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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Cadiz - Isaac Albéniz - full piece
This will be my final post of this song for this challenge. I'm pleased with the progress that I've made in such a short time, but I feel like I still have a long way to go. Clearly the tempo being one of the issues.
I'm wearing a very festive shirt to celebrate!
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Steve Pederson Sounds like a wonderful trip. Spain is so amazing and yes, Cadiz has the feel of the Alhambra throughout the city with the large Moorish influence. During my 2019 trip to Spain, after visiting Cadiz, we rented a car in Sevilla and drove up north all the way to Bilbao and then back down to Madrid. It was a wonderful way to see Spain and visit out of the way towns and cities. Highly recommend it. If you are ever so inclined, do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] and I can share some tips.
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Dale Needles So very cool! One last question I'll ask here - do you speak Spanish? How important is it for someone to be able to speak Spanish doing that kind of trip?
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Steve Pederson nice shirt Steve, I like the pattern and color! Ready for summer, I guess? :) The playing is very nice also; the phrasing is fluid and the tone is clean with good articulation! Bravo!
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Steve Pederson While I do speak Spanish, I do not think it is necessary. I have rented cars in many countries in which I did not speak the language and still had no major problems.
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Steve Pederson very nicely done. The amount of guitar you have wow.
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Steve Pederson That's excellent, Steve. Well done and really expressive.
And to echo what Dale said, I got around fine in Spain and Portugal with mostly English. We made it a point to learn a few courtesies which people seemed to appreciate and once we made an effort people would switch to English or grab someone who could help.
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Rameau Allemande II 1706 5/9/2023
I managed to make a recording that, at least, has moments. This is obviously something that I will have to live with for a long time before I can actually have a command of it.
I am still having trouble playing w/o nails, though that does seem to have improved. They render my trills somewhat inconsistent but sometimes they come out well. I also have a lot of trouble playing in the higher registers. That is very difficult for me to execute well. I also have difficulty with volume w/o nails, especially with the 'a' finger.
Adding the trills probably account for a lot of my difficulty but I think the ornamentation really elevates this piece so I will stick to it.
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Jack Stewart getting better and better. The trills really seems difficult though.
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Jack Stewart Very nice, Jack. The ornaments really make this piece work. And I'm glad you're getting more comfortable going nail-less. It's sounding good.
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don Thanks Don. This was a big improvement over my last attempt to post this piece. The trills can be very tricky, especially trying to kept them in time. W/o nails even further complicates this. Slowly (very slowly!) I am getting better.
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Steve Price Thanks Steve. I agree that the ornaments really bring this piece to another level. The French love their frills. I am slowly getting better a playing w/o nails (kicking and screaming).
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Jack Stewart you really have a legendary trill execution! I really love your trills. The performance is really nice, congratulations Jack! It really captures an Allemande atmosphere!
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Jack Stewart the ornament (trills) in your piece is one of the best aspects of your performance. I really like it! I wish I had such nice trills!
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Khiem Nguyen Thanks Khiem. I think I first was exposed to cross string trills on Sharon Isbin's recording of Bach's BWV 996 suite. I think they are really effective (though I do know not everyone agrees). It has been a slow process relearning how to execute the w/o nails.
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Jack Stewart wow, now I learn a new thing Jack, that is about the cros string trills. I did not know they were cross-strings. It seems to be very advanced technically for me. I haven't listened enough of Renaissance and Baroque music, I would love to fill up my discrepancy on those music eras by listening more. I will do some research on cross string trills.
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Chopin Waltz op 69 no 2, 10th May.
This is my latest progress on the last day of the challenge. This time I try to play the block chord in one instant instead of appegiating - I think in this way it would sound more like the valse rythm that is often played on a piano.
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Khiem Nguyen You have this completely under control, Khiem. Bravo!
I think you could begin to use a little more rubato in your phrasing but your execution is wonderful.
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Jack Stewart you are absolutely right about the rubato, Jack, thanks for your advice and your comment. I will continue working more on rubato. My guitar cannot produce much dynamic range (volume/loudness range) and color range, but more rubato is definitely possible to work on.
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