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 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 very nice Joosje. Never heard Janacek on the guitar before. Thanks for playing this.
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joosje thanks for sharing this Joosje, never heard Janáček on the guitar before... well done!
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joosje Hey I like this! It sounds like it works very well on the guitar, or at least you play it like it does! Thanks for posting Joosje!
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joosje The contrasts you mention look like they work a lot better on the guitar with the way you play it and the orchestral range of tone it has (unless of course the piano uses its orchestral range of notes). Well done!
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Roni Glaser Blaise Laflamme Derek Eric Phillips thank you for listening and kind comments
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joosje This is fascinating Joosje. I have also never heard any Janacek on. guitar. Thanks very much for presenting this. Great job.
I just noticed that Steidl
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Jack Stewart opps - I just noticed Steidl opps again - I thought he wrote a piece in homage to Janacek but it was to Jana Obrovska (it showed up on a search for Steidl Janacek)
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Chopin Mazurka Op 7 No 2 measures 1-32 (Jan 24)
This is an update of the same 32 measures I posted above. I did not get a chance to practice yesterday. Today, I made a few small changes to the transcription, and practiced this section more. Hopefully it's a bit better. To be honest, I think if Chopin had stopped the piece here, it would feel complete as is (without the change to A major in the last measure). That said, the last 24 measures are wonderful. I hope I will be able to play them decently, as they are very challenging.
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Eric Phillips beautiful.
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Chopin Mazurka Op 7 No 2 measures 34-58 (Jan 24)
Here is the final section of this piece before the return to the beginning. From what I've read, there are actually three different mazurkas, and this section is an oberek, which is very fast and usually cheerful. I'm not playing it fast yet, but maybe it is a bit cheerful!
Let me know. For this section, I am going back to the transcription of Walter Jacobs, as I think he did a nice job here. I do change his fingerings a bit, but it's basically the notes he transcribed.
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Eric Phillips Nice Eric. Maybe tempo is not at full speed yet, but pulse and rhythm are there. You catch the character with the stronger accents on the first beat and the steady pulse as opposed to the lighter walz and punctuated mazurka.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. I have never really had a natural sense of strong and weak beats in music, so I will take your word if you say I'm doing it correctly. It's more by accident than on purpose, though. Now I'm struggling with how best to get the speed up.
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Chopin Op 7 No 2 question about measure 41 (Jan 24)
I'm trying to bring the speed up in the last section, but this one measure that repeats several times is causing me trouble. I don't really know what the best right hand fingering would be for it. A picture of the measure is below. I'd be very grateful for anyone's wisdom on this one.
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Eric Phillips I wouldn’t opt for ami on string 4, together with repetitive p on 5th. It feels very uncomfortable to me. In measures 38 and 40, you play the same figure but with the g in the bass with im, I guess. Why not here also: im, im im, pa. Works more secure, especially in a faster tempo. (On piano also it’s repetitive attack, so you would have the same effect Chopin intended - and not have to worry about alternating fingering). You could decide to use p on 5th, but then skip the second D, or only play the first (pi, m, i, pm) as in the previous measure (37). That is, if it helps to get the tempo you like. (As Emmanuel says, if you have to make a choice, the melody comes first).
Does this make sense? It’s getting late here….. -
Eric Phillips Hard to say without more context and not knowing from where you're coming from (the previous mesure) but that could be simplified as im, im, im, pa... think like when you worked on Brouwer's study #1, and by changing a bit the m angle you'll make it more detached. And I would probably use 2 for c# instead of 3 in the bass line.
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Eric Phillips joosje Blaise Laflamme Thank you both for you helpful thoughts. I actually ended up taking a little advice from both of you.
Joose - I have chosen to simplify the figure to include only the first bass note. Although I like the way Chopin is building the texture, like you said (channeling Emmanuel), the melody has to be the priority.
Blaise - I love your suggestion of using 2 with the left hand for the C# instead of 3. It happens a lot in this section, and using 2 is much more legato.
So, this is what I'm going with for now. I'll probably change my mind 6-7 more times! I posted a revised video below.
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Eric Phillips I have the Aron complete transcriptions of all of Chopin's Mazurkas. He places this Mazurka an octave higher than your version. After comparing his recording and Mateusz Kowalski's (which is lower) I prefer it lower.
As to the RH - I would probably start with m-i-m-a. Some of this would be determined by what precedes it. However I reserve the right to change my mind if I try this Mazurka.
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joosje I actually like your suggestion, Joosje and Blaise
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Jack Stewart Yes, I saw Aron's transcription in a YT video. It goes really high up the neck. He plays it well, but, like you, I prefer the octave lower version for guitar. It helps that Mateusz Kowalski is pretty much a guitar god. That guy could play chromatic scales all day and I'd love it.
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Chopin Mazurka Op 7 No 2 measures 34-58 revised (Jan 24)
After working with this section today, and after some wonderful help from joosje and Blaise Laflamme , I am liking the result. I also revised the short bit in F# minor (measures 42-47) and despite the extended use of barre, I think it sounds and feels much better.
I think it could stand to go a bit faster, but I do like the feel at this speed as well.
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Eric Phillips Wow! You own this Mazurka. This sounds great. Impressive work.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. So, if I own it, I would like you to play it and then pay me royalties!
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Eric Phillips I would do so gladly but I just dropped all my money and it rolled under the table.
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Jack Stewart Are we talking pennies and nickels here, or large gold medallions from a pirate ship?
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Eric Phillips fantastic to have helped! I notice that the repeated note (the bass D you removed) was also used as a pattern in the previous mesure, so for compositional consistency I would try to bring it back or remove the others to see how is the end result? As for speed it's possible you'll change your fingerings on both hands as you play and increase the speed, it's hard to always figure out upfront what would be best for every situation. Good work!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
