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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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 I might give the strap a try again. It just feels very unstable to me. But to be fair I had never gave it a fair try too.
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Dowland – Fortune My Foe
Up until now, I have only been doing the “Dance” half or the “Song and Dance” challenge. There is perhaps no better place to look for a good song than Dowland, although he didn’t exactly write this song, but rather the lute arrangement.
The song is incredibly melancholic (which seems to be Dowland’s favorite mood). I guess it is an anonymous song of Irish origin. According to one source I found, it was the most popular song in England for three centuries (16th-18th), which is quite a claim. Another source says that it was particularly popular at public executions! Here are the words of the first two verses:
Fortune my Foe, why dost thou frown on me?
And will thy favours never better be?
Wilt thou, I say, forever breed my pain?
And wilt thou not restore my joys again?
In vain I sigh, in vain I wail and weep;
In vain my eyes refrain from quiet sleep;
In vain I shed my tears both night and day;
In vain my love my sorrows to bewray.
Together with a video of my performance, I have also included a very beautiful video of the song itself.
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Eric Phillips that’s so lovely, again, Eric. Thank you for this great choice and for sharing your sweet lute sound with us.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. I am not in a place right now where I can listen to your video below, but I look forward to doing so later today!
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Eric Phillips This is great, Eric. You have become quite good on your lute. This is a beautiful song (beautiful vocal recording) and you do it justice. Melancholy suites you well (your playing - not your personality).
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Jack Stewart Melon-collie
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Eric Phillips Is that related to the Collie-flower?
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Eric Phillips Really love your lute playing, Eric! You inspired me to buy a lute songbook (guitar version, though). hope I can share some lute pieces in the future.
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Eric Phillips So lovely Eric! I enjoyed the historical context-for every human trial there is a song, even an execution! But we can always hope.
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Wai Please do, Wai! I think this kind of music suits your playing style well.
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This is the first attempt to play the complete Dance Rythmique. After three days of (unfortunately, too little) practice.
A-B-A structure , so the repetitions make it not too complex as a whole. Yet, I lacked concentration at the end, the switch to the the coda is so messy. I play the intro phrase in the B part also in pizzicato, although it’s not written, it feels somehow logical.
work in progress, this is not my final version, I will keep working over the coming weeks and try again some time later in the challenge.-
joosje What a lovely piece of music! I love the contrasts of pizzicato and lyrical melody. I know the name Ida Presti, but sadly I don't know any of her music. Thank you so much for introducing me to it, and I look forward to hearing more.
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joosje This is sounding really impressive, Joosje. You maintain very clear separation of voices and your phrasing and articulation are very effective. Looking forward to seeing your future videos.
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joosje Thanks Joosje for introducing me to this rhythmic dance! So interesting and well played!
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This is Laurindo Almeida's transcription of Harburg and Arlen's Over the Rainbow. I love sitting outside and playing duets with the birds when the wild turkeys are not in the neighborhood.
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Marilyn Blodget I love this piece, such a beautiful arrangement and great playing. I think it was perfect setting for this piece.
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Marilyn Blodget So beautiful, Marilyn! I had never heard this transcription before. What wonderful, rich chords!
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don
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don Thanks Don! We’re lucky the guitar is portable!
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric! Some of those rich chords are real finger busters, but over time the bones adapt.
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Marilyn Blodget nice playing Marilyn. Thanks for this song in such a good transcription .
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Marilyn Blodget Marilyn, beautiful piece, especially his transcription. I saw him at a bar in Sacramento many years ago. I believe I have this transcription somewhere in my music.
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Marilyn Blodget Nicely done Marilyn. I also love that piece but it is way out to difficult for me. I hope one day I will be able to play it like you.
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joosje Thank you!
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Andre Bernier Love is a great motivator!
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