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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Just coming in to this one, here is a Bach piece transcribed by Per-Olov Kindgren 'Air on G string'
named simply because the entire melody is played on the G-string of the violin if played in C major.
Per-Olov Kindgren transcibed it to the key of C, after listening to orchestra's play this piece, the one thing that stood out to me was the beautiful bass line thumping out the harmony as the melody floated gracefully above. I tried to replicate this bass by muting the 6, 5, and 4th strings to re-produce the sound as experiment. Seems to work well.
This is first cut at Section A of the piece with repeats and some clams. I'll be traveling the end of month, hopefully I can produce a nice video of the full piece in two weeks.
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Michael Shirk I know exactly the sound you're talking about and I think the muted strings capture it really well. Nicely done.
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Steve Price thanks Steve looking for a better mute. Really can’t do it with the palm of hand, to much going on with other strings.
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Michael Shirk Well done, Michael! I really like your trills. Are you achieving the muted basses with your left hand?
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Michael Shirk That bass is really nice Michael. Very well played.
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Eric Phillips No, I don't think that's possible in the time frame. I put string mutes on 6, 5, 4th strings.
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Michael Shirk What are string mutes? Is it some material you're putting in there?
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Michael Shirk This is a beautiful start, Michael. It has been a long time since I have listened to this piece - 'Easy Listening' programs have not done any favors for this piece IMO. Hearing this now I realize how delicately beautiful it is.
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Eric Phillips lol, folded up paper towel.
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Steve Price after watching the orchestra, I can see the sound is coming from plucking the cellos in unison. Bach’s bass lines are fantastic.
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Michael Shirk His bass lines really are great. I love how prominent they are in pieces like the first Brandenbug concerto. It's like a rock song.
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Michael Shirk I love this Michael! I've never heard that technique of muting the bass strings. Brilliant! Really lets the melody sing.
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Michael Shirk I really love your trills! And the video quality is very nice and sharp! Very good lighting also!
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Khiem Nguyen thanks, just my iPhone with cheap face lighting. Works pretty good
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II. Gallarda y Villano (Suite Española) - Gaspar Sanz
Here is the second piece of The Suite Española, but the indicated tempo was too fast for me so I had to slow down. For the Villano section, I also played a version arranged by Bradford Werner which was much longer. I'm curious to know which version is closer to the original, or if Gaspar Sanz had created multiple versions of Villano.
III. Danza de las Hachas (Suite Española)
This piece is relatively simple, but I'm not sure how to play it in a way that captures the essence of a "Danza".
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Wai nicely done, I can see where you have to be careful with the starting tempo, if to fast it could be lost.
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Wai Great work, Wai! On Gallarda y Villano, those fast scale runs are pretty impressive. I also like the index finger rasgeados. They sound a bit like the clangy strumming of the baroque guitar. As for the Danza, I think it's great as is, simple and elegant.
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Wai You're playing these pieces very well Wai. You're making me want to go back to the Sanz pieces that I play. More of it please!
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Wai These are great, Wai. Both pieces are beautifully performed. The Gallarda is a real workout which you handle comfortably. The Danza is performed very stately. Even though it is called a 'Danza' it is not quite a boogie.
I keep hearing Rodrigo's Gentilhombre Concerto.
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Wai These are really good Wai. This is a great set. I've only heard a few of the "standards" of Sanz so it's nice to hear more.
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Michael Shirk Thank you, Michael.
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Eric Phillips Thanks, Eric. I'm still not sure which finger is better for strumming those chords - the thumb or index finger. Using the index finger feels more intuitive to me.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. I can't imagine how people in ancient times danced to this kind of music. Maybe I should ask my DJ friend to play it at their parties and see how people respond.
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Wai great playing. Very nice sound; these pieces are so elegant and pleasing for the ear. Thank you for sharing and it would be great to hear more of this….,
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Wai Well played, Wai! To address your question, there is, in addition to the 'Villano' you play here (which is from the first book of Sanz's 'Instrucción de Música') a longer 'Villanos' in the second book. It's not clear to me what the significance of the plural form in the second title is. It might indicate more than one dance tune strung together. (Or perhaps it's just an orthographical variant.) In any event, the origin of the term reveals something of the character of the music: 'villano' means 'villager' in English, and is also cognate with our word 'villain'. (Which shows what city folk thought of their rural brethren in earlier times!) So a 'villano' is a rustic dance, which is to say harmonically (and often rhythmically) unsophisticated. The 'gallarda' ('galliard' in English) is also a type of popular dance.
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