Week 1: Rhythmic Revelations 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of "Song and Dance" practice challenge!
Choose a piece that is inspired or transcribed from a song or a dance. It could be a lively south-american danza, a passionate tango, a serene romantic lied, or a poignant aria transcribed for the guitar. You're welcome to explore pieces from unfamiliar composers or challenge yourself with a complex work.
Commit to daily practice and share your journey with the community. Aim to practice every day and upload at least two videos each week to illustrate your progress. This will not only help you stay committed and encouraged but will also allow you to share your musical voyage with our tonebase family.
Share your favorite piece or recording that embodies the theme of "Song and Dance." Your submission will serve as an inspiration to others and create a vibrant pool of potential pieces for other members to delve into.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Sor - Valse Op 47 No 6 (May 17 update)
Last time, I recorded this in three sections, and now I am able to put it all together. The C section (measures 17-24) still gives me the biggest problems (shifting to the wrong fret, hitting the wrong bass string, executing the slurs poorly).
This is definitely not the kind of piece that comes naturally to me. The fast tempo (for me), with practically no moments to take a breath and regroup, makes me feel very anxious when I am playing it.
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Eric Phillips wow that is fast. I guess thats why he’s a professional.
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Eric Phillips Great performance, Eric. You handle those leaping flourishes really well. I think your tempo works quite well. It could be a little faster as well, but I found McFadden's to be too quick for my taste.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. If I could play like him, I'd probably show off a bit too.
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Eric Phillips That’s a fun Sor piece! You don’t look stressed. Just give it time and enjoy. I like the relaxed approach.
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Marilyn Blodget Thank you, Marilyn. I’m glad my appearance was deceptive!
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Eric Phillips Well played, Eric. I find it works well at your tempo. Jeffrey's version is impressive, but could anyone actually dance to it? Without amphetamines, I seriously doubt it. I guess his tempo choice is an example of 'If you've got, flaunt it' but I don't think it's necessary here.
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David Krupka Thanks, David. I certainly couldn't dance to his version, my version, anyone's version. I've got two left feet.
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Barrios - Danza Paraguya (after some good sleep)
I went into research mode and watched a bunch of other great performers und tried to decipher how they were getting around the constant stretchy and barred positions. And suddenly, it worked!
(and just for the fun of it, I've asked ChatGPT to improve the writing of my upper passage, and this is what came out of it:
"Mastering Barrios - The Paraguayan Dance (Post Restorative Slumber Session)
Following a rejuvenating bout of sleep, I found myself embarking on a fascinating journey into the realm of research, eager to unravel the nuances of classical guitar performances. Immersing myself in an array of performances by stellar artists, I sought to decode their approach to the enduring challenge of maintaining extended and barred positions.
A breakthrough moment arrived rather unexpectedly – an epiphany that had me comprehending their tactics, which, once seemed shrouded in complexity. It was a moment of triumph, a moment when the elusive dance of the strings suddenly started making sense.
Join me as I share this exploration of Barrios's captivating 'Danza Paraguaya', post an enlightening episode of much-needed slumber.")
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martin Ah to have young nimble fingers again, and without the music, I have no idea what notes you left out. So I didn't miss them at all. Martin, I rather enjoyed the explanation of your epiphany. It was very poetic.
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martin I just re-read your entry, are you saying chatGPT wrote the above. That's scary.
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Michael Shirk don't worry, it's still me who's playing, haha!
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Martin That's an excellent demonstration of how to approach technical difficulties in a practical manner, Martin! (And it's somehow reassuring to know that a piece like this offers challenges even to a player of your level!) I've also noticed the importance of sleep (and time) in my own learning: it's happened many times that I've ended a practice session thinking 'well, that's a passage I'll never be able to play' only to discover a day or two later that the difficulties have somehow resolved themselves!
By the way, chatGPT may be an ingenious technology, but it produces the most atrocious prose imaginable! It would be difficult to write that badly (stylistically speaking) even if I tried!
