WEEK 2: Dóbry den’ (Good Day)!
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the Nikita Koshkin challenge! This is the place for the Week 2 Submissions!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
- Get the Scores Here
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
-
Study 6 update.
It's not perfect, but it is a touch faster here, with fewer mistakes, and no stops and starts. Getting there! I still can't play measures 5-11 consistently without mistakes.
-
Eric Phillips This one is so dramatic. I like it a lot. The left hand looks like it gets really busy. Was it hard to attune your ear to those dramatic chords? I would be so worried that I had the wrong note!
-
Eric Phillips Great progress on this tough piece! I had to laugh when Elizabeth mentioned being worried about playing a wrong note, because I'm sure that playing this for someone unfamiliar with the piece it might be very hard hard to distinguish right from wrong notes.
I love dissonant studies like this and #10, as I'm sure it makes it even more challenging. -
Elizabeth Uyehara Yes, this kind of music forces me to be very attentive to the score, since my ear doesn’t really tell me if I’ve played a wrong note. Who knows, maybe I am playing lots of wrong notes! It wouldn’t be the first time.
-
Brett Gilbert My family thinks these pieces are nothing but wrong notes! They appreciated the Carcassi challenge a bit more.
-
Eric Phillips wonderful playing. Eric. I admire this version. I know it’s a tricky thing to play in one take, without mistakes. You made it sound great.
-
Eric Phillips my husband also doesn’t appreciate these pieces so much, preferred our Tarrega, Carcassi, Sor, and some of my repertoire pieces. I lock myself in one spare room. Still working on 8 and 9 and repeating 7.
-
Eric Phillips my husband also doesn’t appreciate these pieces so much, preferred our Tarrega, Carcassi, Sor, and some of my repertoire pieces. I lock myself in one spare room. Still working on 8 and 9 and repeating 7.
-
joosje Thank you, Joosje!
-
joosje Wow, number 8 is really difficult!
-
Eric Phillips well done! I can’t her any mistakes. The piece makes sense, you play it beautifully
-
Emma Thank you, Emma!
-
-
Koshkin #1 update. Here's measures 5-9. I found it hard to find a tempo slow enough where I could at least play the right notes! The things I'm struggling with are fretting the right string or playing the right bass string. I'm also trying to train myself to use the right hand markings on the score. Sometimes I play the right note with the wrong finger. So many things can go wrong, LOL! I haven't even gotten to addressing the dynamics and other subtleties of playing!
My goal is to make it through this piece in 3 weeks. Since the next 3 measures are a repeat from the beginning, I only have 3 more measures to learn. Yay, I might make it!
-
Elizabeth Uyehara You'll definitely be able to play the entire piece soon, you're making great progress!
-
Elizabeth Uyehara Almost there, Elizabeth! It’s sounding really good.
-
Elizabeth Uyehara beautiful Elizabeth. You’re doing great. Looking forward to seeing your submission of this study. We all know how hard it is to get a whole piece recorded,…
-
Elizabeth Uyehara well done! You are nearly there!!!
-
Elizabeth Uyehara So fantastic, very inspiring you really digging into the piece! Glad you participated in the interacitve Livestream with Marina, too!
-
Martin Yes, I'm so happy I made it to the Livestream. I almost missed it. The best part was that my most burning questions were answered in the Livestream! It was as if you guys were reading my mind!
-
-
Study #2 is coming along well. It's pretty well under my fingers and up to tempo. It just needs polishing, working on the balance, dynamics, rubato, and color. Time to start #3.
- Things you found easy: The chords, while many were unfamiliar, were not difficult to finger. The arpeggio pattern is one I've done many times.
- Things you found difficult: Some of the chords were unusual. In a few places (measures 8, 13, 24, and 29) I found it easier to use a barre at the first fret instead of the indicated fingering. Bringing out the top note of the chord is not difficult but required attention.
This is a really lovely piece and I have enjoyed learning it.
-
Peg Barrett Thanks for the update, Peg. This is a simple but very beautiful and effective piece.
-
Peg Barrett thank you! Glad you are enjoying the piece!
-
Peg Barrett Thank you, Peg! Marina called the opening a "Rock Ballad", I hope you can really enjoy the atmosphere of these chords!
-
Study #9
easy: try to imagine the melodic lines in your mind
difficult: try to play these melodic lines; they are in a rather slow tempo, but It’s very hard to connect those chords in distant positions. I’m also still working on the part with harmonics. I thought I was rather good with harmonics, but these are so tricky….
I made a recording of the first part, but my internet is too slow here. I cannot upload the files (I’m in France now, on holiday)
-
joosje I've started looking at this one too. It's definitely a lot harder than it sounds when I listen to Marina play it (she's so good!). I don't know if I will be able to pull off these complex rhythms, and the section of harmonics toward the end is so hard. I'll keep at it a while more, but I think it may be beyond me. I very much look forward to hearing you and Martin play it!
-
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
