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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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 Beautiful rendition of Almeida's arrangement, Marilyn! And what a wonderful setting for playing the guitar! There's something special about playing outdoors, I find, especially when birds are around. I've also made a few avian 'friends' over the years. They seem both puzzled and intrigued by the sounds emanating from our curious 'box'!
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David Krupka Thanks David! We once had a tarantula who would stop by every evening as my husband played his banjo. He would listen for a few minutes and then mosy on. But he was a regular.
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Marilyn Blodget This is a nice arrangement, Marilyn, and you you play it beautifully. I have never heard this version.
I used to play (decades ago) Tuck Andress version of this piece. He created a medley of this and 'If I Only Had a Brain' which worked really well together.
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack! Such a fun combo with If I only had a Brain
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Marilyn Blodget Indeed! I have always consider 'If I Only Had a Brain' something of a personal anthem.
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Jack Stewart Yeah, maybe. That happens to all of us from time to time. But you certainly have a heart!
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Joanambrosio Dalza – Padoana (Pavana) alla Venetiana
Here is another lute piece, but this time it's in the "dance" category. We know virtually nothing about the composer, other than that he was from Milan, and his only works are found in a book called Intabolatura de Lauto, published in 1508 by Ottaviano Petrucci. This piece is part of a "suite" of three dance pieces (the three pieces in the suite are called padoana, saltarello, and piva). If I can, I might try to play the other two pieces in the set, but they are more difficult for me.
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Eric Phillips What a nice Pavan. I hope you will submit the other pieces of this suite. I like it so much!
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joosje Thank you, Joosje, I’ll see what I can do.
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Eric Phillips Well done, Eric! Have you considered using some p-i alternation here? I at least find the little 16th note ornaments easier to execute in this manner. (Mind you, my i-m alternation is pretty sluggish!) You're right about the difficulty of the subsequent movements! Have you heard Ron MacFarlane's recording? Yikes! Talk about an agile left hand!
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David Krupka Yes, p-i is definitely the way to go for the fast bits. I find when I do it, though, it's very hard for me to get my thumb back to play the correct bass string. It's a technique I will have to work on for a while.
Ronn McFarlane just plays these kind of pieces unbelievably well. He just loops them, adding all these improvised parts. His technique and musicality are just off the charts. Listening to his The Renaissance Lute album many years ago is what made me want to play this kind of music.
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Eric Phillips
Wow, you are just amazing. How many strings on that lute and what is the tuning?
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Eric Phillips Great job, Eric. This is a nice Pavana. It wold be nice to hear the other pieces if you can get them.
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Jack Stewart Doing what I can. I may need to mix and match, as the saltarello and piva that are in this "suite" are pretty difficult (at least for me).
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Villa-Lobos - Valse-Choro
Well, now for something completely different.
I don’t often take on these icons of the repertoire, but I came across this in my binder of music, tried playing a bit, and I think it may be doable for me. Obviously, this one will take me a little longer than the pieces I have played thus far in the challenge. Here is where it’s at on day one.
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Eric Phillips
Such a beautiful piece Eric. Bravo, well done
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Eric Phillips Definitely 'doable', Eric! It already sounds good, and I know it will only get better! I remember when I first heard the 'Suite Populaire' (it was the Bream recording) being struck by how unlike the Villa-Lobos I knew it sounded. And how rich, texturally! I imagined then that it must be terribly difficult to play. It was only some years later that I acquired the score and discovered how well the Suite 'sits' on the guitar. HVL really had a remarkable understanding of the possibilities of our (his(!)) instrument! It's curious, I suppose, that despite the 'naturalness' of his writing, he stands practically alone in his compositional style.
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Eric Phillips Beautiful Eric! You’re either an amazing sight reader,or you spent all day on this- or maybe both.
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Marilyn Blodget Thank you, Marilyn! I've always been pretty quick at the initial stages of learning a piece. Taking it to the next level is where I usually stall.
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Andre Bernier Thanks, Andre! Still needing quite a bit of work.
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David Krupka Thanks, David. As you noted, this piece is very guitaristic. I wonder if other instruments ever play transcriptions of his guitar pieces.
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Eric Phillips That’s always a challenge, but it can also be the fun part.
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Eric Phillips Impressive start on this Eric!!
I first thought about trying it for the challenge but you're doing so great that I'll look for something else 
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise! No need for you to change. I would love to hear your interpretation (as would everyone else)!
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Eric Phillips That's a good question, Eric. I wonder if any guitar music at all is has been transcribed for other instruments. I can't think of anything off hand.
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