Week 1 - Make It Sing 🎶
¡Hola tonebuddies! 🎸
The Lágrima Track is live, and for the next three weeks we're all learning Tárrega's little teardrop together, in the same place, at the same time. The tonebase team is going in with you, posting our own progress, questions and stumbles right next to yours.
Open the Track here: Lágrima Track
This week's theme: make it sing. Lágrima lives on its melody floating above the accompaniment. Wherever you are in the Track, listen for that top voice and tell us how it's going. There's no section quota, go at your own pace.
Start by telling us where you're coming from: brand new to the piece, coming back to it, or polishing something you already play? Then post whatever your practice throws up, a clip, a question, a small win, a barre that won't ring. No clip required.
You're among the very first players through this Track, so one question for the week: where did something click for you, and where did it trip you up? We're listening 👂
Dates: October 16 – November 6. The Watch Party on November 6 will feature recorded submissions from this challenge, a single phrase or the whole piece. 🎥
26 replies
-
Lágrima is one of my favorite pieces, thank you for creating this track!
-
Very nice challenge but way over my py grade..... However, I will enjoy following the progress of the participants. Good luck 👍
-
I've been very sceptical about the value of these learning tracks for anyone other than beginner guitarists. But as I hadn't so much as picked up my instrument for a number of months, and finding myself with some free time last night, I decided to go through the track, guitar in hand. Lagrima is a piece I've known for years, but I can't remember the last time I actually played through it. Probably a decade ago ... So I rather expected this to be a refresher rather than a novel learning experience. I was wrong! Ema is a gifted teacher, and her commentary here is insightful; much of it, moreover, is broadly applicable, extending well beyond the context of this particular piece. So this is my 'mea culpa': I'll be spending more time with the ToneBase learning tracks than I suggested I might when I spoke with earlier this year.
-
I agree this track is very well done by Ema. I have played Lagrima before (inspired by Milos Karadaglic) but not for a number of years. I've had a look through the first part of the track and I agree with David that there are many things which are applicable to a number of other pieces I've attempted.
-
Hi, I am brand new to the piece and started using rest stroke in a piece for the first time with this. Looking forward to this!
-
I'm learning this for my next RCM exam, so I'm stoked to check out the practice tracks!
-
I have learnt to play Lagrima previously and have decided to brush off the dust. Have just worked thought this track. What an incredible job Ema has done. Firstly the instruction, tips and demonstrations are first class. Secondly what an incredibly thorough approach, encouraging you to consolidate every single step along the way. If the other tracks are like this tonebase has created an incredible learning resource.
-
When I saw this challenge posted, I honestly was not too excited about it. I love Lagrima, but it's a piece I have played for a long time and have committed to memory. The thought of posting and listening to nothing but Lagrima for four weeks just did not thrill me.
I do think the track is very well done, and Ema is obviously an excellent teacher and performer. I do not like having to click through the sections of the tracks, since I don't really find it helpful to practice along with it. Personally, I prefer the older video format, and have really enjoyed the recent videos for Sor's Op 31 No 20 and Reis' Se Ela Perguntar.
As for this challenge, I thought I'd try posting the way I currently play Lagrima here in Week 1. Then, in the subsequent weeks, I will try to play it differently each time. I have a few ideas already, but I'll wait before committing to anything.
So, here's my first week video.