pretty huge collection of old guitars! This is an interesting challenge idea... we should put up a list of them to see how it goes.
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Eric Phillips This was very nice Eric. Bravo
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Eric Phillips What a wonderful suggestion! oh, yay, we are somehow addicted....stringaddicted....
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It is great to be back to playing after a two-month break, although the trip to the UK and Ireland was incredible. In any case, I like the topic for the year-end challenge as a way to review what we learned this past year. For me it was a year dedicated to the music and teachings of Maestro Abel Carlevaro. This included the launching with Blaise Laflamme and Moyses Lopes of the Carlevaro Discussion Forum on Tonebase. As for the repertoire that I worked on this year, it included ten compositions by Carlevaro, ranging from some of his early folkloric pieces to his more substantive works including Ronda & Tamboriles from Preludios Americanos, Introduccion y Capricho and the first movement of his guitar sonata, Cronomias. In September, before I left for vacation, I started working on Carlevaro's Estudio #3 (Bicordes) which is part of a set of five Estudios that Carlevaro wrote in homage to Villa-Lobos. For my year-end challenge, I plan to continue with this Estudio with the hope to have it in good shape by the end of the year. Since this is one of Carlevaro's longer and more challenging Estudios, I will present a section each week and hopefully put it all together by the end of the challenge.
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Dale Needles I'm more than happy to see and hear you back here Dale! While I'll keep the Preludio Americano's videos for next year, I want to be sure about how I produce them, I plan to add to this challenge and in the Carlevaro's group a video of Microestudios 1 to 5.
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Dale Needles Great to see you back Dale. This is a very serious and difficult piece to learn and play. You are already doing well.
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I feel that 2023 was quite a productive year for my learning journey, together with this wonderful community on Tonebase.
I have revisited some of the pieces I learned ( or attempted to ) many many years ago. I'll try to re-record them at the current level.
Starting with "the basics" , here is Lagrima .
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Calin Lupa Very nice Calin
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Calin Lupa I love it, sounds great!
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The second piece revisited this year, for the Autumn challenge, was Un dia de Noviembre, still I may be missing a few notes here and there.
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Calin Lupa Very nice, Calin! Both of the pieces show off your beautiful tone.
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Calin Lupa Great work Calin, The nuances and movements are so beautiful. Bravo
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Andre Bernier and Eric Phillips thank you.
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Calin Lupa Always love to hear that piece, love your tone and the way, you shift.
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Hi.
Compared to others it may be pathetic minimal what I have achieved this year
The Turina sonata was my main goal for this year, and I have presented it as a monster earlier this year. Still a work in progress. but progressing. One of my other goals for this year was the first take principle. In life in general and performances you just have one shot and I wanted to feel more confident with that, including less caring about my seemingly unevitable but often random mistakes. After several hundred runs I feel more comfortable and can get up in the morning make a 5 min warn up and then go for it .. even the very fast run in the third movement which still need more confidence and consistency.
Happy holidays to everybody and enjoy your lovely guitar hobby also in the next year
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Lars Kjøller-Hansen Well done.... and so fast.
I also remember the recording of your performance at your summer cabin earlier this year. This was also a great achievement. Happy holidays
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Lars Kjøller-Hansen wow!!! Sooo wonderful! yesses!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
