WEEK TWO Updates: Main Thread - Where the magic continues!
Alright, welcome to WEEK TWO of the Main Thread for this challenge! 
Why is this thread necessary?
Well, with the initial main thread turning into a 500-post behemoth (
), it became hard to navigate.
This comes at the very end of Week 2. Therefore, very soon, I'll be making a different thread for Week 3! We're almost there, folks, just two more days to go until Week 3! 
But Mircea - I hear you say - can we still post in the old thread?
Yes, of course! Feel free to reply to others in the old thread to your heart's content. Just make sure you post any new updates (whether text or video) in this thread instead.
"Oh no, I didn't see this thread, so I posted a new update in the old thread!"
No problem at all! Just tag me (@Mircea) and I'll move your post These admin powers I got here are actually pretty cool! It turns out I can move individual replies between threads.
Where is the Week 1 thread?
Find the Week 1 thread here!
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Download the music:
- Exercises 1 - 12 (← click)
- Exercises 13 - 24 (← click)
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- Etude you worked on:
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
Sample daily update:
- Etude you worked on: No. 1
- One thing you found easy: The polyphony between bass and treble flowed very naturally, I had an easy time playing each line like it belonged to its own voice.
- One thing you found difficult: I had a hard time creating enough variety throughout the repeated measures.
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
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Hi,
I picked no 1, 2, 4 and 9. Which were in the group of the easy...
Today I am loading video link for n.1.
- Etude you worked on: no.1
- One thing you found easy: definitely easy to sight reading, I didn't spend that much time in decoding the notes
- One thing you found difficult: First I had to raise tempo up, which took awhile with the metronome. Then it looked a robotic performance, so I started researching for some dynamics to make it more pleasant to listen to. Still work to do. And also, having my personal commitment to record, I spent quite some time to improve: record, listen, record again, many many times! Which normally i don't do since i play only for my own enjoyment...
Here the link: https://youtu.be/TGQTHv5K3qc
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Luciano Well done! yes, it is hard to record...
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Luciano well done, Luciano
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- Etude you worked on: Fernando Sor Op.35 No.06
- One thing you found easy: Sightreading is ok after adding all fingerings, strings and bars
- One thing you found difficult: playing all three voices simultaneously in bar 5, helpful: bar 12/2+ - 14/2 ...Barré Finger 1 always on string 2
(This is the first Etude in this Challenge that i don`t like - sounds not fine to me but it would need very much practice-time to improve...and at this point I will not invest any more time to practice it... there are greater pieces work on)https://youtu.be/2c7OKDODIps
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Olli Bravo!!
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Olli Well done, the good thing is it looks like you like it! I find it hard to make long passage of thirds interesting.
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Olli good for you! so you dont recommend it eh? To me it sounded very very well
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Emma Hello Emma, I find the piece hard to learn and it will take a very long time till it sounds really good. As a "Etude" its ok, but I don't like it for playing at a concert. I worked on it because of the challenge and I only played No.14 and No.22 in the past. If you like it, that's fine. Best regards
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Estudio number 22. The hard thing the fingering of the right hand. The easy things the rest, it is a beautiful study, my favourite, with positions that are maintained, musicality... I froze in front of the camera again, so all of this may not be reflected... I could have done it better with one extra day but today it is the last day of the week, for another 2 estudios next week!
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Emma Brava!!!
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Emma Good job! Such a beautiful piece. I am including this as one of my next 2 estudios. I stumbled through it when I worked on it a few years ago and I hope it will go easier for me this time.
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Emma Well done, you have a natural sense of musicality. I was surprised by the G in the melody at bar 41, first time I encounter this edition
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Emma beautiful Emma
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Emma Hello Emma, beautiful Piece - you did a good job playing it. Maybe this No.22 is the most popular piece of the whole Opus 35 ?
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I worked on: No. 4 - like so many of the rest of you.
What I found easy: I found it easy to enjoy playing this piece. It has a beautiful flow to it. While it is an easy/intermediate piece, there are enough variations to make it interesting.
What I found hard: There are a few chord shifts that were a bit challenging for me, and I ended up slowing down the entire piece so that I did not have hesitations at that point. Also, it is hard for me to get the dynamics I think I am playing to come out in the recordings so I know I need to continue to work on that.
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Martha Kreipke Brava!!
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Martha Kreipke great job! sounds really good.
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Giuseppe Gasparini and joosje Thank you for your encouragement! It makes it a lot easier to share my "work in process".
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Martha Kreipke Well done, you exactly did the right thing, slow down the tempo to the point you can manage it as a whole and do some music!
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Martha Kreipke very nice Martha. Thanks for sharing this
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Martha Kreipke Well done Martha!!! slow secure and lovely. I know what you mean about what we have in our minds and what it shows in the videos... but maybe we will get only better trying!
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Martha Kreipke Well done. I think, this is exactly what the challenge is aiming for: to bring us in front of a mic and/or camera and to focus on a few pieces in order to be able to play them on a nice level and to "produce" very nice sound and music, and to show the process of evolving a piece if we want to by providing videos of different stages of progress.
Watching your approach with slowing down reminds me, that for me there are two key aspects in practicing, improving, learning a piece: 1) slow practice (and later speeding up gradually) and 2) practicing difficult parts isolated, i.e., "programming" muscles to make certain changes etc. -
Martha Kreipke bravo !
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study I worked on: no 16.
what was easy: nothing really easy, but a truly musical piece, doesnt feel like a study, which makes it a pleasure to work on
challenging: to bring out the contrast of the staccato, legato effects. Sor is always very precise. I have to work on it a bit more. Looking forward to your recordings and comments.
Character of 18th century mazurka like dance rythm, with accent on 2nd beat. I have to be more familiar with the piece. Must give it a 2nd try later.
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joosje Well done, you took an hard one! As you said it's a truly musical piece and a lot is going on and you managed to bring it to life
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joosje well played. sounds really good
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
