Week 2: Strings Attached 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of "The Transcriptions" practice challenge!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying!
- Watch the kickoff livestream!
Pick a transcription that was originally composed for another instrument, like piano or violin. Don't be afraid to choose a challenging piece or explore works from composers you haven't played before.
Commit to practicing daily and share your progress with the community. Aim to practice every day and post at least two videos per week showcasing your progress. This will help you stay motivated and accountable, and also allow you to share your transcription journey with others. Whether you're tackling a complex piece, refining your skills with a piece you already play, or experimenting with new playing techniques, the community is here to support you and celebrate your achievements.
Share your favorite piece that you would like to see transcribed or your favorite recording of a transcription. This will not only inspire others in the community but also provide a rich resource of ideas for everyone to explore. Plus, it's a great way to celebrate the creativity and artistry involved in adapting music from one instrument to another.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Working on Oriental by Granados, a beautiful piece originally for piano. I found this transcription on free-score, I believe there are better ones for 1 guitar out there, just need to find them.
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Calin Lupa I'm still evaluating the new suction cups. They seem better than the originals.
However, it looks like one of them (the lowest one on the right side) seems to lose suction sooner. It does not pop off, but you can see it raised a bit (less or no darker area inside that cup indicating much less suction). The Guitarlift is still staying attached, but wondering if you also see reduced suction in any of the suction cups hen you look at the Guitarlift attached to your guitar after a while?
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Calin Lupa Very nice Calin! I'm not familiar with this work by Granados. I'm glad you're bringing it!
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BWV 1002 Sarabande and Double
I have reworked this up as I thought it would work better for trying to control my nailless challenge. I think this worked pretty well considering that I still have difficulty controlling my dynamics and cs trills.
I had to restart the Double but afterwards it went well.
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Jack Stewart beautifully played Jack, I like your phrasing and fluidity of movement.
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Calin Lupa Thanks Calin.
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Jack Stewart Beautiful, Jack! You really play that double quickly! I almost get a panic attack when I think of playing anything that fast. Good sound, and everything is very fluid.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. I think I played the double more quickly than intended. I feel I am beginning to get a grasp of tone production, and maybe even Rh trill control w/o nails.
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Jack Stewart Nice, Jack. I'm glad you're getting the nail situation figured out.
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Jack Stewart Very good, Jack! I especially like the 'double'.
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Jack Stewart nice playing Jack. Well done. You make it sound easy and fluid. Very nice!
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Jack Stewart Well played, Jack. Thank you for sharing! The Sarabande brought me back to my first year of learning classical guitar. I remember my teacher at that time used the violin version to teach me the piece, and he asked me to play it straight from the violin sheet music. I still wonder today if it was common for guitar players to use violin sheet music for this piece...
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Jack Stewart That's great Jack. You're playing these pieces very well. I can never get the hang f any of the Bach that I've tried!
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Jack Stewart Very nice Jack. I particularly liked the Sarabande and the Double is coming along well.
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Jack Stewart This is really fantastic Jack! I'm curious what transcription you're using, of if you created your own?
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Debussy - Girl with Flaxen Hair (Apr 22)
Here is another update on this piece. Nothing is terribly different.
One funny thing. I noticed that when playing the opening note (a sustained high D), sometimes it was sustaining well, and sometimes it wasn't. I kept thinking it was my guitar somehow. Then I realized that the times it was not sustaining, my thumb was touching the 4th string and keeping it from sympathetically vibrating. Now I am more aware, and won't touch that string. It's amazing how I sometimes don't think of the most obvious solution to a problem!
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Eric Phillips Another beautiful performance, Eric. I haven't compared it to previous recordings but this is sounding very good.
I guess that 4th string is the 3rd rail. Don't touch it!
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Eric Phillips Beautiful, Eric! You look much more comfortable with the piece now, and I suspect this explains the lighter, more fluid interpretation. (That problematic chordal sequence in particular flows nicely here!) Good observation about the way open strings contribute to the guitar's resonance. I've noticed that even when tuning, sympathetic vibration can be a problem, influencing how we perceive a particular pitch.
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Eric Phillips great! it’s getting more intense and so full in sound and colour. I really like this interpretation. Good example of the art of transcription and adding new sound to the original conception of the work.
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David Krupka Thank you, David. I do feel more comfortable. I found with the chordal sequence, the lighter I play it, the more legato it sounds (or at least the illusion is legato is better). It's something I will have to keep in mind for the future.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. It is difficult to compete with the piano on a piece like this. The music seems to be teaching me to touch and stroke the strings a bit differently, more softly, than I am used to doing. It's hard for me to maintain the sound through the entire piece, as I really have to concentrate, and not just play the way I usually do.
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Eric Phillips Another fine recording Eric - I love a bit of Debussy. Very nice!
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Derek Thank you, Derek!
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Eric Phillips Beautiful sound and interpretation Eric, getting to the next level here.
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Calin Lupa Thanks, Calin!
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Eric Phillips Okay, first I have to say, I always think the video has frozen when I watch your videos!
You have this moment of pause, which I think is great and I don't do enough of. This was very enjoyable to listen to Eric. What do you think it needs to be "radio ready"? I think it's close!
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