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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Sinfonia (Arioso) from BWV 156 March 4
This is part of one of Bach's cantatas, and I find the melody to be very infectious. The arrangement is by Bradford Werner. I've been practicing it for a couple days now, and once I saw that Martin posted this thread, I made a quick video of where I'm at with the piece right now.
As I watch my video, I'm noticing a few things that need some work:
- I repeat the m finger A LOT! And I didn't even know I was doing it until I watched myself. It is slow enough that repeating a finger is not a problem, but I know it would be better for my overall technique to alternate more strictly.
- My trills are not too clean. I think I need to work on my slurs.
- I botched the left hand fingering in the final cadence. Also, I've heard the final trill done with a cross-string fingering, but I have never been able to execute those well. Maybe that is something I could work on for this challenge.
Let me know what else needs improvement.
BTW, that's my dog in the lower right corner. I guess he likes Bach (his Bach is worse than his bite
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Eric Phillips you're starting up the challenge right!
That's funny because I loaded this thread while watching an interview with Bradford Werner and read at the same time about the arrangement you're playing, here's the interview if it interests you... https://youtu.be/oH07dGM_4IM -
Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. This interview is actually about a piece by da Milano. I watched it back when Matthew McAllister posted it, and it's great. I love both of their websites, and visit them daily.
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Eric Phillips Tausendsassa;-)
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Stefanie Mosburger-Dalz I'll assume that is something good? I'm very sorry, but I don't know what that means.
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Eric Phillips That was nice Eric. Very subdued and pensive, a gentle beginning.
Since your dog is 'Bach' in the video I guess he is no longer 'Haydn'. (do not show this response to my daughter - she would roll her eyes right out of her head.
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Eric Phillips This was beautiful! I always wanted to learn this piece, hope that I can also play it one day.
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Eric Phillips very nice Eric. I don't think I've heard this on the guitar before so thank you.
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Jack Stewart Yes, a real eye-roller! Right up my alley!
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Wai Thanks, Wai. Honestly, I think this piece is only a little more difficult than pieces you have submitted, so you're not far off from being able to play this.
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Derek Thanks, Derek. I found transcriptions of it mostly in A major, but this one in G major seems a more natural fit to me.
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Eric Phillips
You're right, you have repeated the "m" finger a lot, but certainly you do (and know) the usual form - alternating - most time. Don't worry so much.
I think your trills are ok, one of them - at 1:56 - was not so good but you did a superb one (the same passage) at 0:16, then... Another one that didn't sound well at 1:10 maybe you just need to revise the fingering, or exercise the 4 finger...
But overall they sound great. I loved the way that the piece is sounding, with a clear polyphony and the right tense in the tone. Thanks you for this great start!
PS: I think that "Tausendsassa", in german, is something like "you're very talented". But I don't speak german.
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Moyses Lopes Thank you, Moyses, for the kind words and attentive listening. Stephanie messaged me and let me know that Tausendsassa means something like "a person who can do many things" which is very kind of her to say. I hope we get to hear some Bach from you!
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Eric Phillips I love this piece, Eric, and you played it so beautifully!
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Steve Pederson Thank you, Steve.
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Eric Phillips you were doing very nice. I am a little delayed in this challenge!!! I saw your m finger also! I have problems also with the fingering of the RH...because often THERE IS NO FINGERING !!! I just play as it comes....not good...
. I am working also on it. Thanks Eric!
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No videos yet but I have only ever comfortably played one Bach piece, the bouree from lute suite number 1. Been relearning the second section (which I always forget if I haven't played it for a while). My aspiration for this challenge is to play this plus the allemande and sarabande. Then if I have time alongside these I will look at cello suite number 1 plus the gavottes from number 6.
If I put it down in writing it may force me to do it, although I will have a few days away from my guitar next week :-(
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Derek Playing all those would be quite a challenge. As usual for Bach suites, I really love the Sarabande.
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Derek hi Derek! maybe I will be also with you playing this beautifull Bourrée !
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Derek those are great choices, the lute suite #1 is my preferred one!
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Sinfonia (Arioso) from BWV 156 Mar 5
Here is an update after another day of practice. I'm playing it slower here, trying to pay attention to a few details that need improvement:
- With the right hand, I was trying to alternate fingers better. There is improvement from yesterday, but I am still repeating m too much. I notice it happens mostly when there is something more complex going on in the left hand, which makes sense. I would like to be able to alternate better as a default, without having to concentrate too much on it. Getting there slowly.
- With the left hand, I tried to clean up my trills a bit. I think this was pretty successful. They don't sound refined yet, but at least they are cleaner.
- In the last cadence, I tried to do a simple cross-string trill. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. What I find most difficult is damping the upper auxiliary (in this case, the open G string) while playing a bass note with the thumb.
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Eric Phillips That was really beautiful, Eric. What a difference a day makes. This seems so much more expressive.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. I was really just going for more accurate, but I'll take more expressive as a bonus!
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Eric Phillips very well played as usual. I like how you make the trills, i will try to imitate you in my piece. Any suggestions on how to make trills is very welcome!
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Eric Phillips that’s really beautiful already, Eric. I will be also working on this piece, but in a different transcription. David Russell, key of D major, so a fifth higher ending up very high on 1st string. I’m getting acquainted with the fingering, not yet ready for recording. And I’ve too many things on my practice schedule, already.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
