Week 4: "The most fearsome beasts are tamed with a gentle melody."
Welcome to the Main Thread for the last week of "Monsters of Nylon" practice challenge!
Select a "Monster of Nylon" or a piece that you have been trying to solve for a longer period of time. The choice is yours!
Commit to regular practice and share your progress with the community. Strive to practice daily and upload at least two videos per week to showcase your musical voyage. This not only keeps you motivated but also allows you to share your artistic journey with our tonebase family.
Share your favorite performance or recording that captures the spirit of the "Monsters of Nylon" Challenge. Your submission will inspire others and create a vibrant collection of potential pieces for fellow members to explore.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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I got a very late start to this challenge, so only submitting the 3rd movement of this Torroba masterpiece.
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Barney Very well done as usual.
. Wellcome in the small Monster club. Many think the Segovia repertoire is somewhat archaic. I disagree, probably like you, if I only could choose one half century of compositions it would be 1885 to 1935 (-40) -
Lars Kjøller-Hansen Thank you Lars! Yes, I agree and share your taste in Repertoire, and always enjoy your choices of pieces and beautiful playing.
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Barney Lovely Barney! I really enjoyed your playing. Thanks for sharing— a meditative interlude in my day!
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Marilyn Blodget Thanks Marilyn! Thanks for watching. This Challenge has not had many submissions. I was hoping to see some of your Chaconne... How's it going? I remember playing it many years ago and recall of the difficulty with fatigue getting through the whole piece in one sitting...
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Barney Thanks for asking about the Chaconne. Well, I started with the fangs of the monster— measures 65 - 75, and then all the 32nd note passages. Not much speed as yet. The rest is coming along. I thought about trying to make a video today, but it hasn’t happened yet. I do feel familiar with the Chaconne now, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable posting so early in the process of tackling this monster. But next month is transcriptions, so it still fits.
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Marilyn Blodget I fully understand and recognize this piece requires a significant time commitment to learn, execute, and refine at performance speed. Sounds like it's coming along well. Not to be rushed, I look forward to your future postings when you are ready.
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Barney That’s a great submission, as we’re used to hear from you, Barney. Never get enough of listening. Lovely piece and your tone and interpretation are in the great tradition of the classic guitar that we know from the famous masters.
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joosje Thank you very much Joosje for those kind words.
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Barney Bravo, Barney. I love this piece and you play this movement so well. Definitely very much in the style of Segovia.
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Dale Needles Thanks Dale!
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Barney Another excellent performance, Barney. Your playing is so fluid and nearly flawless and your command of phrasing and tone production are beautiful. Wonderful performance!
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack!!
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Barney Very impressive, Barney! The Torroba 'Sonatina' definitely qualifies as a 'monster' in my book, and the 3rd movement is arguably the most difficult part of it! I agree with Jack - beautiful tone and phrasing throughout. Hope you'll share the rest of it with us, if you do get around to learning it.
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David Krupka Thanks David!!
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Barney Bravo Barney, what a great take on this third sonata movement! I hope to hear the other ones from you in other upcoming challenges, this is such beautiful music and you play this so beautifully.
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks Blaise!
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I've struggled with several monsters over the years. The Manuel Barrueco transcription of Sevilla, composed for piano by Isaac Albeniz is a favorite of mine. Through working on this piece I learned how to make the struggle less scary. I find it helps to break down scale passages into groups of 5 or 9 notes, stopping and starting on the same note, and then link them back together. Taking small bites of difficult passages that were not originally intended for our instrument also helps. I've also been wrestling with the Bach Chaconne, but it needs more time.
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Marilyn Blodget Wonderful, Marilyn. You play this "monster" piece with great energy and as always with your beautiful tone.
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Marilyn Blodget Really impressive, Marilyn. This indeed seems to be a 'monster' and at 7'. You have a great feel for this music. I would imagine your piano background in piano is really helpful here. I would love to hear your progress on the Chaconne whenever you are comfortable with sharing.
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Marilyn Blodget This one is a real monster piece! Being able to play it from start to finish in a single take is already beyond my reach, I think I will never be able to touch this piece. Bravo, Marilyn!
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Marilyn Blodget Bravo Marilyn! I'm so glad you continue to work on these great masterpieces by Albeniz and Granados, as these are some my favorites also. I enjoyed very much listening to you this morning.
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Barney Thanks Barney! The Spanish classics sing so beautifully on our instruments.
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Jack Stewart Thank you Jack! I think all musical experiences that we love help us. My Dad and I used to play piano violin duets on Sunday afternoons. I’m sure that helped.
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Dale Needles Thanks so much Dale! Your encouragement means a lot.
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Marilyn Blodget Bravo Marilyn, great take on this beautiful piece
. I haven't played a lot of Spanish music but this one is definitely on my radar... eventually!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
