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!
-
(Take two)
Here is an update to my playing of Maria Gavota. Overall, I'm happy with my progress. The tempo is a bit faster than last week, which is good. While I did not perfectly nail the challenging measure 41, I came pretty close.
I think I'll work on this one a little bit more, and then maybe move on to Maria Tango, since I've never played it before at all. Tarrega named both pieces after his wife, I believe, so maybe they would sound good together.
-
Eric Phillips It's sounding really good. Great progress in such a short time.
fyi - on that tricky slide high up on the neck, there are many players (including me), such as Segovia who don't slide on that note, but rather just play it directly. That makes it easier and more secure; and in my opinion sounds better. Give it a try and see what you think. I will record this piece soon, so you can see if you like the sound of it...
-
Barney Thanks, Barney! I did find a fingering of the measure that did not have the portamento up to A but just played it directly, and I found it a bit easier to play. I actually really like the sound of the portamento, however, and so decided to work on achieving it. I particularly like the way Andrea Gonzalez Caballero and Irina Kulikova play it (with absolutely no disrespect to Segovia). The portamento gives it an almost "gypsy" feel that I like. I'm not quite there yet, technically, but it's fun trying! I look forward to hearing you play it, especially after hearing your wonderful interpretation of Capricho Arabe.
-
Eric Phillips very well played Eric! You will polish up that tricky bit in no time at all. A very solid performance!
-
Debbie Thank you, Debbie!
-
Eric Phillips I agree, and also feel the whole idea of this is to have fun and enjoy sharing with others who have the same interest (with no pressure, as you said). Of course, different interpretations make it more interesting to listen to. I've heard Caballero and Kulikova play it and like it as well (lots of staccato), but I find this piece to be very romantic with a singing, flowing melody line, so I try to play it that way. That portamento sounds nice, but for me a bit too risky.
-
Eric Phillips I love your grace notes execution, Eric!
-
Eric Phillips very nice pizzicato, Eric!
-
Khiem Nguyen Thanks, Khiem. Those little things make this piece so much fun to play!
-
Eric Phillips Maria is ever more beautiful
-
Giuseppe Gasparini Grazie mille, Giuseppe!
-
Eric Phillips Awesome, such a great job! We all know how hard it is to record a piece in one take (we've built a whole recording industry about that and a lot of people - including me - make a living by reducing that stress during a recording session through editing)! I very much look forward to your next submission, I really enjoy your progress with Tárrega's wonderful music!
Ad congratulations to bar 41, very well executed! And thanks to Barney for your wonderful insights!
-
Eric Phillips wonderful! Your movement within the positions are so fast, relaxed and clear. Well done, a great progress!
-
Eric Phillips Well done Eric! great performance loved your tight rhythm
-
Jaime Zaldua Thank you, Jaime!
-
Eric Phillips nice Eric! it's great see you and hear you always more comfortable with the piece. You're doing a graet job
-
-
I am playing Tárrega’s etude no1 at 60 bpm which is slower than written at 80 bpm but sounds better and easier for me. Will post video later.
-
Vilio Celli Awesome! I am really surprised how well all of you guys are playing that etude, I am always struggling with that b major 7 chord!
-
-
Hello challengers, I apologize for being late with my first submission but last week was kind of busy, as most of you probably. I practiced every day but instead of focusing on one advanced piece I opted for reading through a lot of easy and intermediate pieces, to better understand that fantastic music. As they shape and sound enough good I’ll try to record and submit some of them, so let’s start with two easy to read but harder to make them sound good, and I apologize for missed notes
. Martin I’ve been using the SRM1 ribbon stereo microphone for the following, totally different than the CM4!
-
Beautiful shaping of both of those melodies, Blaise! Your tone and musicality are so wonderful.
-
Eric Phillips thank you Eric!
-
Blaise Laflamme Nice warm beautiful tone. I really enjoyed it! The ribbon Mic sounds amazing - very natural for the Classical guitar sound. Now I understand more why Segovia used ribbon mics for his recordings. I also have a pair of CM4s--they are very good, but yes, quite different from the Ribbon.
-
Barney thank you Barney, I never thought the ribbon stereo mic would make that huge difference, I'm amazed by its quality. This is my first attempt at using it and it won't be the last!
-
Blaise Laflamme both are played very beautifully! Lovey tone and sensitivity. Shall I put a ribbon microphone on my wishlist?
-
Debbie thank you Debbie, to me that ribbon microphone is definitely a game changer, I had some expectations but never that much.
-
Blaise Laflamme yes, I’m surprised by the clarity and natural tone. Which one do you have?
-
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
