WEEK 3: Heavenly Harmonies of J.S.Bach! 🌤

Welcome to the Main Thread for the third week of the J.S.Bach Challenge! This is the place to post submissions of the third week!


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 submissions and questions! ↓

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  • Sarabande BWV 997 in C minor (Mar 22)

    I thought I'd try this one in the original key with a capo, as David Russell (and others) do. I don't have perfect pitch, but the key change definitely gives the music a different feel.

    Like 2
      • Emmanull
      • Emma
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips wow another beautiful piece.... and your effortless playing, beautiful!!!

      Like
      • Emmanull
      • Emma
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips and your ornament are so good!

      Like 1
    • Emma Thank you, Emma. This piece has lots of room for interesting variations. I'd love to be able to improvise that kind of thing, but this was all planned out.

      Like
  • Andante BWV 1003 Mar 22

    Here is an update of the Andante from the second Violin Sonata. I think there is a slight improvement to the cadential trills. I'm doing both with cross-string trills here. I cannot yet do the super-fast version of these in the style of David Russell, but these are what I can do for now. I feel like I would need a four-week (maybe four-month? four-year?) crash course in trills to get something that is truly effective.

    Like 2
      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips It just keeps getting better. I do think there was improvement in the trills.

      I practice cross string trills as part of my daily exercise. I do a 3 finger trill (no 'P'). My routine is trill b > b flat (2nd and 3rd strings). I start w/ 2 notes/ beat, then 3/beats, 4/beats, 6/beats. I now have added 8/beat but not sustained - only spurts. I have also just added starting on 'c' (3rd string) so that my pattern reverses. I then repeat all of this on 1st and 2nd strings. It only takes 3-5 min. if that. I feel my trills have gotten better though still not consistently available.

      Like 1
    • Jack Stewart Thank you, Jack. I confess I can't really follow what you're describing that you work on, but I sense that if I ever want to play trills correctly, I need to work on them in a more dedicated way. Looking up videos on cross-string trills (here on TB and on YT) seems to yield so many different ways of executing them, and I'm really not sure what route I should go. Obviously, the fancy four-finger ones sound the best, but they seem so difficult, like it would be a year or more before I could execute them well. But if that's what I have to do, I guess I should. It reminds me a lot of tremolo - sure, I'd love to be able to do it, but to put in all that work!? I lack the patience and discipline.

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      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips BTW, I reread my comments to you on trills and I had trouble figuring out what I was saying. 🙄

      I think my point should have been that I have added exercises for cross string trills to my daily practice.

      Like 1
    • Jack Stewart It definitely shows. You play them quite well.

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    • Derek
    • Derek
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Bach's harmonies may be heavenly but I can't say the same about my playing, although I have managed to find a bit of time to record the bouree from BWV996. A couple of glitches but I'll keep working on this together with the Allemande and Sarabande. 

    Like 4
    • Derek Good job, Derek! Always great to hear this one. We guitarists like it for a reason.

      Like
      • Steve Pederson
      • The Journey is My Destination!
      • Steve_Pederson
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Derek way to go Derek! I am working on this one as well. It's no joke! 

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      • Derek
      • Derek
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips thanks Eric. It's a piece I have played before but not for a while

      Like
      • Derek
      • Derek
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Steve Pederson thanks Steve. I find the second section in particular a bit tricky in places

      Like
      • Olli
      • Mr. Pizza
      • Saitenzwirbler
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Derek a very good choice Derek - this piece is very popular - maybe the best known Bach piece after "Toccata and Fuga" - what do you mean ?

      Best Regards

      Like
      • Emmanull
      • Emma
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Derek beautiful fugue! well done Eric!

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      • Jack Stewart
      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Derek Very good Derek. I look forward to hearing your progress.

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      • Debbie
      • Debbie
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Derek nicely played Derek! This is one of my daily warm ups. It find the contrary motion for the fingers to be a great workout.

      Like
    • Derek bravo Derek!!!! dancing with the bourrée. I did not a new recording....with the ornamentation that also Jack has provided me...😐. Not time....

      I am working on the Prelude 998....may be I can do a record for this last week...of the first bars...let's see...I'm so slow ....!!!

      Like
  • Prelude BWV 997 measures 1-32 Mar 23

    I'm still plugging away on these thirty-two measures. I decided to add the metronome to my practice, so that I can be more disciplined about getting very accurate with this at a slow tempo. I am starting very slowly at quarter-note = 45. My hope is to keep improving my accuracy at this slow speed, and only then, slowly increasing things. Like I said, I don't know if I'll finish this prelude by the end of the challenge, but as long as I'm progressing, I can be happy.

    Like 2
      • Derek
      • Derek
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips that sounds good Eric. It's a difficult piece. I had a quick look at it and quickly put it to one side. Looking forward to your progress.

      Like
      • Olli
      • Mr. Pizza
      • Saitenzwirbler
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips this is such a wonderful piece - it is on my "to do" list for the Bach-Challenge 2023 🤣.

      You play it really great already and I really love your sound- as every big piece, maybe time is the key 😉

      Like 1
    • Olli Thanks, Olli.

      Like
      • Emmanull
      • Emma
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Eric Phillips slow is the way Eric. This piece is so beautiful that it must be addictive, I want to play it! Beautiful!

      Like 1
    • Emma Go for it. I still feel like I'm muscling my way through it. I'd like the feel to be lighter and more elegant.

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