Week 3: Let's hear it 🎥
Got something you can put on tape? Post a video or audio of what you're playing this summer, rough edges welcome.
And leave a kind word or a tip on someone else's take while you're here. First time dropping in? Perfect. Share whatever you've got. 🎸
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Llobet - Three Canciones Populares Catalanas in D minor
I think Llobet liked the key of D, both major and minor. If I counted correctly, of the fourteen songs in this collection, four are in D major and three are in D minor. All seven of these use drop D tuning.
I thought I'd kick off Week 3 with the three canciones in D minor:
- Plany (Lament) - According to AI (Gemini), this song was originally about a brave shepherd who safeguarded his personal freedom. Then, in the 19th century, new words were written with a more political tone, lamenting how Catalonia no longer was ruled by its own people. I find this one to be the most intense of the Canciones.
- La Presó de Lleida (the Prison of Lleida) - Lleida is the name of a town, and this is a song sung by the inmates of the town's prison, lamenting a tragic romance between a wealthy noblewoman and one of the condemned prisoners. I had never played this one before. The opening artificial harmonics on the bass strings are challenging to make ring clearly.
- El Testament d'Amèlia (Amelia's Will) - As I am sure many of you know, this song is the last will and testament of a young woman on her deathbed, poisoned by her own mother (or stepmother in some versions). She leaves her possessions to the Church, her brother, and the poor. Then, at the end, she leaves her own husband to her mother, revealing that she knows that the two had been having a secret affair. Pleasant stuff! I have played this piece quite a bit, and so was able to quickly commit it to memory.
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Torroba - Burgalesa (Aug 20)
I came across a recording of this by Aniello Desiderio that I loved, so I decided to try to play it. There's no particular connection to the Llobet arrangements I've been playing.
Torroba wrote this piece in F#major, and as you can imagine, it's very difficult to play in that key. Also, the guitar lacks a bit of resonance in that key as well. So, several guitarists have transposed it down to E major. I am playing one such transposition by Abel Carlevaro. He also reharmonizes it in a few spots as well. I think his arrangement sits beautifully on the instrument.