WEEK 2: La Guitarra Espanola! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of our musical Journey to Spain!! This is the place to share submissions of the second week! 
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
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
↓ HAPPY PRACTICING, HAPPY SHARING ↓
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I wanted to get a couple more pieces by Sor in before the end of the second week. One thing I really appreciate about this forum is being able to submit video takes that are “less than perfect”!
The first one is just the first half of his Op 7 Fantasie in C minor. I performed this for my senior recital back in 1992 and haven’t played it since. I’ve been resurrecting it, but after this point it gets much more difficult.
The second one is the fun little Minuet in C. I also performed this one for my senior recital, but because it’s much simpler, so I’ve kept up with it. Recently what I've been working on is various ways of executing the descending line from F in the trio section. (The C69 chord at the end is not in the original score.
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Eric Phillips I'm sure Sor meant to put that chord in there at the end, but I'm also certain he was constrained by the compositional conventions of his time.
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Steve Pederson that Fantasy is so beautiful and you played it well, thanks for sharing your take on it.
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Blaise Laflamme thanks!
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Steve Pederson Very nice Steve. I used to play the Fantasy, probably around the same time as you! I sometimes think of resurrecting it. The minuet was very good too. Maybe the next challenge should be jazzy endings to famous pieces!
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Steve Pederson Those were wonderful, Steve. I especially like the Fantasy op. 7. I think Sor really upped his game on that one compositionally.
Your performance of the minuet was also great. It's obvious you are familiar with Sor's overlooked jazz tutorial, based on that final chord.
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Steve Pederson bravo, Steve.the fantasy is one of Sor’s greatest works. It’s so difficult, but you’re playing the opening so well. Great job. The minuet is also wonderful. nice playing, good articulation.
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Steve Pederson Really like both performances, very nice musicality. The Fantasy in C minor is so beautiful and really makes you wait in anticipation for what comes next.
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Today I was installing the gear for next week videos production and I'm trying out a different mix of microphones and positions. Here's my take on Sanz's Pavana while testing out the sound, sorry for missed notes and chords, I would have needed a bit more practice
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Blaise Laflamme Blaise, that was awesome! Great sound, control of the voices, and deep emotion. Just beautiful! I listened to it three times in a row, not wanting it to end.
And I’ll just say thank you here for all your kind words above.
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Eric Phillips thank you Eric for your appreciation I'm happy you liked it.
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Blaise Laflamme OMG, you almost had me in tears. What an incredible job Blaise! So beautiful, and I loved the recapitulation at the end. Brilliant! I really liked the way you did a ritard of the last of those descending 16th notes towards the end of the piece. So subtle, but so powerful.
BTW, at the very beginning of the song, the opening base notes - A, A, B, C - made me think of the opening riff from Paul McCartney's song "Jet".
I am curious why you used a capo. I thought it might have been because of an intonation issue. I know I really have intonation issues with this song. Or was it just for something a little different?
Okay, - update - I just tried it with a capo myself and I can see why! Holy cow! It's so much easier to play with a capo at 2nd fret, and it did take care of the intonation issues as well!
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Blaise Laflamme Beautiful Blaise - makes me want to play it! Great tone and the sound is really good.
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Derek thanks Derek, that's a beautiful piece with some introspective mood, at least to me. Share your version if you try it out!
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Blaise Laflamme Blaise, that was beautiful, in all respects - playing, tone, interpretation and production. But then it is probably much easier to play if your hands aren't actually connected to your body.
Hearing the various pieces by Sanz I have to reconsider my assessment of his music. I think he is certainly comparable to DeVisee. I'll have to look into more of his music. Thanks.
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Jack Stewart thank you Jack for your kind comments, I appreciate. Getting better at production is related to having an awesome teacher, don't you know Martin
You're right about hands, they work better when not connected to the body, but they are harder to reconnect after 
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Jack Stewart I haven't played that much Sanz myself too but that's beautiful music and the first week gave us a lot. I'm interested by Sanz's Suite de Antiguas Danzas Españolas by Carlevaro at some point.
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Blaise Laflamme wow - that sounds really great ...
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Olli Thanks Olli!
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Blaise Laflamme i will try recording in week 3 - practicing in the meanwhile ... in this challenge my goal is to improve in 5 pieces - two pieces are new, three pieces I learned again
... The whole community is so great and every day I look to the community, there are so many new pieces recorded....wow - that is insane ....have a great day
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Olli you're right so much great content is shared here! I'm happy you're expecting to post in next week, I'm looking forward to it. I'm working on other musical projects then makes it hard to find enough time to post content here. One work I'm preparing a video for would kind of work in the challenge, while not composed by a Spanish composer but based on Spanish music, so I'll post here when done. And if I have enough time I'll try to post at least one other work before the end.
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Blaise Laflamme yes, you are also right - it is hard to find enough time to prepare music. Hopefully in near future the corona limitations will be canceled and the stage is open again.
I am also looking forward to your next video
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Blaise Laflamme wonderful, Blaise. You take more freedom in the piece than I have ever heard. But I like every bit of it. Beautiful sound, too. Thank you.
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joosje thank you Joosje, I didn't intended to play in style but the music seemed appropriate for this.
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Blaise Laflamme That was beautiful. Loved the ornaments. Interesting to compare it to Carlevaro's version. Also, could definitely hear some Carlevaro color in your right hand.
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Dale Needles Thank you Dale, I'll probably learn Carlevaro's version when I'll work on his edition, I'm a big fan of everything he has done. I definitely have some Carlevaro's legacy in my overall playing, his technic books and school of guitar were the basis of my studies (and still), and later coupled with one of his eminent student as a teacher.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
