Week 3: Fingers on Fire 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the third week of "The Transcriptions" practice challenge!
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying!
- Watch the kickoff livestream!
Pick a transcription that was originally composed for another instrument, like piano or violin. Don't be afraid to choose a challenging piece or explore works from composers you haven't played before.
Commit to practicing daily and share your progress with the community. Aim to practice every day and post at least two videos per week showcasing your progress. This will help you stay motivated and accountable, and also allow you to share your transcription journey with others. Whether you're tackling a complex piece, refining your skills with a piece you already play, or experimenting with new playing techniques, the community is here to support you and celebrate your achievements.
Share your favorite piece that you would like to see transcribed or your favorite recording of a transcription. This will not only inspire others in the community but also provide a rich resource of ideas for everyone to explore. Plus, it's a great way to celebrate the creativity and artistry involved in adapting music from one instrument to another.
↓ Happy Sharing! ↓
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Scriabin - Prelude Op 16 No 4
Dale Needles posted his wonderful performance of this piece above. It really made me want to try it myself. I had never played any Scriabin before, nor I had really listened to his music. Now, however, I have become infatuated with this whole opus, listening to it over and over again on YT (on piano). If I ever learn the piano, I know I want to play these incredible preludes.
After experimenting with a few different keys, I settled in on A minor. I even toyed around with using a drop-D tuning, but decided against it.
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Eric Phillips Nice one Eric, and I'm tending to agree with you on this whole Scriabin business. I just listened to the first of the 5 preludes, and I think I'd like to try transcribing that for guitar!
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Steve Pederson If you do, please share your score with me! I am really drawn into his music. Some of his harmonic progressions just seem to come out of nowhere, but they sound so good. I don't know anything about him (I should learn) but it seems like he was creating a whole new harmonic vocabulary.
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Eric Phillips incredible! You can transcribe on head without noting down to paper or software! Great job Eric! Emotional piece! Good key selection. Why did you finally chose this key?
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Eric Phillips Another beautiful performance, Eric. As I mentioned to Dale, Aleksander Wilgos has a wonderful recording Scriabin's Op. 9.1 Prelude.
All the postings here are driving me nuts. I developed a blister on my 'a' finger from playing nailless and am sidelined for a couple (hopefully) of days.
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Eric Phillips beautiful Eric, very well played. I know Scriabin name for sure but not his music so much, you piqued my curiosity.
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Khiem Nguyen Thanks, Khiem. I actually created it looking at the piano score (in Eb minor) and Segovia’s transcription (in B minor). I wrote it down in tablature just to write it quickly. I tried E minor, D minor, and A minor. I settled on A minor because it put it in a good range for the guitar (not too high or low) and allowed for the low bass notes in what I think is climax of the piece, thus making it feel more dramatic in my opinion. Ease of play was also a consideration.
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Jack Stewart Thanks Jack. I will definitely check that out when I get a chance tonight. I had vaguely heard of Scriabin, but never really listened to him or considered playing his music on the guitar. Now I want to see what I can find out there of his that’s playable.
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. From the little I’ve heard, I think you would like his music.
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Eric Phillips Beautiful!
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Jack Stewart I just listened to Op 9.1 performed by Alexander Wiglos. WOW! It starts out like a typical Romantic piece, but then it takes all these crazy harmonic turns. I just love it. His music is like a perfect bridge between two eras. It looks quite difficult to play, but I might have to give it a try. Thanks for suggesting it!
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Here is my practice for Chopin Waltz op. 69 no. 2 for week 3. I am able to memorize the piece in my head now. I will be able to focus on other aspect such as dynamic and rubato very soon.
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Khiem Nguyen This is sounding really good, Khiêm. I really like your transcription. Keep it up!
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Jack Stewart thank you very much Jack! Wow, what a surprise, how did you know my first name's spelling in Vietnamese ^_^ It is very nice to see that and thank you for that! And I would be glad if one day you decide to practice this transcription - I will be happy to see it alive - being used by more than just myself ^_^
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Khiem Nguyen wow your transcription is sounding great, as your playing too... you definitely have a talent for this! Can't wait to hear the final result of this.
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Khiem Nguyen My wife is Vietnamese - though the computer automatically added the diacritical.
It will take me a little while before I take on another piece, but I am excited to do so.
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Khiem Nguyen Outstanding work, Khiem, both the transcription and the playing. There are just a few spots to work out, and I think it will be performance-ready. Chopin is so wonderful, and this is one of his pieces that just works quite well on the guitar.
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Blaise Laflamme thank you very much Blaise! I like Chopin and I like to make transcriptions of his works. I hope to update with new videos soon.
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Jack Stewart I see, nice to hear you have a Vietnamese wife, and no worry about not being able to learn another piece at the moment - I myself also tend to master a piece until I move on :)
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Eric Phillips thank you a lot Eric! I notice a few spots to work out too. And hope to bring the piece to performance level soon too. There are more Chopin pieces that I think will work well on the guitar too. I was thinking about his Waltz op. 64 no. 2 (there exists good transcription already out there) and some of his Nocturns.
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Khiem Nguyen Sounds great! In my my opinion, Mateusz Kowalski is the best guitarist out there for playing Chopin. Maybe listening to him could give you some ideas.
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Eric Phillips thank you for the recommendation Eric. I will check Mateusz Kowalski out. It sounds like a great inspiration.
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Scriabin - Prelude Op 16 No 4 (May 2 update)
I have it memorized now (not too difficult, as it is quite short and slow). Yesterday, I played the single-note lines at the beginning and the end with all rest strokes, but today I used mostly free strokes, and I think I like that better.
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Eric Phillips your free strokes sound quite full and they are very clear with good articulation! No need for rest strokes, I think! These freestrocks are doing great jobs!
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Khiem Nguyen Thanks, Khiem. I noticed that, when playing rest strokes, a small amount of the guitar's resonance was dampened by touching the adjacent lower string. The free strokes simply sound fuller to me in this instance.
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Eric Phillips I see the logic and I agree with you Eric!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
