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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Okay, well...
I wanted to make a recording to show my progress on Canción Parameña by Efraín Silva. I've played through the entire piece here, including the repeat (which posed a problem with my iPad while trying to advance the page
). It's painfully slow, unfortunately. What I'm learning is that I can't just commit a few minutes every so often to a piece and expect miracles. However, since it is a YouTube video, you can play at faster than I recorded it. I actually tried that - playing it at 1.5 speed, and I think it sounds better!
The piece is growing on me. When listening to others playing it up to speed I like it, but there are some strange harmonies and fingerings that make the piece not one of my favorites.
Anyhow, I thought I'd change up the scenery a bit and give you a different view/perspective of my home studio. Maybe, while watching me play you can also play a hidden treasure game and find a dozen unique artifacts.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric, yes, I was noticing the same thing about the melody and accompaniment when I watched the playback. Thanks for confirming my suspicions!
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I also have an update on Sons de Carrilhões.
This is the first time posting the entire piece with repeats. The challenge I've found with that is remembering the form. So, there's a couple of pauses where I'm trying to remember what comes next.
(I hope it's not old age!) I really like this song and enjoy playing it. I have it memorized, which makes things interesting, because I've changed the way I play it a number of times. It's hard to read while playing because there's so much movement all over the neck. Gotta keep my eyes there, but I would like to work on just feeling the big jumps without having to look.
I wanted to get these last submissions in before the crazy weekend. I won't be able to post anymore, and unfortunately I won't be able to make the Watch Party on Monday, as I will be at the funeral of my friend's wife.
On the whole I will say that I've really enjoyed all I've discovered, learned and accomplished as a part of this challenge.
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Steve Pederson Sounds great, Steve. Your playing is very relaxed and comfortable. Just consider the pauses as 'expressive'. As to 'trying to remember what comes next' - it is old age. Well, maybe not next, but it is coming.
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Steve Pederson Very nicely played. You can really tell that you enjoy playing this beautiful piece. Love your energy.
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack, and I'll take the memory lapses as a sign of self expression. Great idea!
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Dale Needles Thanks Dale, and yes I enjoy it quite a bit.
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Steve Pederson well played Steve, that's a beautiful piece and no worries about pauses, I do them all the time and over the weeks they quietly fade away
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Steve Pederson Nice Steve. Really a joyful piece and I think you bring that out.
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Steve Pederson Very beautiful! Don't worry about pauses, for sure João Pernambuco loves your interpretation! Bravo!
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Steve Pederson Great submission, Steve. I really like the way you play this great piece. Relaxed and energetic at the same time.
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks Blaise! Good to know.
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Steve Price Thank you Steve!
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Moyses Lopes Thank you Moyses! What a nice thing to say!
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joosje Thank you Joosje!
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Steve Pederson Love the groove, Steve! I'm no dancer, but I can't help but move a bit as I listen to this. Great work!
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric! I got you dancing - mission accomplished!
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I'm not sure I'll have time to record and post, before the Watch Party, the last Canadian composer I wanted to share with you (with this already started long weekend)... but I'll share another video I produced this week for Roque Carbajo's Quebec Suite, he posted on his YT channel a few hours ago. This is the third piece dedicated to Robert Charlebois, one of our giants of song here in Quebec... Un 25 Juin!
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Blaise Laflamme Blaise, this is beyond amazing! What a great piece and performance! I bow humbly before your greatness.
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Blaise Laflamme Very beautiful and masterfully played, got a little bluesy thing going on there in the middle. Love it! Not really familiar with the Mexican song composer, Roque Carbajo. What is his connection to Quebec and to Robert Charlebois?
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Eric Phillips Thank you very much Eric! but no need to bow... it's just me playing humbly
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Dale Needles Thank you Dale, yeah that's based on popy/bluesy music style from here. Well Carbajo lives here since 1979, after he was touring in Quebec. This work, Suite Quebec, is a series of 10 musical poems in tribute to Quebec... I still have 7 remaining to do!
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Blaise Laflamme Fantastic in every respect, Blaise! Very cool video too - I love the contrastive lighting. And I must say, that looks like a challenging piece - a lot of hopping around the fretboard, and more than a few finger-busting chords. And musically, it strikes me as a highly suitable tribute to Charlebois - I hope someone sends him the link! Thanks for sharing here!
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Blaise Laflamme I think we all need to be bowing, Blaise! Your demeanour might be humble, but your playing certainly isn't!
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David Krupka Thank you David for the kind words, and yes the piece is enough challenging compared to how it sounds, but it's a fun play.
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David Krupka haha... if we all need to bow then I would have too and I won't be able to play in that position!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
