WEEK 3: Master of Classical Style!

WELCOME TO THE MAIN THREAD FOR THE THIRD WEEK OF "Ferndando Sor" PRACTICE CHALLENGE! 

  1. Select a mesmerizing piece from Fernando Sor! Whether it be a delicate Sor etude, a powerful solo work , or a little miniature, the repertoire is in your hands 🎼
  2. Dedicate yourself to consistent practice and share your musical evolution with our community. Aim for daily practice sessions and upload a minimum of two videos each week to document your progress. This will not only fuel your dedication but will also allow us to partake in your musical expedition within our tonebase family!
  3. Contribute your most cherished performance or recording that resonates with the "Sor Guitar Soiree." Your contribution will not only motivate but also help curate a diverse anthology of pieces for our members to discover and enjoy.. 🎧

↓ Happy Sharing! ↓

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    • Jim King
    • Retired
    • Jim_king
    • 11 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    This is my second posting of playing Sor's Op. 60 No. 9.  This week I changed the fingering for measures 14 & 15.  By eliminating the shifting I was originally doing, I have made it easier to play by staying in 1st position throughout the piece.  I also tried to improve on playing the middle voice softer than the upper and lower voices.  After listening to this video, I will need to continue working on that aspect of playing.  I have left the tempo where it was for the first recording.

    Here is the recording:

    Like 3
      • Jim King
      • Retired
      • Jim_king
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Andre Bernier Thank you Andre.  Hoping to do a recording in the next day or so.

      Like
  • Week 3 Andante Op. 45 No. 5

    I am now working on the return of the A section beginning at measure 34. I was able to find a gpx file of this piece that allowed me to import it into Guitar Pro 8 (anyone else use this program?). Now I can notate my own fingerings and other dynamic markings into the file. I also value the ability to loop chosen measures and have each repetition step up in tempo like a progressive speed drill. This is what I have been doing with measures 42 - 48 where Sor incorporates some very snappy 32nd note embellishments! Right now I am playing them at about 48bpm. The score suggests 60bpm which seems beyond my capacity at this point.  I would settle for a solid 50bpm as a goal.  🫨

    Like 6
      • Ernesto
      • Ernesto.1
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Rick Lord Bravo!

      Like
    • Rick Lord Spectacular, Rick! Your tempo feels perfect to me. Your ornaments are executed perfectly, in time and very snappy. I can't wait to hear it all put together!

      Like
      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Rick Lord You play this beautifully, Rick. And you nailed those embellishments! It is always a joy to hear your performances. Btw - I certainly don't sense this performance to be at all slow.

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      • Andre Bernier
      • Retired
      • Andre_Bernier
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Rick Lord  Beautiful Rick. Bravo 👍

      Like
  • Larghetto Op 35 No 3

    I felt like taking another short break from Op 59, but this time I went to familiar ground. This is such a perfect early intermediate level study.

    Like 2
      • Andre Bernier
      • Retired
      • Andre_Bernier
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips  You are always playing great Eric. Thanks. This is very inspiring.

      Like
  • Fantasie Elegiaque Op 59 Marche Funebre Nov 21

    I am moving along now to the second main section of this long piece. For the Andante Largo, I used the breakdown of Carlo Marchione from his TB lesson. Unfortunately, his lesson did not cover the Marche Funebre, so I had to do my own analysis of the form. Here’s how I see it:

    1.       Measures 1-16: The main march theme in E minor, with two eight-measure halves. The first eight measures are very “march-like” and somewhat plodding, with a surprising cadence in G major. The second eight measures focus on the dominant and are marked by repeated B notes that sound like horn blasts.

    2.       Measures 17-32: A cantabile section in E major that lets in some rays of hope and beauty, but still tinged by sadness with notes like the D natural in measure 25.

    3.       Measures 33-59: A long transition back to the theme. It begins with some very surprising harmonies and chromaticism, followed by a long drone on the dominant B major. The transition ends with a single-line melody in the bass, with a dotted rhythm that brings us back to the march.

    4.       Measures 58-73: Return of the main march theme in E minor, with only a little variation.

    5.       Measures 74-101: A long coda. The first sixteen measures of the coda oscillate between tonic and subdominant harmonies for a while, until some dissonant chromaticism brings us back firmly to E minor. The piece could easily have ended here (at measure 89), but instead, Sor ends with a dialogue between himself and his deceased love in heaven. These last twelve measures are musically simple, but extremely emotional and poignant.

    My playing here definitely needs a lot of work, particularly the cantabile section (number 2 above).

    Like 2
      • Andre Bernier
      • Retired
      • Andre_Bernier
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips Bravo Eric, well done 👋

      Like
  • Fantasie Elegiaque Marche Funebre Nov 22

    I have been working on this quite a bit in the last 24 hours, and I am much happier with the result. The cantabile section in E major still needs work, but there is much improvement.

    By the way, since recording this, I have discovered two errors in my score (in measures 76 and 86). My next recording will correct those.

    Like 3
    • Eric Phillips there's a lot going on there and you find your way to manage it all. I see you still working to not use your «i» finger, I'm wondering if by the end of the whole thing you feel any fatigue?

      Like 1
      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips Great job on the Marche, Eric. It will be amazing to hear the op. in its entirety. You have a real accomplishment here. This is such a major beautiful piece which you have truly done it justice,

      Like 1
    • Eric Phillips Beautiful execution of the Marche - really coming along in your hands.  I agree with Jack, you have accomplished a great deal with this Fantasie, a major work from our beloved Fernando. 

      Like 1
      • Andre Bernier
      • Retired
      • Andre_Bernier
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips Still such beautiful piece. Thanks Eric for sharing your work and incredible progress. 👍

      Like
  • I'm a bit late again to the challenge and I thought about getting back to Op.35 would be a good thing. Here is #4, one of my favorite of the set, and if time permits I hope to post a few more of them by the end of the challenge.

    Like 3
    • Blaise Laflamme Great playing, Blaise! You really made it your own interpretation, bending the rhythms, but always with a clear sense of pulse. I don’t know that I have ever heard a Sor study played like that. Very creative!

      Like 1
    • Eric Phillips Thank you Eric, that's why I love this exercise, the way Sor created this small contrapuntal work ease the flexibility of moving parts. I know I'm a bit on the limit and not many of his works permits that! 😅

      Like
      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Blaise Laflamme Beautiful, Blaise. It is always great to hear your postings. A very Romantic interpretation as Eric alluded to. I really liked the bass articulations around 30".

      Like 1
    • Jack Stewart Thank you Jack, the bass line in this work is fun to play!

      Like
    • Blaise Laflamme Everything sounds immaculate and perfect. Beautiful. 

      Like 1
      • Wainull
      • Wai_Ng
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Blaise Laflamme That's beautiful, Blaise! Your guitar sounds brighter and more resonant in this video compared to others. It could be because you played it louder this time 😂, but I really like the sound you produced. 👍 

      Like 1
    • Blaise Laflamme Excellent playing - a joy to watch! Love the way you express the rhythmic direction of various phrases.  I also appreciate the creativity and time you put into your video chops as well.  Hope you can get at least one more in!

      Like 1
    • Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Thank you Nijwm 🙏

      Like
    • Wai Thanks Wai, that's because I played every note reststroke! 😂... but joke aside I changed a bit the mics position and mixing chain, it's a work in progress!

      Like
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