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Microestudios 08
This one is tough, both technically and musically.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. Yes, Dale sent me the link to Carlevaro album, but I was thinking of giving up after listening to it.
I agree with you, the ending was far from ideal, but I didn't want to record it again!
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Wai Really nice. I think there are a few studies that Carlevaro added these coda or tag endings on to that are challenging to interpret. 6 is another I think. I think it's part of the draw in that they push me musically. These are nice stepping stones into the deeper waters of "modern" music I guess.
Speaking of challenging musically, 9 is really pretty but has a whole lot going on, lol. I'll be working on it along with you. Congrats and thanks for sharing.
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Steve Price Thanks, Steve. Among the first 8 etudes, I like 1, 3, and 6 the most. To me, No.9 is also difficult to understand, I need more time to think about how to approach it.
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Microestudios 08 (Take 2)
Tried fixing the ending, and I think I had better control this time.
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Wai Very nice, Wai! Really big sound, opening with a flurry, but closing so calm.
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Wai That was very impressive, Wai. I agree that this version is much more confident, especially the ending.
Just out of curiosity, can the beginning flourishes be played Campanella style (cross string)? I don't know if it would work musically or technically but it might be interesting.
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Jack Stewart I tried to re-work the fingerings and played it in cross-string style today. I think with more practice, it definitely would work in this style. So, let me present to you "Microestudios No.8 (Jack Limited (with a little practice) Edition)".
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Wai That was really impressive, Wai. I like it in Campanella style - but then I tend to frequently prefer that style in many instances. I think with a little more practice (this is what - 1 day?) you will have it up to speed. I don't know if Carlevara would approve (Dale would have a much better idea about that) but I ultimately feel the artist has the final say in his performance.
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Wai I haven't listened to all your posts, I'll do for sure, but you're doing great with Carlevaro's stuff. You should consider looking at his Preludios Americanos once you're done, or not, with these studies, they worth the effort. I'm actually working on them and they are awesome.
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Jack Stewart I don't know this study, but I do know Carlevaro work and style to some extent, and I would say according to the left hand pattern that it's not expected to be played campanella, if we're talking about the technical side. But if you're talking about the interpretation and expressive side, you had a very interesting idea.
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Wai What a difference! I like both. I think if it were a larger work, with repeats, it would be a good way to vary the repeats. Great stuff, Wai!
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Blaise Laflamme I second the Preludios Americanos. They're challenging musically, but still accessible without the difficulties of pieces like the Cronomias or his 5 etudes.
And the Carlevaro page you mentioned on the Sanz thread is a gold mine. I've been going through some of that for a year or so. I just wish there were more of his takes recorded like his reworking of Tansman. Really nice stuff.
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Steve Price you're right about the Preludios Americanos, they are very well written and with a good balance between music language and instrument idioms. Yeah the link is indeed a gold mine, that's great to have access to Carlevaro's reworking and fingerings, he was a great mind.
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Jack Stewart Thanks, Jack. Playing it in cross-string style (Campanella, isn't it? Yeah, one more fancy word added to my vocab list
) was interesting, I love how those notes clashed against each other, with more reverb, it would sound magnificent & beautiful. Since this is the "Jack limited edition", so I think Carlevaro has no say in it. -
Eric Phillips Thanks, Eric. Since this version was dedicated to Jack, I intended to play it in a cosmologically slow tempo at first, but it was too hard to play that way...
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. I will continue to learn the Microestudios, but since I only have time to practice one piece at a time, the progress will be very slow. I will also take a look into Preludios Americanos, there is so much interesting music in the classical guitar world but not enough time.
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Wai that's a wise goal to achieve all of them, you're refining your technique without knowing it... learning Carlevaro's music and technique is like Miyagi's car cleaning exercices (Karate Kid), if you know the reference, you'll be surprised by the results!
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Microestudios 09
Even after listening to Carlevaro's recording, I still was not sure how to play this one. It was too abstract, so I just followed my instinct and played what I heard in my head. Definitely need more time to practice.
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Wai That was amazing, Wai. It is a beautiful piece and I think you have really captured its spirit.
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Jack Stewart Thank you, Jack!
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Wai I just listened to this and I agree with Jack, you did an excellent job with it. I also felt you connected with it. You should definitely keep working on this.
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Wai That's great! There is so much going on in it. Like you said it's pretty abstract and although it's relatively short I think it's one of those pieces that it would take months to really internalize it and know how to connect all of those odd-shaped lines. Congrats on this.
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Wai you definitely have an affinity with these studies. I like your approach, very musical. Great sound and it’s breathing naturally. I will get back to these studies (practiced the first 3, but the others really sound great). iInspiring job, Wai!
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Wai Great job with Microestudios #7 & #8. Your second takes were much improved. I really like using these Microestudios as part of my warmup routine. Additionally, it is fun to put a few together as a mini suite. For example, I think from the first book, Microestudios #1, 3 & 5 work well and from the second book, I like #6, 8, & 9. Of course, playing them as a group of 5 or 10 also works as a great performance set. In any case, keep up the good work and I am looking forward to #9 which is one of my favorites and can work as a stand-alone piece. Also, have you received his School of Guitar book?
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Dale Needles Thank you, Dale. So far, I like No. 1, 3, and 6 the most, No.9, for me, is a little too abstract to understand. I have received the School of Guitar book (I also found an English PDF version on the internet) and just finished reading the pizzicato part (page 40). I found that the pizzicato technique I learned was called "Sordino" in the book, now I am confused, what does the real pizzicato look like?
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
