Week 4: Harmonic Heights 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the fourth week of "The Transcriptions" practice challenge!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying!
- Watch the kickoff livestream!
Pick a transcription that was originally composed for another instrument, like piano or violin. Don't be afraid to choose a challenging piece or explore works from composers you haven't played before.
Commit to practicing daily and share your progress with the community. Aim to practice every day and post at least two videos per week showcasing your progress. This will help you stay motivated and accountable, and also allow you to share your transcription journey with others. Whether you're tackling a complex piece, refining your skills with a piece you already play, or experimenting with new playing techniques, the community is here to support you and celebrate your achievements.
Share your favorite piece that you would like to see transcribed or your favorite recording of a transcription. This will not only inspire others in the community but also provide a rich resource of ideas for everyone to explore. Plus, it's a great way to celebrate the creativity and artistry involved in adapting music from one instrument to another.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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I realise I’m actually too late in this challenge, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to present some pieces in a totally different style. Also inspired by Wai and Steve in the Spanish mini Challenge. But these are not Spanish. The early Baroque composer Michael Praetorius. These pieces are from his ‘Terpsichore Musarum’, a set of (about) 300 dances for instrumental consorts. The transcriptions are by an Uruguayan maestro Jorge Oraison (living in the Netherlands, I had lessons with him, long long ago.). The fingerings are not easy. I wanted to learn these pieces for a long time, but there are some stretches and position changes that make it quite hard to keep the phrasing legato and the rhythm dancing,… keep trying and hope to have them more fluid by next winter (for our Xmas home concert).
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joosje Really nice. Lovely little pieces. It's interesting to see a Spanish dance in a German collection and I wonder if it was considered exotic at the time.
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I thought it would be fun to share with you all a little transcription/arrangement of a Venezuelan "Danza" that I made recently with the help and guidance of Venezuelan guitarist, Bartolome Diaz. This "Danza" comes from a very important manuscript which was discovered in the early 2000s. It is called the "Cuaderno de Piezas de Baile de Varios Autores" or simply the "Quibor Manuscript." The manuscript was compiled by an amateur musician, Pablo Hilario Gimenez who resided in Quibor (a city in Venezuela) and is dated June 13, 1890. It contains 505 Venezuelan melodies of which the following is listed as Danza #174.
In 2012, Fundacion Bigot published 2,000 copies of a comprehensive book which describes the importance the Quibor Manuscript to the history of Venezuelan music, how it was discovered and a bio of Pablo Gimenez. The publication also contains a DVD with a facsimile of the original manuscript along with a CD of 15 of the dances arranged by the Bartolome Diaz and performed by his trio “Decimo Nonico” (two romantic guitars and clarinet).
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Dale Needles That was great, Dale. It has a very intimate quality.
I am surprised it only reached #174 on the Venezuela Billboard Top 500 Danzas.
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Dale Needles That was wonderful, Dale! I really like your guitar sound - it's both touching and heart-warming. The arrangement was beautiful, and it makes for a sweet little piece. I could feel the pulse of the Danzas. Thank you for sharing it!
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Dale Needles Thanks Dale. I really enjoyed that! I really enjoy hearing new old music.
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Dale Needles thank you Dale for yet another such nice piece. Sounds so nice, refined and lively playing!
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Dale Needles What a nice little gem! Great arrangement!
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Dale Needles Really nice playing and a great piece. And of course, it's Venezuela. I'm not sure what's in the water down there. Great job all around.
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Dale Needles Jack Stewart Wai Marilyn Blodget joosje Steve Pederson Steve Price Thanks for your supportive comments. It was fun to do this arrangement and to share with you all this important finding of Venezuela music, the Quibor Manuscript. Catch you at the Watch Party.
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Arabesque No. 1
I've worked on the fingerings with my teacher on this piece last year but I couldn't played it then. There are certain stretches that I simply cannot make.
But I think my fingers are now a bit more flexible and decided to give it a try. But mainly I wanted to share this wondering arrangement with everyone. I can only get to the second section. Will continue to work on this next while I continue to work on Doctor Gradus.
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don That is very good, Don. You have a great start on this. You have a great affinity for Debussy on guitar. Have you played any Ravel or Poulenc? Parkening has a collection that includes several pieces by each.
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don nice playing so far, Don. It sounds like a very good transcription. Not so easy, but it seems to work well enough.
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Jack Stewart Yes I love Debussy music. Actually the piece that got me hooked was Parkening's The girl with the flaxen hair. Haven't tried Ravel or Poulenc yet. There is this piece Empress of the Pagaodas by Parkening is great too. One Ravel's piece I really want to try in future is Pavane pour une infante defunte. Think it works really great on the guitar.
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joosje Thanks! This is a transcription by Rene Izquierdo. He played it a few times.
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don That's really a pretty piece. It seems tough but you make it look and sound comfortable. Well done, Don.
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don 'Parkening and the Guitar v. 1' has 4 pieces by Ravel (Pagoda, Minuet, and Pavanes for Sleeping Beauty and a Dead Princess) and the Pastourelle by Poulenc. I think you would really like this collection. SBM has it for $9.
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Jack Stewart Thanks! I will go take a look.
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I picked Sevilla for this challenge. For me, it is the most challenging piece in the Suite Espanola, OP.47. My interpretation is a combination of versions by Llobet, M. Barrueco, D. Russell, A. Diaz and Barney. This was a good opportunity to work on it for a few weeks, although it is really a long term process to get it to sound the way I want. Here is my status on it right now.
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Barney Barney - you are an amazing guitarist. This is outstanding! You tone and phrasing continue to amaze me. Bravo!!
BTW - "My interpretation is a combination of versions by Llobet, M. Barrueco, D. Russell, A. Diaz and Barney" - I never knew the purple dinosaur played guitar.
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack for your very kind words!! Yes, the dinosaur plays but it was too hot to wear the purple suit for this one.
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Barney Oh my, that was INCREDIBLE Barney! I think that has to be the most impressive playing I have ever heard from you, which is saying a lot, since your playing always is so great. This is the genre of music you love the most, and this piece is the apex of the genre, and you aren't just playing it - you are playing it beautifully. What an achievement!
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Eric Phillips Thank you so much Eric for your kind comments. I appreciate it!!
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Barney I agree with Eric - this is really a fine performance, Barney!
(Do it in the purple suit, and you will soon be a YouTube mega-star!!) -
Barney how impressive is this….
What a fantastic job on this iconic piece. Really amazing playing. how you got this in a few weeks I can’t even imagine… but that doesn’t matter. I can just listen to your recording and enjoy the beauty of it, thank you for this, Barney.
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David Krupka Thanks David!! Funny, but I only do YouTube "unlisted" for Tonebase only.
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