WEEK 4: Fernando Sor for Everyone!!
WELCOME TO THE MAIN THREAD FOR THE LAST WEEK OF "Ferndando Sor" PRACTICE CHALLENGE!
- Select a mesmerizing piece from Fernando Sor! Whether it be a delicate Sor etude, a powerful solo work , or a little miniature, the repertoire is in your hands
- Dedicate yourself to consistent practice and share your musical evolution with our community. Aim for daily practice sessions and upload a minimum of two videos each week to document your progress. This will not only fuel your dedication but will also allow us to partake in your musical expedition within our tonebase family!
- Contribute your most cherished performance or recording that resonates with the "Sor Guitar Soiree." Your contribution will not only motivate but also help curate a diverse anthology of pieces for our members to discover and enjoy..
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Another of my favorite of Op.35 is #8. As a personal choice I opted to not make the bar repetition indications since the rondo form already gives us enough!
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Blaise Laflamme Beautiful! The whole piece was played with exceptional clarity and crispness. Well done, Blaise!
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Wai Thank you Wai, it's a fun play!
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Blaise Laflamme Another gem beautifully expressed. You have a great feel for this period and Sor in pariticular. Love it
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Rick Lord thank you Rick, you're right about this period as I enjoy a lot playing and expressing this style.
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Blaise Laflamme This is so great, Blaise! There is something about your sound and phrasing on this one that just sounds very authentic to the period. I could listen to music like this all day long.
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Eric Phillips thank you very much Eric!
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Blaise Laflamme This is a stunning performance of this etude. Your interpretation has really opened up the potential of this etude. Beautiful.
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Jack Stewart thank you Jack for the kind comment
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Finally, I got the time to make a first recording. I have good excuses as I had to go with my wife to babysit our grand kids last week due to the teachers strike in Quebec.... Fortunately I was able to practice every day.
I have been working on Sor OP 60, no 3 using the ''Bradford Werner'' score and following his approach to the piece. Well, this was a challenge for me....
- He is using the piece as a right hand practice for i,m alternate fingers on every string with the exception of the low E string (6). You can imagine this was a real challenge for me. I started by practicing daily a chromatic scale using alternate i,m fingers to warm up. Then i was working on the piece.
- He is using a left hand fingering that alternates the position of the fingers from the first to the second fret. Again a very good exercise but quite challenging.
- Finally, I had a hard time memorizing the piece because my brain had to concentrate so much on the left and right hand.
Well, here is my first recording. Still plenty of mistakes and work to do. However, I am patient and with another year of practice, I should be able to play it reasonably well
PS... Blaise Laflamme I know, my thumb is still hiding in the hand. I am working on it
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Andre Bernier nice work Andre, it won't take a year I can tell you!
As for the thumb you can, for stabilization, put it on lower E or even better on the upper string you're currently playing and move it as you play. -
Andre Bernier The elements are all there - a very good initial video. The challenge is part of the joy of playing!
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Andre Bernier Great start Andre. Unless you put this piece away for the next 11 months, you will have it down pat soon.
As an aside, not sure how much of Bradford Werner's materials you are using, but I started using his material earlier this year and it now forms a significant portion of my classical guitar practice time.
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Andre Bernier Great work, Andre! Give it time, and eventually you'll be playing without really having to think all the time about the right hand, especially.
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks Blaise I started to put my thumb on the low E string but this is not easy...
Well I guess I will get used to it... -
Rick Lord Thanks Rick. I like the challenge, the key is to not push too hard and find a manageable difficulty for my level.
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Jim King Thanks Jim,
I purchased on Amazon the '' 25 progressive studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor''. The video lessons are available on his site
https://wernerguitareditions.com/products/25-progressive-studies-op60-fernando-sor-pdf
or
https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/?s=Sor+op&ct_post_type=post%3Apage
He certainly has a comprehensive and detailed program; however, I try to stay as much as possible on the Tonebase level system curriculum. I will post more details on this soon on my tonebase journal.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. As long I am making progress in the right direction, I am happy
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Andre Bernier Great job, Andre. This looks like a real workout for the right hand but you maintain a steady beat and fluid performance. I agree with the others that you will develop a confidence in playing this piece as you practice it. Great job!
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Jack Thanks Jack.
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Menuet Andantino Lento Op 24 No 1 Nov 28
I feel like I have a better musical handle on this piece now, after practicing it for a few days. As short as it is, it really hurts my left hand to play.
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Eric Phillips wow Eric, you're churning out piece after piece and all so beautifully played. Someday, hopefully, I'll get to a similar position
. Btw, at the moment, what would be your ideal repertoire wishlist that you'd like to play in a concert? Around 8-10 pieces. Currently, my wishlist include Recuerdos, Lagrima, Adelita, Julia Florida, Prelude No.1 and Etude No.1 by Villas Lobos, Sor's study in B minor, La Cathedral.
Curious to know what other fellow members' lists are like, so I could explore pieces I might not be familiar with yet.
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Eric Phillips bravo Eric, it's impressive how it musically matured and flows under your fingers in just a few days of practice. I also experiment a bit the same and independently of the piece level, looks like something installs by itself at some point and connects right after a few days of «stewing».
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Thank you, Nijwm. My ideal repertoire wishlist would probably be a mile long, but here are a few pieces that have stood out for me for many years:
- Fantasia 33 by Francesco da Milano
- Forlorn Hope Fancy by John Dowland
- Tombeau sur la mort de M. Comte de Logy by S.L. Weiss
- Elegie by J.K. Mertz
- Un Sueno en la Floresta by Agustin Barrios
- Sonata III by M.M. Ponce
- Sonatina by F.M. Torroba
- Nocturnal by Benjamin Britten
- El Decameron Negro by Leo Brouwer
To be honest, though, I do not find motivation in thinking, "One day, if I work hard enough, I will play all these great pieces!" I am simply motivated by giving 100% to the music I am currently working on. When people ask me, "What is your favorite piece?" my honest answer is the one I am working on right now.
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Eric Phillips This is a beautiful interpretation, Eric. Yo have really transformed the introduction. I always found the strummed chords something of an intrusion but your performance gives them and the preceding baselines a real gravitas. Beautiful.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
