WEEK 2: The Depths of J.S.Bach's Music! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of the J.S.Bach Challenge! This is the place to post 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
↓ Reply below with your submissions and questions! ↓
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Sarabande BWV 997 Mar 18
I've been a bit sick for a couple days (not Covid) so I haven't practiced as much or as well as I'd like. Here is an update of the Sarabande. I'm not sure there's any improvement, and maybe it's gone downhill a bit. C'est la vie!
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Eric Phillips thank for this one Eric. Beautiful.
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Prelude BWV 997 measures 1-16 only (Mar 18)
The last couple videos of the Sarabande that I posted give a little hint at what I'd try to play next, and that's the Prelude to the same suite. I'm playing only measures 1-16 here, and very slowly. I'll be honest, I think this one may be beyond me right now, but I'll keep trying for at least a couple more days and see if it starts coming together. I'm using the Koonce transcription, but altering the fingerings a bit here or there.
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Eric Phillips I am so glad to hear you taking this prelude on. This is a great start and I don't believe it is beyond you at all (said by the guy who has never tried BWV 997!). Looking forward for your progress and report.
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Jack Stewart Thanks for the encouragement, Jack. Maybe being sick makes more more pessimistic.
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Eric Phillips I love that Prelude ! You already made a very good job on the piece
....It only will take more practice time to become really great performance. Keep on working on it !!! -
Olli Thank you, Olli. It is beautiful. I'll be honest, though, I just read through the next sixteen measures and got pretty discouraged.
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Eric Phillips if some piece is beyond you is because you don't decide to get her, yet. You play beautifully and have technique enough, go ahead and have fun!
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Moyses Lopes Thank you for the encouragement. I honestly am not too sure that I have the technique for this yet, and I'm not having a lot fun playing it. I haven't moved on yet. I'm just wondering if it might be best to move on to something less frustrating.
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Prelude BWV 997 measures 1-32 Mar 19
Pressing onward. I'm not too happy with the progress. If I'm going to continue working on this, I think I may need something easier to work on at the same time, just to give me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
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Eric Phillips Nice play, nice smile!
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Moyses Lopes Thanks, Moyses.
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Eric Phillips You're doing great on this prelude, Eric. It sounds like you have the first 30 measures down pretty solid. I hope you are able to continue to work on it. I think having something else to work on that is less challenging simultaneously is a good idea. I also think you play at a much higher level than you might think.
Almost everything I play is really challenging for me and very frustrating to learn. My attitude now is that I only try to learn pieces I really want to play (unfortunately that means they are usually pretty difficult) but that also gives me the motivation to persevere - usually.
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Eric Phillips This is a really big piece and you are doing well on it ! It needs time - this is great - otherwise it would be not challenging for you
At the end the whole piece will, as always when you practice, sound really great 
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. My approach has always been the opposite, preferring to play intermediate pieces. While I love listening to the prelude, I'm not really enjoying working on it yet. It still feels a little bit like eating my vegetables (metaphorically speaking, since I actually love most vegetables).
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Olli I hope so, but I think it will take me beyond the end of this challenge. The parts I haven't played yet seem to be the most difficult. I'm not exactly known for my patience in playing challenging pieces. Usually, if I don't have the notes pretty much under my fingers in a day or two, I move on to something else.
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Eric Phillips Such a wonderful prelude and it is really coming along in your hands. Bravo!
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Rick Lord Thank you, Rick.
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Eric Phillips what great start start on this wonderful prelude. I will search back in the forum for your other submissions, Eric. II missed a lot, I know. (Slowly getting back to the forum now ) This one is inspiring me to spend more time here. Listening to it is healing.
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joosje Always good to hear from you, Joosje. I've heard that Pepe Romero was asked what his secret is for always being so full of joy, and he said, "Play some Bach every day!" At times, it makes me feel less than joyful, though, only because it's so difficult. But I can at least listen to some every day.
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Eric Phillips I feel your pain…what is harder to play than Bach? Nothing! I think many guitarists have been slain on the road to Bach. But you are doing perfectly well! All the voices come through so the counterpoint is clear. Nice job. Keep up the good work.
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Eric Phillips I know it's hard to be happy with our progress, but I'm very impressed with your progress. I think you're doing amazing!
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Dear Community, as mentioned at the beginning of this challenge, my goal ist to bring BWV998 back to live - I played it in 2009 and it was really challenging. Too much challenging, so I never practiced on it again all over the years. Next week Friday I will have a guitar lesson by Martin Martin and I had the idea to use this Sunday to record the whole BWV 998 Suite on which I am practicing now again for about three weeks. So Martin can also have a look at it and help me to improve. I tried to let the recordings flow and also tried to bring much musicality into it. (at least I hope so ) Sometimes I need to restart a passage, because my memory went empty or the fingers played the wrong notes
. So, this is the BWV998 Prelude - on practicing... (the screw of my microphone-holder gets loose and one mic of the Blumlein-Setting turned to the sound hole - the left channel is much louder than the right channel - I fixed this problem before recording the Allegro .... sorry 
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Olli I actually listened to the Allegro first, then the Fugue, now your Prelude. How amazing that you're playing all three of these monuments! I know the Prelude is played much more often than the other two movements, but it's still my favorite of the three, and you play it so well.
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Olli Sounding great!
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Olli. Beautiful playing., considering it’s just practicing ? no joking, it’s a really good performance, very clean and secure.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
