Week 3: Fasten your Seatbelts! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the third week of the "Guitar Music of the World" practice challenge!
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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This transcription of Guardame Las Vacas is by Alirio Diaz (one of my favorite old time guitarists).
I was thinking this one played after the Fantasia X by Mudarra (that I recorded earlier in this challenge) could be a nice grouping of Renaissance pieces during a performance.
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Barney Excellent! Loved your use of timbre and phrasing.
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Dale Needles Thanks Dale!!
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Barney VERY nice Barney! Like Dale Needles said, so many great timbres. I also like how you were able to execute on the lower strings with your i and m fingers without "scraping" your nail against the string, or at least I didn't notice it if you did. I always seem to have a real hard time with that.
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Steve Pederson Thanks Steve!!
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Barney such beautiful colors and tones! Bravíssimo, ragazzo! I agree with you: Fantasia X and Guardame Las Vacas can be a great double in a program. Thanks for sharing!
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Moyses Lopes Thanks Moyses!!
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Barney I really like this transcription! Nice use of color. This would be great paired with your Mudarra piece.
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Daniel Asia - Niggun (Mar 25)
I haven't had much chance to play this last week (busy with family things). Today, however, I managed to begin working on a piece I found that I think fits the theme of this challenge. It's by an American composer, but it is based on music from Hassidic Jewish culture. It is from a group of pieces entitled, Songs of Transcendence. Here is Daniel Asia's description:
“A niggun is a simple melody from Hassidic culture. Sometimes it uses words, but more often than not, it starts with words and then leaves them behind, as the wordless singing of the congregation takes flight. Repetition of the melody encourages a meditational state, moments of communal and personal transcendence. The words of this niggun are, ‘Bless us all alike, our Father, with the light of your countenance.’”
Many mistakes here - I'm finding it to be much more difficult than it looks on the page. I will continue to work on it.
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Eric Phillips I like that a lot, Eric. It's my favorite kind of piece to play in that it's short but has a lot going on. I have Verdery's book that includes this but I didn't know it was part of a longer piece. I'll have to track it down. I'm glad you put this one up.
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Eric Phillips How do you find these nice pieces? Beautiful harmonies, that you bring out very well, with good separation of voices which are well balanced. A contemplative mood was created and I enjoyed listening to it!! Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Steve Price Thanks, Steve. So, you’ve discovered my secret source! I love that book. My only problem is the title - he calls it “Easy Guitar Recital” and there is nothing in it that I find easy.
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Barney Thanks, Barney. Yes, those harmonies do create quite a mood. As for where I find them, many of the pieces I’ve played in this challenge have come from a book edited by Benjamin Verdery, as Steve Price (above) has figured out.
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Eric Phillips Lol, that's too funny. I didn't even put together the other pieces from it or that you were using the same book. And you are correct. The title is definitely a misnomer, but I guess it is "easy" to the chair of an Ivy League guitar department.
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Eric Phillips In the past, I've seen many 92nd Street Y Guitar series in person with Ben Verdery serving as the moderator. He did great interviews with many top artists, which was very enjoyable. However, I've never seen him perform live in person.
Can you possibly post the link for that book? Thanks!
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Eric Phillips Great song to bring to the challenge Eric. I like the...would you call it counterpart? There's a lot going on, anyhow, and it sounds great. It does sound hymn-like, but not like the traditional Christian hymns, which may sound obvious, but it is a tonal piece, which seems to have started with early Christian church music.
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Eric Phillips Bravíssimo! You're very comfortable playing this, don't you? It is possible to see in your face... Great performance, Eric, the voices are so clear! This "Easy Guitar Recital" is a great discovery, even being not-so-easy...
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Moyses Lopes Thanks, Moyses. I actually was not very comfortable playing it. The recording after another day of practice (below) is a bit better, but I still feel like I am fumbling around as I play it.
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Eric Phillips Lovely! Now I know what a Niggun is! Very interesting concept- starting with a song and letting emotion transcend it.
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Eric Phillips Sorry Eric. Is this the book?
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Classical-Guitar-Recital-Book/dp/0739000764
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Barney Yes, Barney, that is the very book! As I said to Steve, I strongly disagree with the word "Easy" in the title!
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Eric Phillips Okay, thanks!
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Daniel Asia - Niggun (Mar 26 update)
Here it is after another day of practice. There are fewer mistakes, and I think it flows better.
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Eric Phillips Very nice Eric. I ordered the set this is from so I'm curious to see how they all work together.
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Steve Price That's awesome, Steve. I did a quick search but could not find it.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
