Spanish Music Mini Challenge
¡HOLA tonebuddies!
We're thrilled to present a spicy Spanish Music Mini Challenge , celebrating the wonderful world of spanish music for the classical classical!
THE CHALLENGE:
Unleash your passion by recording and sharing a video of you performing a piece from Spain. Delve into the intricate rhythms and nuances hidden within its simplicity, showcasing how you connect with the piece in novel and soulful ways.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Film your rendition of a piece. Post your masterpiece to your favorite platform (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Drop the link in the comments below, along with a snippet about your selection and the revelations you've encountered in revisiting it.
Bonus Flamenco Flair: Share a link of a famed guitarist interpreting the same piece!
DANCE, STRUM, AND CONNECT:
Seize this vibrant opportunity to bond with fellow tonebuddies! Encourage one another through comments, provide insightful critiques, and shower praise on their performances. Together, we can inspire a deeper appreciation of the melodies we thought we knew.
NEED A SPARK?
If you're pondering over the perfect piece, fret not! Join the upcoming livestream with Stanley Yates. His wisdom on the concealed richness in "easy" compositions will undoubtedly kindle your creative flames.
READY, SET, FLAMENCO!
We're on the edge of our seats, anticipating your unique takes on familiar melodies and eager to learn of your newfound epiphanies. Let's unite and unearth the profound depths of the tunes we believed we were familiar with!
¡TOCA Y BAILA, tonebuddies!
-
Sounds great, what is the due date?
-
Todd Berry We don't have a due date for the Mini Challenge, getting started is the most important step! :)
-
-
Granada, composed for piano by Isaac Albeniz, has always been a piece I've loved. I used to play the Segovia version, but my left hand was always stressed. I revisited it with the Barrueco edition, and I find my left hand is less cramped, and it's easier to play legato.
-
Marilyn Blodget Very beautiful, Marilyn. Your tone is perfect for this piece and your playing takes me back to the beautiful city of Granada.
-
Dale Needles Thank you Dale. I would love to spend time in Granada! It’s on my list!
-
Marilyn Blodget Beautiful performance, Marilyn! Very nice use of tone and dynamics to shape the phrasing. And nice contrast of mood in the very 'Spanish' ('Moorish'?) sounding 'B' section! I agree with you, btw, about the Barrueco arrangement. Like you, I find the Tarrega version too demanding on the left hand. I hope you do get to Granada one day. It's a beautiful historic city, and for guitarists, the Alhambra is practically a place of pilgrimage!
-
David Krupka Thank you David!
-
Marilyn Blodget Brava
-
Marilyn Blodget beautiful, Marilyn. I agree with Dale and David that your tone and phrasing are wonderful.
Now on to Recuerdos to round out the complete Granada experience,
I’ve never attempted any Albeniz but his pieces always appear to be quite daunting on guitar. My wife and I were just in Granada a couple of weeks ago ( Seville last week and currently in Avignon). So this posting (and challenge) is quite timely for me - at least vicariously.
-
Jack Stewart Thank you so much Jack! Albeniz is definitely one of my favorites for the guitar. He’s so very Spanish- and evidently he was a very nice guy. When he heard Granada played on the guitar,, he said he preferred it to the original piano. I agree. Make sure to dance on the bridge in Avignon.
-
Marilyn Blodget this is one of my favorite piece and you played it beautifully. Thanks for sharing!
-
don Thank you Don! It’s one of my favorites too.
-
Marilyn Blodget Bravo Marilyn.....Granada is a very challenging piece and you playing is very nice. I didnt now there was a easier Barrueco edition....I´ll try to find it somewhere to try it.
-
-
Such a beautiful performance of an evergreen classic! Thank you so much, Marilyn!
-
Todd Berry Thanks Todd!
-
-
Some background on the incredible master Emilio Pujol, by the Spanish maestro Rafael Andia.
Especially for our French speaking friends, but with English subtitles.-
joosje That was great, Joosje. Much information about Pujol that I was unaware of and a great contribution to our forum! Thanks for sharing.
-
joosje Thank you for sharing that Joosje. It was very interesting to me. When I first started learning classical guitar, I traded lessons for translating Pujol’s Escuela Razonada de La Guitarra. That was over 50 years ago! Memories…
-
joosje That was fascinating, Joosje. I was familiar with Puol, at least by name, but had little knowledge of who he actually was and his significance in the development of the modern classical guitar. Thanks for sharing.
-
-
Hi all , I´m posting this beatiful piece from Moreno Torroba. Torroba was a prolific spanish composer of Zarzuelas ( spanish operas ) , simphonies and guitar pieces. Among his large production he composed the "Castillos de España suite" with a buch of pieces dedicated to Spanish Castels. This piece is Torija, by the way a precious castel nor very far from Madrid, worth visiting.
-
Hello all, I don´t see many activity in this forum.....anyhow I´m posting another piece with very spanish flavour: Boceto Andaluz from Bartolome Calatayud.
Actually Boceto Andaluz ( you can translate it from spanish as Andalusian sketch) is a sort of Soleá ( flamenco palo) chord progression with some falsetas ( falsetas are the melodic lines connecting the chord progressions) . This is a simple piece but with very flamenco flavour.....enjoy
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
