Week 3: Music is Music! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the last week of the transcription challenge! This is the place for the Week 3 Submissions!
- 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 Progress Update and Questions! ↓
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I am definitely not on par with the rest of the group. Trained Capricho Catalan for several weeks...
Here my best shot (number 31, the previous 30 were even worse...). If I get one better before next 2 days I will upload...
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Luciano Salvatore Well done, Luciano. I think my personal record for number of takes is in the fifties! I get really stubborn sometimes, which is not the best mindset for creating beautiful music.
That said, you played quite beautifully here. It is a very difficult piece, and much of it is sounding great. Obviously there are a few spots that need some work, but you clearly have the ability to play it all very well with practice. I hope we get to hear an update (or two, or three, etc.), either here or in the practice diary!
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Eric Phillips thanks Eric, any suggestions on how to practice is welcome! I cut it in small pieces and basically repeat endlessly at different metronome speeds.
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Luciano Salvatore Despite what Jack said above, I am no master at practicing! Obviously, you want to take one small thing at a time. Find a measure, or even just part of a measure, that you cannot execute cleanly. Then analyze the problem: What exactly is it that is difficult to do? Is there something that could make it less difficult (such as another fingering, more efficient motion, use of guide finger, etc.)? Could a short exercise be created that isolates the difficult movement? Then, once you know the problem, you slowly solve it by practicing it VERY slowly, only speeding up once the movement can be done cleanly and consistently at the slower speed.
All this said, I generally lack the discipline to do all of this myself.
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Luciano Salvatore I love this piece, so it's great to hear it in this challenge. I would suggest positioning your camera, so we (and the teachers on Tonebase) can also see your right hand. This piece has some beautiful moments that scream for some tasteful vibrato (ie the thirds in the opening melody...), so it would be great to consider doing that ( Piano can't do it, haha) as you continue to work on it. You are coming along very nicely so far, and I agree with some other comments about focusing more on particular difficult measures separately. I look forward to your future submissions. Keep up the good work!!
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Luciano Salvatore this piece gives such a warm and good feeling
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Luciano Salvatore you're doing great Luciano, I hope to hear you again in a few days or week.
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Here's another piece of Jazz - the theme for my guitar club's next meeting is Jazz/blues so these arrangements fit the challenge and my next performance although it needs a bit more work. Nice:-)
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Derek Nice, Derek! I can see you playing this in some swanky jazz club.
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Derek nice arrangement. Thank you for sharing.
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One I have been working on for a while. Again needs more work. Hopefully will get a better performance after tonight's masterclass excuse the spelling mistakes in the title!
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Derek Sounding good! I wish I could watch the masterclass today, but I hope to hear the fruits of it when you post an update.
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Derek good job. It’s such beautiful music. You bring out the melody nice and clear. You did well in the masterclass too. I enjoyed listening.
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Eric Phillips thanks again Eric
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joosje thank you Joosje. I got really nervous at the masterclass but probably more nervous talking to Bokyung than actually playing!
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Derek know the feeling. And she just sooo kind ....
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And another piece. I have played this on and off for a long time. Just trying to rediscover it yet again
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Derek You just keep coming in with these incredibly challenging pieces of music. This one is particularly difficult for the left hand. So many barres! Good work.
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Derek This is challenging and tiring for left hand to keep top melody singing. I used to play this piece, so again be careful with left hand pain. I like the way you are trying to keep the volume of accompaniment lower, and bass in proportion for overall balance.
In this piece, I used rest strokes a lot for melody, and listened carefully to prevent singing notes from being stopped prematurely. The piece sounds easier than it actually is to play well.
I really like this song, so thanks for submitting it, and your beautiful playing!
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Eric Phillips thanks Eric. I haven't played it for a while but it's one of my all time favourites. I know it's well known as the theme tune but I first attempted to play it before the Deer Hunter was made!
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Barney thanks Barney. Appreciate your advice
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Derek a classic for classical guitar! While I've never played this piece myself, it looks really challenging for the left hand. Thanks for playing this Derek!
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Derek wow, this piece is really challenging....I gave up because of killer barre
( played the two guitar version instead ...) great work 
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I had a few other pieces in mind for this challenge, but couldn’t make it. This piece, I wanted to submit, because it’s kind of special. It sounds a little weird, at times. I like the harmonies, Tuning in F. Technically it’s not too complicated, but s difficult to ‘balance the contrasts’.
It’s from a series of piano pieces (for children!) by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (1854-1928). I lived in Prague and got the score from one of Pavel’s students. Pavel Steidl made the transcription. I heard him play a duo version.
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joosje This made my day, Joosje! So beautiful. I don't think I have ever heard anything by Janacek on the guitar. What a gift to have that transcription from one of Pavel Steidl's students.
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I was told there is some traditional Czech folktale about the syček (little owl). It’s said to announce bad news and death. But it didn’t fly away, so that means the bad things won’t come. Let’s hope I got the meaning right…..
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
