# What Are You Working On Right Now? (Strings Version)



## tdc

This is another thread like the one of the same title in the Keyboard forum for all string players to discuss the pieces they are currently working on...

Right now I am working mainly on 3 things (on classical guitar):

J.S. Bach - BWV 1006a
Falla - Asturiana (for voice and guitar)
William Beauvais arrangement of _I Will Give My Love an Apple_ for voice and guitar.


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## kv466

Good work, tdc. 

Well, I was working on bwv1001 for a couple of weeks until I learned that one of my bands lost three members including bass player, guitar/vocal and another vocal; leaving me alone for the vocals. So, since then I've jumped into high gear immediately employing keyboards and bass player (it's good to know musicians) but leaving me as the sole singer. That's why I've been learning more and more songs over the last week; cramming as many lyrics of songs the other singers would sing. Also learning some of their parts as I played more of an accent/lead guitar and now I'm the only guitar. Anyway, sorry for the rant.

Was just curious. Only classical or do jazz and other styles like rock count?


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## Klavierspieler

Bach First Cello Suite: Prelude.


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## TrazomGangflow

Dvorak's 9th symphony. It's a beautiful pice but the violin sounds so lonely when played alone though.


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## Guest

A guitar transcription of the fugue from Bach's Violin Sonata No.3 BWV 1005. I, too, play the fugue from BWV 1001. In fact, at one point I learned the entire Sonata, but I could not get the Presto movement as fast as I wanted it. Next up will be Konstantin Vassiliev's Berg-Rhapsody--he takes the main themed and many virtual direct quotes from Berg's Piano Sonata No.1 and weaves them into quite a powerful guitar piece. Parts of it look very nasty to play!


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## tdc

kv466 said:


> Was just curious. Only classical or do jazz and other styles like rock count?


Well I'd say that I'm mostly interested in hearing about the 'classical' pieces people are working on, but its not a strict rule - and talking about other styles certainly isn't off limits or anything.


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## kv466

Works for me...I'll make sure and check back when I'm working on Bach again!


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## tdc

kv466 said:


> Works for me...I'll make sure and check back when I'm working on Bach again!


Nice. I'm thinking I may eventually start another thread like this in the 'non-classical' music section for any of us to chat about our other musical projects. Or if anyone else does I'll surely participate in such a thread.


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## tdc

I've started plunking away at Leo Brouwer's _Danza Caracteristica_ a little lately and I'm finding it darn near impossible so far to get the intro sounding good. I have so far found no one on youtube who can make the intro sound good either EXCEPT GFA winner Ricardo Cobo.


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## rattzzable

Beethoven D major violin concerto


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## grixxviolist

BWV 1004 (excluding the Chaconne movement) and Max Bruch's Violin Concerto in G Minor..


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## tdc

grixxviolist said:


> BWV 1004 (excluding the Chaconne movement) and Max Bruch's Violin Concerto in G Minor..


The Bach suite (especially the Chaconne) is something that is definitely on my 'must learn to play before I die' list.


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## PianoLover

Bach Partita No. 3 (Prelude is quite challenging) and Vivaldi Concerto for 2 Violins.


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## Guest

I dropped the BWV 1005 fugue--I can't get past the "London Bridge is Falling Down" association with the fugue's subject! So, I'm taking a brave stab at Philip Hii's transcription of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 (transcribed in A minor). It definitely stretches my technique, but it's such a cool and powerful piece. Since many critics/historians now think Bach composed it originally for lute or violin, the idea of playing it on the guitar is not as ludicrous as one might think! Here's a video of Hii playing it:


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## tdc

tdc said:


> This is another thread like the one of the same title in the Keyboard forum for all string players to discuss the pieces they are currently working on...
> 
> Right now I am working mainly on 3 things (on classical guitar):
> 
> J.S. Bach - BWV 1006a
> Falla - Asturiana (for voice and guitar)
> William Beauvais arrangement of _I Will Give My Love an Apple_ for voice and guitar.


I ended up abandoning all of these ( I did memorize the first page or so of the Bach and plan to return to it). I also finished up Brouwer's _Danza Caracteristica_ - but its a short piece and very easy to memorize, and the only new piece I've learned so far all year. I am currently also about half way through Walton's 4th Bagatelle. Part of the difficulty for me right now, is I can't bring myself to stop practicing all the pieces I've learned over the last 5 or 6 years, which is up to over 20 now, and just getting the time to practice all of these in a given day this year I've found challenging - never mind finding time to learn anything new.


