WEEK TWO Updates: Main Thread - Following the Path to Tárrega
Alright, welcome to WEEK TWO of the Main Thread for this challenge! 
Where is the Week 1 thread?
Find the Week 1 thread here!
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!)
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
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I decided to move on from Maria Gavota and give Maria Tango a whirl.
What was easy: The re-tuning of two strings always made me avoid playing this piece from my Tarrega book, but it wasn't bad at all. Almost no notes on the re-tuned strings (5th and 6th) were fretted notes. It was such a fun piece to play!
What was difficult: It's very rhythmic, which is not my strength. I was constantly playing the wrong bass notes and messing up the harmonies. The right-hand harmonics in the one measure were hard to pull off in tempo.
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Martin Thank you, Martin!
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Eric Phillips Again man your timing is tight! That was dancing man.
loved the rasqeo tambora effect on the intro you gave me an idea
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Jaime Zaldua Thanks, Jaime. That’s my faker flamenco imitation!
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Here's my update for week 2:
Adelita is coming along nicely. Still not ready to perform but I'm happy with the my progress in 2 weeks.
The Easy: The pull offs in melody of the first section. Well, maybe not yet easy but definitely easier. I've been trying to apply Martin's advice of minimizing my left hand and wrist motion.
The Hard: The ornaments on the melody in the second section. I believe my difficulties here are similar to my issues with the pull offs in the first section. But I'm also having trouble with the timing and keeping the melody together when I add the ornaments.
Here's my video:
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matt Great to see your progress, Matt! Congratulations
I am sure, the ornaments will fit in in the near future
Finally I have to say, that you really have a very cool music room!! -
matt Coming along great, Matt! The B section is definitely harder than the A section. Maybe making up a few exercises based on the slurs in the piece could prove helpful.
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. I think you are right, making some exercises based on the hammer-on pull-offs is a good idea.
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matt very nice progress Matt! It’s sounding great! Indeed, those ornaments in the second half should be left out until you’re completely stable before you add them. I see you play other styles of guitar as they are displayed around you. Nice collection! I do too. That is one of the reasons not keeping the framing of your left hand consistent can be a challenge. Playing other styles of guitar we it differently for different techniques, like bending a note for example. I have to be very conscious of this as well and videoing myself really helps.
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matt very good progress Matt. I loved your room by the way!
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matt It's sounding really good! I also love your studio!
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matt Great!! Really enjoyed your progress on your wrist movement, good job! And as someone pointed out: great room, a lot of great company
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matt Bravo!!
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matt nice one Matt
ornaments sounded great
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Update for week 2:
I've continued with Adelita, and happy with my progress
Easy: Section A... Feeling confident and enjoying playing this section, and working on dynamics
Hard: Section B...I am struggling with ornaments in measure 12 and measure 14... I have played through without the ornaments in these 2 measures and I am now working on adding them, and it's still a bit of a stretch in measure 12 ... I can relate to comments matt
I have to go away for most of the coming week. I was hoping to make a start on Prelude 5, but really want to commit Adelita to memory and improve my playing of Section B ... I'll update again soon...
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margaret macarthur Awesome, thank you for your update! It's a very good feeling to really dig into a piece and really get to know it, so no rush with moving on to the next one! We are going to have a very interesting Livestream with Ashley (Ash) Lucero on Applied Analysis with Tárrega's Prelude 5, you should watch out for that!
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Martin Thanks Martin ... I've enjoyed playing Adelita and the challenge has certainly made me up my game - I'm very pleased with my progress in playing Adelita. I may just manage to start on Prelude 5 before end of 3 week challenge but I will continue with it and look out for the Tonebase teaches on prelude 5
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I continued on Capriche Arabe this week. Unfortunately, my progress is not good enough to take a video and share it. I always make mistakes, even if I play slow. Sometimes I get angry, just as few minutes ago, which I played worse than previous day!
This piece really needs patience and time. Tomorrow I am going on a holiday, and I am not sure if I will take my guitar with me (I don't want to upset my boyfriend while pracitising guitar in the hotel room instead of relaxing at the beach, which I did before). Next weekend I will try again, maybe take an awful video, I don't know. - One thing you found easy: Nothing
- One thing you found difficult: Everything
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Gokce Turkmendag Personally, I’d take practicing guitar over sitting on a beach any day. I do hope you enjoy relaxing, though!
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Eric Phillips me too
Thank you! -
Gokce Turkmendag Doh! Don't be discouraged. I started playing Capricho Arabe a few years ago and I find it to be one of the hardest pieces to pull off. It has quite a few scary and tricky moments I find. I love it so much and I find my emotions get in the way, hahahaha! We are actually going on a road trip in a couple of days and I am definitely taking my guitar. I can live without lots of things but NOT my guitar!!
I hope you have a relaxing holiday. Perhaps you can try some mental guitar practice imagining your finger placements and hearing the music in your mind. I do it some times. It takes alot of focus! Apparently it can be almost as good as really practice.
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Gokce Turkmendag Thank you for your update! To be honest, I usually leave my guitar at home when I am on holiday
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Eric Phillips I have done both, practing guitar while sitting on a beach. Best of both worlds!
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francis edwards The only problem is the guitar-shaped tan lines!
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Gokce Turkmendag Dear Gokce, my wife is always telling me not to take the guitar into holidays.... but opening the trunk.....oops - yeah - there is my guitar !!!
I wish you a nice time in holidays - with or without you six-string-religion
Best Regards Olli
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*your
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
