Week 2: Pack your Bags! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of the "Guitar Music of the World" practice challenge!
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Here is my attempt on Where Have All the Flowers Gone? an American folk song originally written by American singer-songwriter Pete Seeger. The arrangement is by John Duarte from the Joan Baez Suite Opus 144. I love how he uses dissonant harmonies to convey the somber mood of the song. He also inserted "Taps", the bugle call used at American military funerals, at the end of the piece.
I started this piece yesterday, and the recording is from Measure 1-39.
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Stella Kosim What an interesting arrangement! I had no idea that Duarte had composed such a tribute to Ms. Baez. My parents were big fans of the early musical counter-culture. I grew up to the sounds of Pete Seeger and his circle. Thanks for sharing this!
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Stella Kosim Already sounding great for a few hours of practice! The dissonant harmonies are very interesting, can't wait to hear what's coming after.
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Stella Kosim That is great, Stella. Your performance is amazing for such a short time. I'm excited to hear your progress.
I am aware of this Suite by Duarte, especially The House of the Rising Sun. That song (not Duarte's arrangement/composition) was one of the first pieces I learned on guitar. However, I don't think I have ever heard this piece. Duarte did a wonderful job transforming it from a sweet ode to a much darker and emotional piece. Thanks for presenting this.
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Stella Kosim Amazing! This is coming along great! Really excellent work, and those harmonies - man! Fascinating!
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Stella Kosim Wow! As said Blaise, you got a great result for a few hours of practice! I had no idea about this Suite, thanks for playing, it was a great start! Looking forward to listening to your progress!
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Stella Kosim Nice playing. I’m attached to this song. Good arrangement. The minor variation is special. thank you for sharing.
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Stella Kosim That was wonderful to listen to, Stella! I know the song well, but I had no idea that it had been arranged so beautifully for the guitar. Great playing as well, and it’s amazing that you pulled it together so quickly. I look forward to hearing the rest of it.
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Stella Kosim That's gorgeous and coming together so well so quickly. I'm glad to see Duarte represented here since I love so much of his music.
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Down by the Salley Gardens -
This will probably be my last recording of this piece. I don't know if I will get it any better for this challenge. I just can't seem to get through the entire piece without screwing something up!
I like this performance best of all the countless takes I've done, though I did mess up something at the very end. Fortunately it's hardly noticeable. What IS noticeable, which I'm having a difficult time controlling, is some of the string squeaking. A lot of the voicing takes place on the lower strings, which is where the squeaking is happening.
You'll notice I'm using a capo at the second fret. This is mainly because I have some string buzz at the second fret on the fifth string. The capo makes it a bit easier to play and takes care of that buzz.
Enjoy!
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Steve Pederson Well, originally I thought this was a spectacular performance of this beautiful piece until I went back and read your introduction. I was shocked, SHOCKED!, to learn there was a mistake. And I thought "Curse you Steve Pederson. How dare you present this piece with a mistake!"
I went back and listened to it several times and heard the mistake. It was horrible. I was so ..... oh wait. That wasn't the mistake. Let me listen to it again. Well, I know it's there and I will find it.
(I certainly hope this is received in the playful spirit it was written. Sometimes I misgauge how I am coming across.)
This was a beautiful performance. And thank you for presenting this - it has reawakened my interest in Irish music.
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Steve Pederson I really enjoyed this piece and the mood it creates. Loved your playing!
Do you like the Capo you are using, and what kind Brand/model is it ? Thanks!
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack! Yeah, I get it, I am my own worst critic.
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Barney Thanks Barney! I appreciate it. As for the capo, honestly, I don't really care for it, and it was really expensive. It's a G7th, and it came highly recommended. It definitely has some advantages, I think, but I wouldn't recommend it.
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Steve Pederson I love it
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Steve Pederson Got it! Thanks Steve!
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Steve Pederson Bravo Steve, this is a beautiful performance
and don't worry about small mistakes... I do it all the time! 
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Blaise Laflamme Right on. Thanks Blaise!
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Stefanie Mosburger-Dalz Thanks Stefanie!
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Steve Pederson great submission! Beautifullly played. You made us listen extra carefully to identify your ‘mistakes’, nice trick….
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Steve Pederson Well, Steve, like Jack, I'm shocked. Not by the little mistake which I failed to detect - that I can live with. But the loud, in-your-face, neon hue of that shirt! What on earth were you thinking!? (And then, as if that were not enough on its own, to contrast it with the lovely placid blue of the curtain behind you!!) Time to find a new wardrobe consultant! Look, take it from someone who's been there. Alright, not been there himself, but someone who once knew a guy who knew a guy ... On the big stage, the little things matter. Detail counts. Nobody cares about the music. It's all about image.
All kidding aside, Steve, that was great. A lovely arrangement, and very well played. I for one am not bothered by the string squeaks. In the first place, they're not terribly noticeable. But to the extent that they can be heard, well, in my opinion, that's just part of the guitar's sound world. They're a reminder that the instrument is being played by a living, breathing person, not some soulless wonder of modern technology. Music, like life itself, isn't meant to be 'perfect'. And so of those squeaks, I say - embrace them!
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joosje Thanks Joosje! Yes, my plan worked perfectly!
Soon I will rule the whole world! -
David Krupka Thanks David! And thank you for keeping it light and humorous.
I appreciate your comment about not getting too worried about string squeaking and how it is a sign of a real performer. Though, I do have a synth sampler that plays simulated nylon string notes - complete with string squeak! 
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Steve Pederson Beautiful! Very interesting, full, rich harmonies. I enjoyed this very much!
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Steve Pederson Really nice, Steve. A great arrangement and performance. A small problem with these challenges is that I hear all this great new music and I want to play it all and I'm already pretty scattershot, lol.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