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## MaestroViolinist

I've already listed mine in my introduction thread, but I just realised I missed something out! So I'll start all over again :

*Rode Concerto No. 7
Thais Meditation - Massenet
Veracini Sonata in E minor
Allegro Brillant - Willem Ten Have
March from The Love for Three Oranges
Mozart Concerto in G major* (well, sort of)

And I'd like to add that the Rode Concerto first movement is SEVEN pages and I learnt that by memory and played it at an eisteddfod. That was the first eisteddfod I'd ever played anything by memory at! (I also played Thais Meditation there and won Second Prize!)  So that was really fun.


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## SimpleMan

Currently I am working on Duarte's English Suite for solo guitar. 

It's a fairly straight-forward piece, written for Andres Segovia on the occasion of his second marriage. It is based on English tradition ranging from early lute songs, vocal polyphony, and folk song. I suggest a listen.


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## MaestroViolinist

As soon as I get over this annoying cold scold I'll be playing *Paganini's 16th caprice* and *Lalo's Spanish Symphony*.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

NEW REPERTOIRE FOR SECOND SEMESTER

I'm definitely doing these:
Henze: Drei Tentos
Brouwer: Tres Apuntes
ComposerOfAvantGarde: Guernica

And I really really want to do these:
Giuliani: Guitar concerto no. 1
Villa-Lobos: Étude no. 11
Bach: Prelude from lute suite no. 3 BWV997


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## Guest

I'm working on Stanley Yates' transcription of the Fugue from Bach's Sonata No.2 for Solo Violin. He incorporates some of the additional notes that Bach added when he transcribed this piece for keyboard. The extra notes make it considerably harder to play, but I like the fuller textures. Here's Yates playing it.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Ooops never mind. Was thinking of something else....

Deleted post.


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## Guest

Hmmm...this piece (Partita BWV 826--transcribed by Tristan Manoukian) has also caught my attention! It's rather disheartening to see a 16 year old sail through it!






and another performance by Judical Perroy--I just bought his CD that includes the entire Partita--quite mind-blowing!


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## tdc

I've decided I'd like to take a stab at transcribing one of the movements from Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_, (movement III - Forlane) on guitar, so that is what I am currently working on, as well as still finishing up Walton's 4th bagatelle - (I've found it a rather difficult little piece).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> NEW REPERTOIRE FOR SECOND SEMESTER
> 
> I'm definitely doing these:
> Henze: Drei Tentos
> Brouwer: Tres Apuntes
> ComposerOfAvantGarde: Guernica
> 
> And I really really want to do these:
> Giuliani: Guitar concerto no. 1
> Villa-Lobos: Étude no. 11
> Bach: Prelude from lute suite no. 3 BWV997


It is definite:

Villa-Lobos: Étude no. 4
Bach: Prelude from suite no. 3 BWV997
Henze: Drei Tentos
Brouwer: Tres Apuntes
Richard Charlton: Impressions from the Dreamtime
Myself: Guernica


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## tdc

tdc said:


> *I've decided I'd like to take a stab at transcribing one of the movements from Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, (movement III - Forlane) on guitar*, so that is what I am currently working on, as well as still finishing up Walton's 4th bagatelle - (I've found it a rather difficult little piece).


In two nights work I've made it _almost_ to the end of measure two. :lol:

Keeping the proper musicality of this piece in the transfer is proving near impossible, but I won't give up just yet.


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## Toddlertoddy

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major
Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major


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## MaestroViolinist

Mozart Divertimento in D (string quartet, first violin )
Paganini Caprice 13


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Mozart Divertimento in D (string quartet, first violin )
> Paganini Caprice 13


K136? I've played viola in that last year. Easy stuff.


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## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> K136? I've played viola in that last year. Easy stuff.


Yeah it is pretty easy.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> Yeah it is pretty easy.


Are you sitting violin 1, cello, viola, violin 2? Or standard modern layout? Classical layout is better for that work to get the stereo effect especially in the "dialogue" between first and second violins.


