Week 2: A World Full of Sound! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of the "Music from Latin America" challenge!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream! (<- click)
What was the first Latin American Piece you have played?
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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To kick off the second week of the challenge, I am posting Abel Carlevaro's Estudio #5, Homenaje a H. Villa-Lobos. Carlevaro wrote five studies in homage to Villa-Lobos during the 1970s. Estudio #5 has an echo of Villa-Lobos' Etude #4. As mentioned in the Discussion of the Week article, Carlevaro studied with Villa-Lobos in Brazil and was greatly influenced by him.
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Dale Needles Amazing, Dale! It does very clearly resemble HVL's #4. Your playing is incredibly good - the rhythm, articulation, dynamics, etc. are all outstanding. I truly think this is one of the best performances ever posted in a challenge. Great job!
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Dale Needles wow Dale, that was awesome!! the only thing I missed was the video part, I would so much like to see you in action
. I know that Carlevaro has written a set of studies but I never had the chance to listen to any of them, thank you so much for sharing #5! -
Blaise Laflamme Eric Phillips Thanks! I love this Estudio and really appreaciate your kind words. As far as making a video, unfortunately I do not have a good set up to record videos. I also find the camera a distraction so for time being the audio must do.
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Dale Needles no worries about making a video, your audio is the most important part to share! But I would like to see you at some point
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Dale Needles thank you, Im learning so much of your postings!!!
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Dale Needles It’s such a pleasure to listen to this Preludio, Dale! It's a complex plot of voices, some to detach some not... Great work, thank you for sharing!
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Dale Needles I never knew these studies . Super playing. Thank you, Dale!
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Barrios - Oración Apr 11 detail work on second half of the A section
I feel fairly good about the opening two phrases (measures 1-16) of this piece, and so today I decided to zoom in on the second half of the A section, or the two phrases found in measures 17-32. The biggest issue for me in this section is measures 25-26 (see score below), and so I created two videos:
- Measures 25-26 alone with me explaining what makes these measures so difficult for me. I did this mainly in an effort to get specific about what exactly the problems are.
- Measures 17-32 in their entirety.
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Eric Phillips It's really hard, but you sounded very smooth to me.
I tried to play the bar 25 and I found that playing with no barre was easier for me to transit to the barre on beat 3, but the note D (1st finger) would be cut off while I do the transition.
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Wai Thanks, Wai. I'll continue working on it.
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Eric Phillips its a lot of work, but it sounds good!
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Stefanie Mosburger-Dalz Thanks, Stephanie. It is a lot of work, and I find it tedious.
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Eric Phillips If you allow me, my proposal (for measures 25-26) is in the video, and in the score the modifications are in blue. I tried "a tempo" and maybe it can work. What do you think?
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Moyses Lopes Thank you so much, Moyses! That works very well. I had tried something similar, but with 2 and 3 reversed, and that did not work. I will try doing it it this way from now on. Great solution! It's still difficult, but a little less now.
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Eric Phillips
You're welcome! Just to exercise our brains let me do another line of thought. That won't be so "purist" because I'll propose a little surgery in these measures. Let me see:
We have this harmony plan for these two measures:
25.1 D/F#
25.2 D/F#
25.3 A7/G
26.1 D/F#
26.2 A7/E
26.3 Bm7/A
The E4 at 25.3 is the fifth of the chord, i.e., dispensable.
The D4 at 26.1 is the fundamental's repetition. For that, dispensable too.
If you are uncomfortable with this passage, try to play without these notes. Just cut them and try. I tried and the playing was more fluid.
Obviously, with a piece of Bach or another polyphonic construction, things are different. But this is a romantic language, accompanied melody, and the notes we'll cut don't be in a counterpoint melody, IMO they are just reinforcing the harmony.
To me, no problem to cut them. But…
Regards,
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Moyses Lopes It's funny, but I was actually thinking of getting rid of those two notes as well. Like you said, they are not harmonically vital. Furthermore, they are accompaniment, not melody. When I listen to good recordings of this piece, those notes are practically inaudible. I'll give it a try without them when I get home tonight. Thank YOU very much for putting so much time and thought into this piece that I am working on.
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Etude No. 2 (Estudios Sencillos) - Leo Brouwer
When I first learned classical guitar, I thought that those rich and sweet mellow tones were the only acceptable guitar sound, but my teacher at that time told me that classical guitars could be far more colorful than I thought.
In order to show me how vast the range of timbre a classical guitar could achieve, he introduced the Estudios Sencillos to me and it really blew my mind.
These so-called "Simple Etudes" are not simple at all! I still remembered my teacher telling me something like "imagine 4 people singing in a church". Now, I can achieve the "in a church" part by adding a lot of reverb, but the "4 people singing" part... well, just forget it.
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Wai Great job, Wai! Glad that you joined the challenge. This is such a great piece, and you played it well. It sounds like four people singing in church to me. There probably aren't many church choirs that sing Brouwer, though!
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Wai super Wai! this is indeed one of the most beautiful Brouwer's studies IMHO. And your teacher was right about sound, from my personal point of view. The sweet mellow tone, while beautiful, is only one among many others.
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Wai I love those not simple Estudios sencillios, and I was so happy to hear thet of you! You played really sensible!
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Wai Well Done! I really like this Estudio and you played it very cleanly and clearly. I think selecting a few of these Etudes makes a great little set of pieces to play as mini suite.
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Wai Well Done, Wai! Magnificent playing! There are some voices at 0:36 (kids, I guess), far away... such have added a special mean. Great! Thank you!
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Eric Phillips Thanks, Eric. Seeing all you guys enjoying music and having fun, I also want to join in.
I am practicing another piece, hope that I can upload one more piece before the end of the challenge. -
Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. Yes, this Etudes really opened up my eyes. Among all of them, I like No.2 and No. 6 most.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
