Week 4: Prepare for Landing! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the fourth week of the "Guitar Music of the World" practice challenge!
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Canción Parameña by Efraín Silva
I just discovered this piece and this Venezuelan composer/guitarist this morning, and I thought it would be perfect for this challenge - though maybe a bit late.
I could only get through the first 8 measures at about half speed, but I thought it was such a beautiful piece that wanted to share it with you all. Have you heard of this song/guy? He hails from Aragua...
"Aragua State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and Caribbean beaches." - Wikipedia
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Thanks for posting this, Steve! I'd never heard of this composer before, but I like his music already! You're off to a good start - I'm sure you can get through the rest of it before the week's end. This piece (the beginning at least) reminds me a little of Brouwer's 'Una dia de noviembre' - straight-forward, sentimental, and evocative. And thanks for linking the score - I'll play through it as soon as I'm done reading the latest ToneBase posts!
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Steve Pederson The first few bars sound really nice Steve. Looking forward to the rest.
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Steve Pederson Why did you say a bit late... the challenge end up on April 10th
... Thanks for sharing your discovery, this composer and his music is unknown to me. -
Steve Pederson Nice, Steve. I don't know what's in the water in Venezuela, but they certainly do churn out some great guitar music. I was looking at his website and it looks like he studied with Alirio Diaz and Rodrigo Riera so he's just a step removed from Antonio Lauro and Raul Borges. Very cool find.
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David Krupka Thanks David, yes, I can see what you're saying about the Brouwer piece, especially at the tempo I'm playing it.
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Derek Thanks Derek!
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Blaise Laflamme I guess I could've checked on the last day. I thought this was the last week. Thanks!
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Steve Price yes, interesting stuff for sure! Thanks.
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Steve Pederson Great find, interested to hear more.
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Steve Pederson It's more the style than the tempo, Steve, but I take your point. By the way, having looked at the score now, I think the suggested tempo is too brisk. I prefer it with a relaxed feel. (We should never forget the sage advice of that great American guitarist - yes, I'm talking about Chuck Berry: '... unless they try to play it too darn fast, and change the beauty of the melody ...')
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Steve Pederson Not familiar with this composer, but like the melody. You're playing it beautifully so far. Look forward to your update when ready. Thanks!
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Hi, folks! I guess that's my last post of 'Scherzino' in this challenge. Not because the work is completely done, but because this piece needs more time to mature in my hands and my head. This week (Wednesday, to be exact) I had an accident with my thumb nail, in the comments I will post some photos of the accident and the repair. Maybe it will be useful for someone.
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That's my little accident... I fixed it with acrylic powder and professional tip glue. I recorded it after repair, it's a bit strange but works. And, of course, it is not an example of beauty...
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Moyses Lopes Great Moyses, really like how you play it! The middle section is so interesting... the natural C made you a happy face
... You're right, it'll mature over time but this is already sounding amazing. -
Moyses Lopes Ouch, I'm happy you fixed it before it got any further, great job!
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Moyses Lopes Such a fun and fantastic piece, and you seem to play it with such ease.
A couple questions for you...
What do feel like is the most difficult part of the piece?
This thumbnail solution, have you used it before? If so, does it work well, and does it compromise the health or integrity of the nail?
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Moyses Lopes BRAVO! That was wonderfully played and a great use of timbre, dynamics and phrasing. Very much in the style of Carlevaro's school of guitar.
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Moyses Lopes Very well played, Moyses! As Blaise also notes, something happens around 1:30 that makes you suddenly break out in a broad grin. Is it something in the music, or simply a random thought that for no apparent reason enters your mind?
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Moyses Lopes Well played Moyses - I really enjoyed listening to that - would make a great concert piece
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Blaise Laflamme I'm happy you liked the recording, this piece is a like a good red wine, needs time... Regards!
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Steve Pederson Good questions... The most difficult part? In general, the piece presents a very regular difficult level, and it's not a very difficult piece to play. But, I spent much time working on phrasing and muting or maintaining notes. For me, in this piece, Carlevaro shows us how well-humored he can be, and how great was his compositional technique.
About the glue and acrylic: I had used this solution before in the nail of the "a" finger (or the ring finger, in English) sometimes. It's very safe, but I always use it in the superior part of the nail, avoiding putting the glue in the base, near the cuticle. You can note this in the picture. Thanks for listening! -
Dale Needles Thank you! With time and a better video location, I will record it again to our Carlevaro's School of Guitar!
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David Krupka Just a wrong note and I felt something like 'uh... I killed the composer's counterpoint...'
Thanks for listening! -
Moyses Lopes That's the great thing about 'modern' music - you play a wrong note, and no one notices! And I must say, that's a very smooth way of dealing with a 'mistake'! (I tend to frown and groan in such circumstances - not a pretty sight!)
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