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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Maurice Sherbanée - Sahara
While surfing YT, I came across a video of Edson Lopes playing this piece, and it really struck me. I can't find out anything about the composer. There are several performances of his pieces on YT, but a Google search on his name gives me nothing about him. (There is an actor with the same name, but I suspect they are not one and the same person.) Has anybody heard of him?
According the score (attached), the music is arranged for guitar by Howard Heitmeyer. I don't know the original setting. Maybe it's a song?
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Eric Phillips What a find, thanks for sharing this with us! Maybe he's the same person... nothing about him, very strange
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Eric Phillips Very nice, Eric! I first heard of Sherbanee through Edson Lopes as well (Streets of Rio). I've also wondered whether he is the Hollywood actor. According to something I came across on YouTube, this is indeed the case:
Maurice Sherbanee was born in Baghdad, Iraq 10/23/1930, his family fled to India in 1940, and then to Japan and Los Angeles in 1970. In Los Angeles, he acted for 40 years in film (including Indecent Proposal-1993 and Charlie Wilson's War-2007) and on television.. Maurice is a classical guitarist and a composer for classical guitars. His songs are performed by classical guitarists globally including Howard Heitmeyer, Ernest Kwok, Yoo Sik Ro, Marzenna Wiecaszek and Claudio Pezzella.
Strange though that there's no wikipedia entry for him.
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Eric Phillips agree with Blaise: great discovery. Intriguing, evocative music this is, very familiar Latin sound but also unexpected turns. Thanks for sharing… worth looking for more…..
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Blaise Laflamme David Krupka joosje Thank you for the kind comments. David - thanks also for the research on Sherbanee. He sounds like an eclectic, talented, and fascinating individual. Given his background, I think his music definitely qualifies for this Music of the World challenge!
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Eric Phillips That was just cut and paste, not research! I don't know if the source I quoted is reliable. But I agree, if it's accurate, he's had quite a life!
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Eric Phillips Very nice Eric. A good find indeed. It sounds quite 'film like'. Very enigmatic.
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Derek I agree. It must be all those diminished chords.
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Eric Phillips Great find! Very much in the school of South American popular folkloric melodies and songs. Very beautiful.
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Dale Needles Thanks, Dale! I’ll take your word on that.
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Eric Phillips Wonderful Eric! Such rich harmonies. Since you mentioned the word "actor" it gave me the sense that it could be music for a movie soundtrack.
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Steve Pederson I agree, it sounds like it could be, but nothing comes up in a search about him writing film music. It definitely has that vibe, though.
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Eric Phillips Such a sorrowful melody! Beautiful piece, great find, Eric! As usual, you beautifully sang the melody. There is a bit of bossa nova in the harmony, don't you? Thanks for sharing!
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Moyses Lopes Thanks, Moyses, I agree. The use of chromatic diminished chords and the playing around with major/minor intervals are definitely reminiscent of bossa nova.
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Eric Phillips Very nice, Eric. A very pensive piece. As mysterious as the composer apparently.
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Eric Phillips Lovely! I’m learning about so much new repertoire through this challenge. I really enjoyed your performance.
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Marilyn Blodget Thanks, Marilyn!
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Frederic Hand - Elegy for a King
I am going to make this my final posting of this piece for this challenge. I'm not too happy with the section right after the harmonics, but it will have to do for now.
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Eric Phillips bravo Eric, beautiful
and you did a camera angle change!! -
Eric Phillips Very nice Eric. That is a pretty heavy piece to get to this point in a month. Really well done. Congrats.
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Blaise Laflamme Yes, the change in angle is meant to hide the fact that I did that last section in a separate take. Not very subtle, I know.
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Steve Price Thanks, Steve. I feel like it really hasn't improved since the end of about week one. It always seems like I can get a piece to a playable level pretty quickly, but I just can't elevate it after that, no matter how much more I practice it.
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Eric Phillips well I didn't thought about that way... I mostly film with 2 cameras and when I do the video montage I usually switch views depending on multiple factors like phrase, theme, section... but also to put two good takes together. Good work!
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Eric Phillips I think it has improved overall, you feel more confident and the music is more fluid, your movements too. Don't underestimate long term learning and playing
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Eric Phillips I think some of these need to marinate away from the guitar for a long time. I was playing something the other day that I had quit a year or so ago playing because of an awkward stretch. I was reading through it and was anticipating the stretch and then realized I had already played it. Strange how these things work out sometimes. Plus, I think I notice things musically after it's been a while.
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Blaise Laflamme Thank you, Blaise. You are absolutely right, and I appreciate the encouragement.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
