WEEK 1: Discovering J.S.Bach! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the J.S.Bach Challenge! This is the place to post submissions of the first week!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
If you want to describe your process (optional), feel free to use the following template.
- Things you found easy:
- Things you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
- (Optional:) questions
↓ Reply below with your submissions and questions! ↓
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Sarabande BWV 997 measures 1-16 (and repeat) Mar 11
Here is the entire A section of this Sarabande. Eventually, I would love to be able to do lots of cool ornamentation on my sectional repeats, but here I pretty much just play the entire section twice.
One thing I'm really happy about is the relative ease with which I can now damp bass notes when needed. This is a technical skill I have been working on for a while, and it's finally getting to a point where I can do it without thinking too hard about it. As always with technique, progress is very slow and gradual.
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Moyses Lopes Thanks, Moyses.
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Eric Phillips beautifully played Eric… you make it seem so easy… a very good sign
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Emma Thank you so much, Emma.
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Eric Phillips I love this Sarabande and I was playing it a lot...now I forgot it...., very difficult to memorize....
I enjoy how you are playing it Eric! thanks for sharing.
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BWV 1002 Sarabande and Double
I did manage to get these is in a single video(!). I think these are a bit better, though they are not without their problems.
I do find them somewhat stilted and need to focus on interpretation and phrasing.
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Jack Stewart
it is clear that Bach comes from a long experience, my compliments.
bravo.
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Jack Stewart this is really wonderfull...great interpretation Jack... I particularly enjoy the Double....this continous of notes...."el gran JSBach" and your inerpretation. Thanks for sharing!
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Jack Stewart Well played! Recording a 6mins performance in one sitting is no easy feat, really amazing!
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Jack Stewart Bravo, Jack! Nice play, nice tone, great interpretation. Some more time and you'll reach your goals. Bravo!
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ivan paolo Thanks (again) Ivan. These have been in my repertoire on and off for years. I really want to finally get them down and polished. I still have a way to go but progress is there.
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Nora Torres-Nagel Thanks Nora. The double is fun to play though it still trips me up.
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Wai Thanks Wai. A 6' recording is especially challenging for me!
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Moyses Lopes Thanks Moyses. I hope to have another revision soon.
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BWV 995 Gavottes I and II (separately)
These are also revivals though fro further back in time. They are close to being under my fingers, though, once again, lacking in nuance. I didn't play the repeat on Gavotte II as I noticed it was getting pretty dark.
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Jack Stewart Great work on a very chellenging pieces, they are under your fingers and darkness is inspiring...bravo.
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Jack Stewart Very impressive, Jack! So much shifting and odd fingering going on there, but you accomplish it accurately and in time. Both of these have a nice dance quality to them.
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ivan paolo Thanks Ivan. Glad you liked my mood setting.
That just shows how many takes I had to make to get this video. -
Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. I had worked these up several years ago and would occasionally stumble thru them over time. After some focussed time they seem to have come back. I just need to push myself to actually finish them.
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Jack Stewart Great work Jack! This piece is in my wish list for years. I played the Gavotte II for some time, not well, but for fun and always wanted to play the complete Gavotte I and II. Congrats. Was it very challenging or what are your thoughts on it. This makes me want to put this piece as a Bonus if I can decently learn the BWV 999 in time.
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Fernando Ruiz Diaz Thanks Fernando. These pieces have been pretty challenging for me. I have stumbled thru them for a while and decided to really focus on them for this challenge. It does seem to have payed off, assuming I continue working on them. I think they are good to work on as long term projects - I find much of Bach are long term projects but more than worth it.
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Jack Stewart guauuuu really good Jack! I could dance with your Gavotte II and the articulation of your RH sounds very clear and the voices are talking and dancing together. Thanks for your music.
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This week I concentrated on performance run -throughs of the first two movements from BWV1007, the Prelude and Allemande. I'm adopting a performance practice approach mentioned by Sanel Redžić in his recent masterclass that involved getting about 20 - 30 run throughs on two or three movements over the course of a day. I'm doing two movements each week for this month in the hopes of being able to improve the whole suite at the end.
Playing in front of a camera has certainly helped widen my awareness of the relationship between each movement. I need to pay more attention to phrasing and evenness of pulse, and I think I could play the Prelude with a bit more energy - but the overall sense of comfort and consistency improved this week. In the second repeat of the B section of the Allemande, m. 21, I had a memory slip but quickly recovered. It alarmed me at first, but then I realized my muscle memory jumped right into the next measure - a very good thing! Next week - Courante and Sarabande.
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Rick Lord That prelude just makes me melt, right from the first few notes. I honestly don't think it needs more energy - I really like the relaxed, calm mood you created. I've played this, but now I want to play more like you do.
The allemande has a sense of "largeness" (I can't think of a better word right now) without being overplayed. You really put the beauty of the composition on display. As I listen, I'm thinking about the music and not about your hands or technique.
That was so wonderful to listen to!
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Rick Lord Rick, you play these pieces beautifully. I think the slower tempo works very well with your phrasing. I think there is some latitude in tempo and interpretations depending on how you hear it.
And you obviously hear these pieces wonderfully.
I am really looking forward to your performance of the entire suite.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric - glad you enjoyed it. The Prelude and Allemande really do offer a "large" or "expansive" palette for all the sonorities of the guitar. I hear it in your Sarabande too!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
