Week 4: Serenade Showcase
GREETINGS, ESTEEMED TONEBUDDIES!
Are you ready to embark on a musical journey through the enchanting realm of Villa-Lobos and his South-American roots? With the new release of Douglas Lora's Preludes this Friday and the whole Suite Populare Bresilienne with Fabio Zanon in the making, we are thrilled to present the revamped "Villa-Lobos Voyage Extravaganza," an extraordinary experience celebrating the works of Villa-Lobos and composers influenced by his heritage. Over the next four weeks, dive into captivating compositions, exploring the rich tapestry of sounds and rhythms.
WHEN 
- Challenge Start: Official Kick-Off on July 30th
- Challenge Duration: July 30th - August 30th
- Watch Party of Selected Submissions: September 9th
HOW TO BEGIN 
Select a Piece:
- Choose a mesmerizing piece from Villa-Lobos or a composer connected to his South-American heritage. Options include soulful Villa-Lobos compositions, rhythmic Brazilian-inspired works, or pieces by other artists inspired by South-American musical traditions.
- Choose a mesmerizing piece from Villa-Lobos or a composer connected to his South-American heritage. Options include soulful Villa-Lobos compositions, rhythmic Brazilian-inspired works, or pieces by other artists inspired by South-American musical traditions.
Practice and Share:
- Commit to regular practice and share your progress with the community. Aim for daily practice and upload at least two videos per week to showcase your musical voyage. This keeps you motivated and allows you to share your artistic journey with our tonebase family.
- Commit to regular practice and share your progress with the community. Aim for daily practice and upload at least two videos per week to showcase your musical voyage. This keeps you motivated and allows you to share your artistic journey with our tonebase family.
Submit Your Performance:
- Share your favorite performance or recording that captures the spirit of the "Villa-Lobos Voyage Challenge." Your submission will inspire others and create a vibrant collection of potential pieces for fellow members to explore.
- Share your favorite performance or recording that captures the spirit of the "Villa-Lobos Voyage Challenge." Your submission will inspire others and create a vibrant collection of potential pieces for fellow members to explore.
The heart of this challenge lies in exploring the rich cultural heritage of Villa-Lobos and his musical influences. So, pick a piece that intrigues you and embrace this journey with enthusiasm and curiosity. Together, let's celebrate the captivating sounds of Villa-Lobos and his Brazilian roots. Get ready to practice, learn, and immerse yourself in the Villa-Lobos Voyage Challenge! 
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Sorry not to post in a while. I have continued to work on the same two pieces from the Suite Populaire Bresilienne. I tried the Scottish-Choro for a couple days, but decided to shelve that one for now.
I came across a masterclass from Julian Bream on some of HVL's preludes, and decided give a go to numbers 1 and 3. They are not new to me, but I got some new ideas and a lot of inspiration from listening to Bream.
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Eric Phillips nicely played! And thanks for sharing Bream's class, I'll try to incorporate some of the teachings ...
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Eric Phillips Beautiful Eric. I'd like to be alternative and say that I liked the first one better - but that's only because I still play that one myself and have stopped playing the third. I had a masterclass with a guitarist called Rafael Serrallet the other day - one of my colleagues played Prelude number 3 and he had some interesting things to say about it (which I've forgotten but we did record it) and before we started he was talking to me about Maria Louise Anido so I looked her up on Youtube and there you were playing a piece by her! A great performance of that as well!
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Excellent Eric. I've tried to play the Prelude No.1, alas not very well. I've struggled with many sections. I'm curious about that section where you have to descend from frets 12,13 and 14 all the way up to fret 9 (I might be referring to bar 33, if I'm not wrong). Are you playing some alternate notes from a version that's different from the one I have as shown below? In any case, your version sounds great. I've always found it tricky to stretch my fingers in this section.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary You caught me! I’m cheating. I have always struggled with playing this section cleanly, so I decided to make it easier. I’m only changing the upper voice, not the middle voice. I don’t think anyone other than us guitar nerds would notice. I think it sounds just as good, and it’s much easier for me to play consistently.