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martin Spectacular Martin. Thanks a lot for providing some explanations. I now realize there is nothing wrong with modifying a score and making it easier to play.
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martin Great solutions, Martin! Like everyone else, I would never be able to figure out what notes were missing without you telling me. It sounds spectacular.
By the way, I can play Paganini's Caprice n. 24 at metronome marking 232. I just take a little artistic liberty by leaving out ALL of the notes. It sounds just like John Cage's 4'33" (except it doesn't take nearly as long to play).
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martin That's so good Martin! Just like everyone else I certainly couldn't figure out which notes were missing! I think I'll take a leaf out of your book and just leave out notes that are too difficult for me
- but seriously your explanation is very useful and reminds me to look for better ways to prepare in passages I find tricky. -
martin that went quite well
(your words). I skipped the longer text which was a bit mysterious to me… Thanks for explaining your approach to the most stressful changes. Many situations can be helped with careful preparation, but these awkward switches make this piece so difficult. -
Martin Wow! You really ripped thru that selection. What a performance. As others have mentioned, whatever you left out was not noticed or missed at all.
This just shows why you are where you are - and we are where we are.
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martin I really enjoyed seeing how you solved your problems. Amazing that Barrios, the guitarist, actually thought some of those chords were a good idea! Leaving out notes in clunky chords is brilliant.
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Well this is my turn.
I am working on the Piece Minuet in A minor - Johan Kreiger using the TB course by Peter Graneis
There are 2 sections in the piece.
The first section (part 1) is played twice at the beginning and once after the second section
The second section in played only once but is more difficult ( well at least for me)
I can play now the first section without a score and at a speed of 70 bpm
I still need the score for the second section and I need to go at a much lower speed 55 bpm
Here are the separate videos of both parts. It still needs a lot of work but I still have a few weeks to work on it.
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Andre Bernier Great beginning, Andre. it is coming along nicely. I don't know this piece, or the composer. Thanks for introducing it to me. Keep posting your progress.
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Andre Bernier that’s a good start Andre. And a beautiful piece. I look forward to hearing your progress. Do you practice voices separately? It’s a good exercise, and a piano trick, they play the two voices with separate hands. For us this is more complicated, as we use our two hands for every voice, but it is so useful to separate them, keeping the correct fingering.
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Andre Bernier nice start. Did you install the strap yourself? How does it compare to playing in standard position?
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Andre Bernier Nice start Andre. Once I’m secure with rhythm, I personally enjoy turning off the metronome and focusing on the phrasing. Another help is to begin practice with the most challenging part. That helps to level the playing field.
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Jack Stewart , joosje , don , Marilyn Blodget
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. Beginners like me are often shy to participate in these challenges and post their progress in a group of experts like all of you. However I found this was a great way to push myself to learn new pieces and techniques.
Marilyn, without a metronome, I have a tendency to go too fast and trip in the more difficult parts. By using the metronome I make sure to keep a steady pace I can control through the complete section including the more difficult parts. I get rid of the metronome when I get comfortable at the speed I intend to play the piece.
Don, My guitar is a Cordoba C7-CE with electronics (that I do not use). There is already a strap button that is used for the connection to an ampli. There is not another strap button on the guitar. I use a D'addario quick release attachment on the headstock for the other end of the strap.
I also use an old tie as a butt strap to help keep the guitar in place. This is well explained in this video by Brandon Acker. Check at min. 10:00 for the butt strap explanation.
At the beginning I tried different support systems for my guitar but I never felt comfortable. I have been using the strap for about 6 months. I am now used to it as it is very comfortable for me.
Joosje, Yes, I am using that trick when I start learning a piece. I find the melody line and play it until I remember it. This is very helpful.
Thanks to all for your support
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Andre Bernier Thank you for the post. I've been thinking about how to better hold my guitar and strap(s) make sense. It's what I do with my other guitars.
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