Week 3: Discovering Hidden Gems

Jack Stewart Very nice piece Jack. It has a lot of technical challenges but you are progressing very well and I am sure you will nail it at the end of the challenge. 

Andre Bernier Thanks, Andre. it has proven to be more challenging than 
I thought it would be originally. I am currently at a point where I can generally play it all - just not at one time. Most of my pieces seem to be in that category.

Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. It is my transcription, mostly, sort of. I started off with a transcription for guitar by Ron Whittle (sheetmusicplus). I wasn't convinced by it so I found a piano reduction with score on YT (Yutobeat). I screen copied each 'page' and stitch it together in Photoshop and then went through a rather laborious process of combining the 2 staves onto one in Musescore. I then tried reducing that version for guitar. Finally I found a version for 1 voice and piano (by Ravel I think). I combined that into 1 stave in Musescore. I then went through another laborious process of comparing each version and deciding what I should leave in and what I had to adjust. There are probably better adjustments to be made but I am currently happy with this version so I will stop - for now. Besides, I am having enough difficulty getting this into something that resembles music.

Sorry. This is probably much more than you wanted to read.

Eric Phillips I previously transcribed a Bach Gavotte from one of the French suites. It came out really good and I was very impressed with my ability to transcribe.

Well.... it required raising 2 bass notes up an octave. Still, it did come out very good.

Jack Stewart That's really nice, Jack. It sits very well on the guitar. I really enjoy transcribing but then I think I like the studying part more than the playing since only about one out of every ten or so attempts seems to go anywhere. The middle voices kill me. I'll generally have the bass and melody the way I want but then notice a middle line I like but by then I've run out of fingers. Still something I really enjoy and I love what you've done with this. 

Steve Price Thanks Steve. As my discourse with Eric suggests, I haven't done a lot of transcribing. This was much more challenging than I thought, at least for me. Now if I can only get to where I can actually play it.

Jack Stewart Congrats, this is coming along quite nicely. I was not convinced when you first described this project to me, but now hearing it, you are winning me over. The beginning is sounding very good. 

Dale Needles Thanks Dale. It has been a slow slog but I feel I am beginning to get a handle on it. I need more time with phrasing, and listening.

joosje Thanks joosje. I think it certainly has potential for guitar. I just posted a much better version and annotated score.

Eric Phillips Thanks Eric.

joosje Thanks Joosje. Also thanks for your comments and corrections. I had overlooked these and you are right (and very perceptive!). In mm 15 and 32 The lower notes should be deleted. I actually play it that way but never noticed it in the score. In measure 15 the left hand fingering is the same, just moved up a string. I also notice that the last chord in measure 15 is correct in the score but I play a 'g' rather than 'f#'. Harmonically it still works but actually that last chord in mm15 should go back to a barre at VII. The score is correct there but not what I played.

Also you are correct about the b flat in measure 47! I guess I decided, inadvertently, to change it to a Picardy Third.  Fortunately none of these corrections create any further problems.

As to your suggestion concerning refiguring the cadence of the main theme, I haven't had a chance to try those (I'm still on my first cup of coffee) but I like the reasoning. I'll check them out later and revise my score accordingly and repost it.

Thanks again for the comments.

Jack Stewart it is getting better every recording. Great work