WEEK 3: Mastering Carcassi's Etudes
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the Carcassi Etudes op.60 challenge!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream to get an overview over the etudes!
- Get the Scores here! (<- click)
If you want to describe your process (optional), feel free to use the following template.
- Things you found easy:
- Things you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
- (Optional:) questions
↓ Reply below with your assignments and questions! ↓
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I wanted to include a study that contained Scales, so here is Etude #1. I forgot how much attention this one really needs to play well. Needless to say, I should work on this more to clean up some rough spots. Sorry about the camera position for the right hand; I only had time for one take and did not want to wait to send it to you guys.
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Barney that’s fantastic, Barney, I haven’t heard this etude played with such regularity and smoothness of tone, and also the wavelike cresc/decresc. And the beautiful sound of your recording, as always. Thank you for submitting
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. Yes and tried ( not always successfully) to mute where appropriate along with switching Rest and Free strokes, while beginning phrases with correct RH fingers. A bit more challenging than expected for a study like this.
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Brett Gilbert Thanks Brett! btw, I watched your Chopin piano recording and really enjoyed it!
I often listen to my CD of the 19 Nocturnes of Chopin recorded by Arthur Rubenstein. I love every one of them. If you record any others in that series, please let me know. Thanks!!
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joosje Thank you Joosje!! I appreciate your kind words.
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Barney well done! Good speed and beautiful sound! Beautiful
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Emma Thanks Emma!
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Barney Wow, fantastatic!!! As joosje we rarely hear this piece so nicely worked and presented! I especially enjoyed your tiny pause/fermata at the climax in the last phrase! Recording quality is top notch again as well, no more crackles!
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Martin I appreciate your kind words, thank you!!
Also, thanks again for solving the recording "crackles" problem with the buffer adjustment diagnosis. (Thanks "Doc")
I played that "tiny pause/fermata" instinctively; when listening back to it, I wasn't sure if you would find it acceptable in this type of study which is so metronomic.
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Barney I loved it!!!
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Hi everyone. Since I’m leaving tomorrow for few days travel, I decided to submit my second (and still far from satisfactory) recording of etude 24 ( incl. repetitions)
it seems to me this is not really about one specific guitar technique , so I take it as an exercice in bringing together different elements of musical interpretation, tempo changes, phrasing and articulation, accentuation and rubato. That’s a lot to work on! To analyze, choices and decisions to make… it takes more time, so I will keep this etude on my list for a while…. No problem, it’s a rewarding, elegant repertoire piece ….
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joosje Very beautiful Joosje, and nice warm sound! In addition to the elements you mentioned, an added obstacle to more comfort in expressive playing is having to read from the score while playing. Until memorized, I find it quite limiting as I'm forced to focus partially on looking at the score. You are able to achieve it all, so Bravo!
Safe travels!!
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joosje Amazing, Joosje, and so beautiful! I had to listen to it twice in a row, just to take it in. Right now, a couple of things really strike me. First, you play the animato section so nicely, and you seem very "in control" there (whereas I always feel a bit out of control in that section). Second, I loved the fingering choices you made in the coda, and will try them out myself. Very well done!
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joosje So, so good!!! Eric Phillips and me had a cool session about the coda in the last interactive class, so it's super interesting to see the solution you came up with! Fantastic!
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Eric Phillips about that fingering: I thought it wasn’t possible, until I saw Martin mention it at the interactive session, and had to try it. Quite uncomfortable at first, but once you get used, you are in a perfect position for these fantastic dramatic chords. Have fun…
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joosje I agree, it sounds great and looks very secure for you. I admit that with the fingering I am using, I do like the glissando up to those chords, but maybe I'm just a bit sappy and over-Romantic. Your fingering is definitely more comfortable and secure, and sounds great too! I'll probably change my mind about it 20-30 more times today!
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Study 24 final update.
This piece has been such a joy to work on, and I hope to continue working on it forever. I'm going to make it my final post of the piece for this challenge, however.
BTW, does anyone else find that, when recording a piece, as you get toward the end, the only thought in your head is, "Don't make a mistake! Don't make a mistake!" At the end of this one, my hands were literally shaking through the coda as that thought went through my mind. And of course, I made mistakes!
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Eric Phillips Oh absolutely, recording can be super nerve-racking, especially towards the end of a good take! The only solution for that is recording, recording and more recording! Getting used to the process, use it as a tool for analyzing will create ultimately better recordings. You want to forget that there is a recording session happening.
When I do classical recordings with other musicians I sometimes don't sit behind my desk but in the recording room with the musicians just to make them feel like they were performing for a friend in a relaxed environment! Play for your dog
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Eric Phillips By the way, I had a recording session with a flutist who could only play when here dog was around her. Now she has a recording in which we can here a dog snoring
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Martin That's so funny! My dog would likely get up and try to play with me.
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Eric Phillips "wraff wraff more rubato at the end of the phrase and what's that tone of your apoyando there wraff wraff anyway take me for a walk was that a cat?"
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Martin
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Eric Phillips I think we all have that experience with recording,, Eric! But for me it was worse with this piece than others, because you know that at the end there is this tricky passage. Although, sometimes it’s just these easy final chord that does it….
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Eric Phillips btw you make it sound so lovely and romantic. It’s really a joy to listen
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Eric Phillips I totally relate to your comment about being nervous near the end. For the guitar piece I worked on it was short enough where the stakes of restarting are lower but I still got nervous towards end. I'm trying to complete the piano challenge and playing the entire piece takes almost 6 minutes. I constantly mess up near the end as I keep thinking "don't mess up!". I can't imagine the pressure for a pro performer in front of an audience. Also, your piece sounds amazing.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. And you're right, this piece in particular made me anxious at the end. And like you said, when I get that way, it's the simpler things that I usually mess up.
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
