WEEK 1: Ho Ho Ho! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the Happy Holiday Challenge! This is the place for the first week of submissions! 
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
↓ Reply below with your assignments and questions! ↓
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Practicing Greensleeves. Check out my dog's ears. She's definitely listening and wiggling her ears!
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Elizabeth Uyehara Coming along great! RH fingerings seems to be working well.
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Roland Dyens The Wiz
Today rehearsal on bars three and four: armonics again...-
ivan paolo Hi Ivan. The video is not showing up. My guess is that you have it listed as private.
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Eric Phillips No it's posted as usual as not listed
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ivan paolo Well, I can see it now. Not sure why I couldn’t before. Those harmonics are singing nicely! That is not easy to do.
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Villancico de Navidad update (Dec 10)
It's slowly getting under my fingers. I still struggle with the harmonics section and the minor section, but there is some improvement. My dog comes in at about 0:50.
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Villancico de Navidad Update (Dec 11)
I'm starting to add a bit more color changes and musical interest now. Even though it's not a fast piece, I find that when I'm playing it, it feels like a train that just keeps going and I'm trying to keep up. It's hard for me to make it more musical when my mind and fingers are feeling frantic.
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Eric Phillips hi Eric! Are you playing it at 60 (fourths, negras) ?. Williams played it quite quick for me...I fell it a little slower...but I am also not yet fixed or decided at which tempo sounds nicer or allows more musicality... I can practice very little here....I like very much how "Antonia" (I do not know her) is playing it in you tube.
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Nora Torres-Nagel Hi Nora! I honestly don't know what tempo I'm playing it at. I haven't practiced it with a metronome (I know I should). Antonia Haslinger does play it very beautifully, with wonderful tone and vibrato. I have been using Tariq Harb's version of it as more of a reference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdfV_4-r_uc). He plays it a bit faster than Antonia, which I like.
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Eric Phillips Bravo! Very good job, I like your performance. You have reached the milestone...
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ivan paolo Thanks, Ivan. I'm not sure what milestone I've reached, but if you say I've reached it, I'm happy!
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Eric Phillips yes, Tarik plays it also beautifully ! and your Villancico sounds also very nice Eric! congratulations!
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Nora Torres-Nagel Thank you so much, Nora!
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Eric Phillips very well played. I like the colors and phrasing. The tempo could be e little slower for me, but the way you play it, it’s expressive and nicely flowing . Wonderful.
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joosje Thank you, that is good feedback. Like I wrote, it always feels like I'm trying to keep up with a moving train when I play it. Maybe I just need to slow it down a little.
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Hi y’all, I’m working on while shepherds watched their flocks by G. F. Handel will post video soon
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Based on a review of new music in the current issue of “Soundboard”, the periodical from the Guitar Foundation of America, I sent away for one of the reviewed pieces: “Five Fantasies on Gregorian Themes” by Marco Reghezzi (Ut Orpheus Edizioni CH 292). I just received it last week.
One of the five fantasies, "Puer natus in Bethlehem" (A child is born in Bethlehem) is a medieval Latin Christmas hymn. The thirteenth-century text is traditionally associated with a fourteenth-century tune of the same name. Like the earlier carol, I played, “Jesus Jesus, Lay Your Head”, it begins with a simple melody (like the Gregorian Chant it is taken from) but develops into a very nice piece suitable (I think) for a solemn Christmas service. It clearly needs more work but I wanted to share this gem from the thirteenth century.
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Paul Kennedy it is beautiful Paul ! I will look at home where can I buy this delicate and mystic music in Germany! thanks a lot for sharing!
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Nora Torres-Nagel I just put “5 Fantasies on Gregorian Themes’ in Google and it brought me to the publishers website. The price is listed in Euros so I think it is from Europe somewhere. The other four are just as beautiful.
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Nora Torres-Nagel
Ut Orpheus Edizioni CH 292
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Paul Kennedy thanks Paul!
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Paul Kennedy thanks for sharing. It’s beautiful.
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White Christmas
Thought I'd try this for a little change of pace. The arrangement is by Jeremy Choi (with some adaptations by me). Bing Crosby, eat your heart out!
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Eric Phillips Great arrangement Eric! Very beautifully played. I love those Jazz chords
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Paul Kennedy Thanks, Paul. That was a fun one to play!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
