Week 1: A Fresh Start 
WELCOME TO THE "A FRESH START" COMMUNITY CHALLENGE!
Embark on a musical journey with our latest challenge, "A Fresh Start". It’s time to dust off that sheet music you’ve been eyeing and dive into a brand-new piece!
CHALLENGE TIMELINE
- Challenge Start: Kick-Off on April 15th!
- Duration: April 15th to May 13th
- Watch Party: Join us on May 13th at 11 AM PST to watch selected submissions!
WEEK 1 ACTIVITIES
- Choose Your Piece: Select a new piece of music to work on. Share your choice in the thread below and inspire your fellow musicians!
- Video Submission: Submit a video of your practice this week. Highlight your favorite passage from the opening bars to showcase your progress!
GET INVOLVED
Let’s kick things off with enthusiasm! Share your progress, encourage others, and explore new musical horizons together. Can’t wait to see what everyone chooses!
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Can anybody suggest a good version of the Prelude in C minor by Barrios? I've got the Richard Stover edition but listening to some recordings I hear some differences and I wonder if there might be some alternative versions and fingerings.
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Ron beautiful choice! I use the Stover edition as well, but take a loooot of inspiration by Gabriel's ingenious interpretation here!
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Ron I made a little video for you!
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martin Thank you so much Martin this is really useful. Such a beautiful piece. I tried to sight read it last night - not the easiest key! I thought there might be a few misprints - I notice JW plays it slightly differently. I went to a lecture recital he gave when he first started recording Barrios and decided my fingers would never stretch enough to play many of his works, but I'm hoping I can just about cope with this one! I will see how far I can get! Thank you once again.
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Hi Ron, I have this edition if you find it helpful. Beautiful choice.
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martin Very nice Martin. So smooth and melodic.
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Debbie Thank you very much Debbie. It's such a beautiful piece.
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Martin Interesting discussion and beautiful playing Martin. It is really helpful to see how you approach this piece. Thanks for the insights..
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Ron I just listened to Martin's posting of Bianco's performance of this piece. It was stunning. Great selection, Ron. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
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Jack Stewart Yes it's such a beautiful performance, There are certainly some fingering challenges in this one!
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Ron what a coincidence. I've also just started learning this piece and was thinking of choosing this for the challenge. Right now, I'm stuck around measures 9-10.
The barre parts are really challenging (it's often the sweet sounding slow pieces that are the culprits, especially the Barrios ones, I've discovered). For me, the issue is the stamina required to hold onto the barres for extended periods. It's the D string that won't be created without a squeak.Anyways, good luck with it, I'm sure you'll do great job with this.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Yes Nijwm, whilst I've worked out most of Gabriel's left-hand fingerings, I'm certainly finding them very challenging, and stamina is certainly an issue for me too!
In the Stover edition there a few different notes compared to Gabriel's version - in measure 20 the high D flat goes to C and in measure 28 Gabriel plays D flat not D. Good luck with it!
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Ron I'm still stuck at measures 10-11. I'll check out Bianco's version too. It's the D string that I struggle to hold down in those barre chords. Btw, I noted down my RH fingerings as well, it's helped me in focussing on the LH.
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I’m choosing Brouwer’s Cancion de Cuña. I’ve always wanted to learn it but I’ve not gotten around to it so this will be the perfect opportunity.
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Fernando Sor Op 50 Le Calme (Caprice)
Hey everyone, I’m back. I decided to take a break from the community challenges for a while. When I saw the title “Fresh Start” on this one, I thought it might be a good time to dive back in. I don’t know how much practice time I can give, but I will do my best.
Surprise, surprise, I am going to work on some Sor. For some reason, his music gives me the most motivation. This is a beautiful extended piece by him that I have loved for a long time, but have never worked on. I am a little nervous about my technical ability to play it all, but I will do what I can.
I am working with two editions, both of which I have attached:
- The Paris edition that seems to have Sor’s signature
- A modern edition from Edson Lopes which has measure numbers and is easier to read (although it has at least one error that I have found so far)
I like to start by mapping out the structure. All measure numbers come from the Edson Lopes edition.
- Introduction (mm. 1-4) – A simple E major triad that establishes the tempo, meter, and tonality.
- A section (mm. 5-45) – A pretty lilting melody with simple accompaniment; in E major with a brief part in E minor (mm. 29-36).
- B section (mm. 46-70) – Mostly large arpeggios (combination right and left hand); it almost feels like a variation on the A section but it isn't really; in E major.
- C section (mm. 71-91) – A contrasting melody with arpeggiated accompaniment; in A major; I think the transition from the B section into this C section is the most poignant and magical moment in the entire piece.
- D section (mm. 92-135) – A highly dramatic section; in various tonalities, both minor and major; in measure 128 it goes into E minor, building up to a return to E major in the next section.
- A section (mm. 136-167) – It is almost an exact repeat of the original A section, so I would not label it A’.
- Coda (mm. 168-195) – Still in E major; brings the airplane in for a landing.
I have attached a video of the introduction and the A section (the easiest part
). We’ll see how it goes from here.-
Eric Phillips Eric, so good to see you back. You obviously didn't take a break from your guitar. This was played beautifully. It will be really nice to hear your progress on this piece. I am surprised that there are anything by Sor that you haven't played yet. I don't think I have heard it before, at least not in a long while, if I have.
Welcome back.
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Eric Phillips Great to see you back Eric and playing Sor so beautifully! I'm not sure I've heard this before and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of it.
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Eric Phillips wonderful, Eric. Such peaceful and sweet sounding music. Fine playing already in this opening section. What a charming piece: like Jack Stewart I never heard it. It will be so inspiring to hear your work and progress again.
Welcome back
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Jack Stewart Thank you, Jack. Still plenty of Sor I have never touched, and plenty that is simply beyond my ability.
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Ron Thank you, Ron, Judging by YT, I think Roland Dyens played it in concert a lot. There is also a recent live performance of it on YT by Carles Trepat.
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joosje Thank you, Joosje. It is an aptly named piece.
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Eric Phillips Welcome back Eric, so great to see you here in this challenge! This is already sounding very good, can't wait to hear the full version... you piqued my curiosity, I'm going to go listen to Dyens
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Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. I also really like Enrica Savigni and Patrik Kleemola, who play it on period instruments.
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Eric Phillips right, that brings another dimension to the music.
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Eric Phillips Really nice start, Eric, and I like the breakdown of the piece. I totally get the appeal of Sor. The taste and subtlety he brings really keeps his music interesting.
