WEEK ONE Updates: Main Thread - Where the magic happens!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Since Week 1 is over, this thread is now closed for update submissions
Feel free to continue replying to people's existing submissions, but if you would like to post an update, use the current Week 2 thread.
Alright my friends - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between January 28th and February 19th, I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
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 Mircea
Posted my update in the wrong thread - put it in the q & a for some reason (rushing again). Here it is again.
Great idea this. I used to play numbers 4 and 8 worked on 22 but don't think any of the others (unless in the din and distant past).
Sightvreading was fairly easy. Probably hardest was because it is easy to sight read not putting enough thought into the performance.
Recording has a bit of eq and reverb as recommended by Martin in his recording academy
Thanks Derek
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Derek Thank you for your kind comments
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Derek Hi Derek! No worries at all about the thread - I went ahead and removed the other post from the Q&A since you had already posted it again here. If you ever need me to, I can also move individual replies between any two threads - just let me know if you ever want to to do so, it's no trouble at all.
Great job with the etude! Beautiful and played with a lot of enjoyment that comes through!
Speaking of, I love the eq and reverb!!! Such a little edit can make such a big difference. Thank you for joining Martin's course and looking forward to seeing other recordings of other etudes!
PS I loved the extra long chord at the end with the smile
great job! -
Derek Nice submission, well done!
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Etude I worked on: No. 3
One thing I found easy: Pretty straightforward fingering for left and right hand.
One thing I found difficult: Damping basses where needed. (Also, the recording quality is pretty bad.)
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Eric Well done Eric. Despite the recording quality the changes in tone colour came through very well I loved the affect
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Eric Very well, beautiful dynamics
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Eric nice Eric. Very majestic
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Eric great job!!! Thanks a lot for sharing and welcome to the challenge!
I loved your version of this etude! Strong, full of conviction, so powerful and dramatic thorough the dotted notes - and I just really loved the colors resulting from all those different RH playing positions! All in all, I felt like you were "orchestrating" this piece rather than just performing it. Keep it up and thanks for posting this! -
Mircea Thank you and the other for such kind remarks!
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Eric I like your version, thanks for sharing it.
And in general: this challenge shows how much music is in those etudes (that are not only etudes in the sense of pure technical oriented pieces) - and in all of us.
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Hi everyone!!! So good to see so many of you already taking part in the thread
looking forward to reading all your updates and watching your videos over the next few weeks! I've had a really busy day, so I'll go through all your updates tomorrow - I'm really excited about replying, I just enjoy talking to you guys about this stuff so much!
In the short free time I had today though, I did manage to sight read and record a little study
- Etude you worked on: Etude no 2!
- One thing you found easy: The beautiful slight alterations that Sor introduces throughout various repeats of the same passage make it so easy to just fall in love with this piece and really enjoy going through it. I had a very easy time getting into the work, and greatly enjoyed every bar of the piece!
- One thing you found difficult: Listening back to the recording, I realized my musical intentions weren't coming through nearly as clearly as I was imagining. This is fine, especially in a lighthearted, "cantabile" gem of a piece, which shouldn't we played with the dramatic ambitions of a Mahler symphony - however, even after all these years, I keep having to remind myself that the music I hear takes place in my head, and bringing it out to the listener will always result in a... let's say, minor decrease in perceived expressiveness.
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Mircea I know what you mean about about the music you hear being in your head, but then what I hear when you play is also in my head and for me this was perfect!
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Mircea nice Mircea. The music you hear is probably a lot nearer to the realisation than mine :-)
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Mircea I like how you look like you want to get up and dance! Fun piece and you make it sound nice and cheerful.
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Mircea Nicely played; I like the way you bring out the interplay between the upper and lower voices. Also your dynamics choices really make the piece sparkle. Bravo.
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Mircea Bravo!!!
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Ron Derek Debbie david robinson Giuseppe Gasparini Thank you so much, everyone!
so glad to hear you liked it! -
Mircea Great as always! It takes a really good performance and performer to appreciate the beauty of these miniatures!
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Mircea the sound, technique and musicality are exquisite as always
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Mircea I am a fan of this, thanks Mircea.
Watched this after I played and recorded it for this challenge (I wanted to be "free" and "fresh" when approaching that piece the first time).
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Hello friends!
Yesterday I practiced Etudes 1, 2, and 4. Today I practiced Etude 1 in order to record it. I decided to combine this challenge to make the opportunity to do take what I'm learning in Martin's recording class and make my first ever audio/video sync. It took all day but I did it!
- Etude I worked on: No. 1
- One thing I found easy: I found it easy to sight read and just play it for what's on the page.
- One thing I found difficult: deciding on where to put rest strokes and overall dynamics. I didn't edit the piece at all. It's one take and there's one thing I would have changed - I clipped the low g in the second to last measure. Not the end of the world but editing would have made the day longer. I will learn as I go =)
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Debbie Brava Debbi, clean sound with beautiful interpretation
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Giuseppe Gasparini thanks Giuseppe
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Debbie Good job. (It is really good to have another woman posting for a community challenge. I was the only one for the first one!)
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Martha Kreipke thanks
I missed the first one because I wasn’t paying attention, lol.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
