Week 2: Let us play Transcriptions and Arrangements 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the transcription challenge! This is the place for the Week 2 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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Schumann's Traumerei (update Jan 11)
Here's a video of me putting all the parts together. I still feel a little shaky at times, especially in the B section (measures 9-16). I'd like to get this completely under my fingers and memorized if possible, so I can feel the freedom to stretch it musically. Getting there.
Right now, I am playing the second phrase of the B section (measures 13-16) with the melody down an octave. It is easier to play that way, but I think it may be more effective up higher like it is in the original piano score (and in Tarrega's transcription). If I have time, I might eventually rework that phrase and bring it up higher. We'll see.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje!
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Eric Phillips That was beautiful Eric. Well done.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack!
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Eric Phillips so beautiful!!! I have been out this week for a wonderful production for tonebase all around Spain, so I couldn't follow up too much in here, but there is so much to discover
I wanted to try to get a hold of the Barrios Transcription which tunes down the 6th string to a low C! -
Martin Thanks, Martin! I did a quick search for his transcription but came up empty. I did find this video of Claire Sananikone playing it in a drop C tuning. I love seeing the low C string vibrate! I'm not sure if she is using Barrios' transcription or not. Either way, it's beautiful.
I look forward to seeing some of the wonderful things you have been producing for TB.
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Eric Phillips Thank you for sharing that video! Some comments suggest that this is indeed the Barrios Transcription. While the low C is almost on the edge of being a bit to low, it gives a beautiful calmness! It'd be interesting how the Tarrega- and Barrios-Transcription compare against each other in terms of playability!
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Martin Eric Phillips Eric, thanks for your sharing your beautiful performance of the Schumann piece. Martin, thanks for sharing that rare Barrios recording. Just to note it looks from the intro credits, the arrangement of the version that Barrios plays was done by Martin Borda y Pagola. Don Martin was an Uruguayan and one of Barrios's major patrons. Don Martin would house Barrios when he came to Montevideo and it is because of Don Martin, that many of Barrios's pieces were preserved. Don Martin was a distinguished scholar and lover of the guitar. I recommend you check out Abel Carlevaro's book "My Guitar & My World." He has a great chapter on Barrios.
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Dale Needles Ja Dale ! I am reading it also! I could get it in spanisch in Buenos Aires : Mi guitarra y mi mundo". I love to read it, so enriching...(?). I follow Carlevaro School, have all his "cuadernos" on my music table...unfortunately I do not hace his "right hand" but always improving!
I find very touching the letters of Barrios....
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Dale Needles Oh, that is incredible information, I did not know that, thank you for sharing! I will try to get a hold of that book!
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Nora Torres-Nagel It is great to hear that you follow Abel Carlevaro's School of Guitar. I was a student of Maestro Carlevaro in Montevideo during the 1980s and was his US agent from 1982 to 1989.
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Martin You can get Carlevaro's book through Chanterelle Verlag publishers. It is a great read.
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Dale Needles Thank you!
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Eric Phillips Very musical interpretation Eric. Thanks for all those recordings.
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Hélène Beaulieu Thank you, Helene!
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Eric Phillips wow Eric, you impress me in each challenge... very well done!
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. Will you be playing anything for this challenge?
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Eric Phillips I'm not sure, I already have some stuff on my plate, but Dale gave me the idea of looking at Carlevaro's 4 Estaciones Porteñas arrangement, so who knows! You can look at my YT channel, I've added two public videos lately.
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Blaise Laflamme Those were awesome, Blaise! You're in my subscriptions now.
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Eric Phillips oh wow... thanks Eric! I plan to record for YT regularly this year, and hopefully participate in more challenges than lately.
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Just for fun I recorded my read through (a few trials) of this very romantic and tiny bit melancholic walzlike piece called Grand Hotel Valse. It’s part 2 of the same suite by Eugenio Catina, based on the film score by Nicola Piovani.
Jack Stewart asked for the rest of the suite, so…
part 1 and 4 demand some more practice, and I have to spend most of my practice time to more serious stuff. But this valse is just such a joy to read, no complicated fingerings here…. So, there’s room to get carried away by the flow of the music. Thank you maestro Piovani…
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joosje That was wonderful Joosje. Especially as a read thru! Thanks for providing another segment of the suite.
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Jack Stewart thanks, my pleasure
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joosje Very beautiful, Joosje! It looks like you are doing a challenge within a challenge - the Film Music Challenge! (That actually would be an excellent idea.)
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joosje Another beautiful piece inspired from a film score. Thanks for introducing us to these beautiful film score inspired pieces.
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Eric Phillips agree! There’s a rich variety of beautiful film scores. Some of it perfectly possible for guitar .
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