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Eric Phillips FYI, Carlevaro who studied this Prelude with HVL, also recommends playing that section as you played it with only changing the upper voice. Excellent decision on your part.
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Dale Needles Wow, I had no idea I was in such good company! I thought I was just cheating. From now on I’ll say that I’m interpreting it according to the Carlevaro school.
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Eric Phillips haha, I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking at your LH at that section and just listening to the audio. I too have struggled with that section, so I was curious to know how you play that. Perhaps, classical music can be overly pedantic sometimes. I couldn't agree more with you on the sound- it sounds good and easier to play.
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Eric Phillips Same here. I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief. Now, I'll say I'm following Carlevaro and Eric's interpretations. Thanks for pointing this out, Dale.
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Hi, everyone. I've posted a second attempt to play this etude. Thanks to the advice and insights from my knowledgeable friends here in the community, I've tried to improve on things like dynamics and shifts. Still a lot to work on- chord changes, string buzzes and squeaks, some missed notes. This might be my last post for this challenge, although i'll try to post another one in a day or two.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary This is great, Nijwm! Very musical and it sounds very relaxed. I like not repeating all those diminished chords - it makes that section less monotonous.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary I agree with Eric, Nijwm, this does sound very relaxed and musical. If I am not mistaken, this is at a slower tempo which works very well. I think my only advice is to allow a bit more pause before the last chord/ harmonic and let them ring a bit longer. The last chord and its sustain felt a bit rushed. Great job on this etude!
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Eric Phillips Thanks, Eric. Yeah, I also felt the same way about the repeats on the diminished chords.
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Jack Stewart Thank you. Yeah, I tried to reduce the tempo (around 90-100bpm) to allow myself some control and cut out mistakes. If I'm not wrong, I think HVL himself instructed that this piece should be played fast, but not too fast without mentioning any particular tempo. I've seen professional players play it in ridiculously blazing tempos and it's a temptation to try to match those tempos. I'd be happy if I can play it musically well at around 110-120 bpm.
Harmonically, the piece is pretty straightforward in my opinion. My goal is to bring out the harmonic beauty of the piece with its ebbs and flows and tonal and dynamic variations. I'm a bit uncertain about the rhythmic tempo on the harmonics at the end. I'll pay more attention to that section you gave me advice on.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Great playing Nijwm. I also like to slower tempo and the arpeggios sound very smooth and relaxed
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Ron Thank you, Ron.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Very well played Nijwm! You might want to consider practicing very slowly and relaxed, with quick dotted rhythms - both ways-long short and then short long. That will help if you want to increase speed without stress.
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Marilyn Blodget Thank you, Marilyn. Yeah, good advice. I'm following Martin's advice from one of his livestreams as well. I hope to get to somewhere around 120bpm, but most importantly, musically and with control. Still a work in progress.
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Here is the second (B) section of the Finale of Carlevaro's sonata, Cronomias. Carlevaro slows the tempo down a little for this middle section of the Finale. Still needs some work on the two last measures which are to be played freely.
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Dale Needles Dale this sounds really good! Well played
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Dale Needles Excellent, Dale. Your persistence with this piece is really paying off - and is very inspiring! I can't wait to hear this in its entirety.
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Jack Stewart Ron Thanks, the Finale is coming along and I plan to record the entire Finale on Wednesday. The problem that I have is that it is 9 pages long and not yet memorized so it is a bit of a challenge playing it through without breaks to turn the pages. Let's see how it comes out.
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Dale Needles Sounds great so far Dale! Excellent execution and musicality, as usual. I look forward to hearing the entire finale when you are ready.
I always have the same page turning problem with lengthy pieces ( some 10-12 pages.). Since some are so difficult to memorize in the short time available, I will often photocopy and tape the sheets together; then attach in two to three rows to my music stand. Crazy, I know...
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Barney Well, I taped the nine pages onto a whiteboard and set the board on my music stand. It pretty much worked.
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Dale Needles Great! I know it's not ideal, but will suffice until we spring for a good electronic page turner program and device.
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Dale Needles Great work Dale! That’s really coming along!
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