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## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Are you sitting violin 1, cello, viola, violin 2? Or standard modern layout? Classical layout is better for that work to get the stereo effect especially in the "dialogue" between first and second violins.


We're not practising together until September I think, so I don't know.


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## Krisena

I'm practicing Bach's D minor partita for the violin, while leaving the Chaconne for later. The chaconne isn't _that_ bad technically, but it's the length and the sheer scope of the work that makes me think I'm not yet up for it. I'd love to be able to play it some day though, as it's my favourite piece piece of music.


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## tdc

tdc said:


> I've decided I'd like to take a stab at transcribing one of the movements from Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_, (movement III - Forlane) on guitar, so that is what I am currently working on.


For now I've abandoned this project. I've got the first section (first 9 measures) sounding decent, but decent isn't good enough for Ravel! I've taken a side trek into some jazz guitar of late, I'll soon be returning to the Walton Bagatelle, and 2 Bach pieces (finishing up Lute piece BWV1006a and the Chaconne).


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## Guest

I'm crawling through the first movement of Nikita Koshkin's Sonata. Here's a video of it. I don't care for his interpretation--it's too fast and his tone colors are hampered by his Greg Smallman guitar!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ Greg Smallman guitars are the best.


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## Guest

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^ Greg Smallman guitars are the best.


For what? Smacking people over the head? Expensive flower pots? Then I agree! If you want a guitar with an even response and a wide range of colors, then look elsewhere in my humble opinion. The younger generation seems to prefer their nasal, plastic, one dimensional tone. Give me Bream's Hauser or Romanillos anyday!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kontrapunctus said:


> For what? Smacking people over the head? Expensive flower pots? Then I agree! If you want a guitar with an even response and a wide range of colors, then look elsewhere in my humble opinion. The younger generation seems to prefer their nasal, plastic, one dimensional tone. Give me Bream's Hauser or Romanillos anyday!


Alright, you probably prefer traditional "Spanish" sounding guitars, but a lot of people I know really like the Smallman. I think it's one of those things that you either love or you hate.


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## Guest

I suppose, but there are some modern makers who use modified traditional techniques and make wonderful guitars, especially Daryll Perry in Canada. Marcin Dylla played one the last time I saw him--it was the most magnificent sound that I have heard in a long time. There's just something about the carbon/lattice combo that kills tonal possibilities and imparts a plastic/artificial tone to my ears. Yeah, they're loud, but wants a guitar with just one, loud, sh***y tone?


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## arturo

Bruch violin concerto no. 1. I just finished the Barber.


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## carlydviolin

hmmm let's see. for concertos and pieces:

Brahms Violin Concerto
Chausson Poeme
Bach Sonata no. 2 for Solo Violin
Paganini Caprice 5 
Wieniawski Caprice 4

Etudes: 
Rode 24 Caprices
Mazas Etudes Brilliante Book 2
Kreutzer 42 Studies
Sevcik 42? Exercises on a Theme and Variations

For Orchestra- 1st Violin Parts for: 
Wagner- Overture to Rienzi
Mendelssohn- Herbides Overture (Fingal's Cave)
Hanson- Merry Mount Suite


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Wtf Villa-Lobos' étude no. 4 is one of the easiest pieces in my repertoire for this semester.


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## tdc

I haven't been working on anything new in ages, just refining existing pieces I've known for years. I have been focusing primarily on Rodrigo and Bach, because I seem to enjoy playing these two composers much more than others right now. 

My existing queue or wish list as far as new pieces: 

Finish Walton Bagatelle (I know)
Bach: BWV 1006a
Bach: Chaconne from BWV 1004
Rodrigo: Sonata a la Espanola
Bach: BWV 996
Bach: BWV 995
Bach: The rest of BWV 1004
Rodrigo: Sonata Giocosa


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Henze's _Drei Tentos_ is coming along nicely. I ought to do some more Henze next year.


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## tdc

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Henze's _Drei Tentos_ is coming along nicely. I ought to do some more Henze next year.


Just youtubed this piece, very nice stuff.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

tdc said:


> Just youtubed this piece, very nice stuff.


Yeah it's probably one of my favourite works for guitar. I'm only doing the second movement this semester and then I'll play the whole work next year.


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## MaestroViolinist

I believe I have not yet listed my last pieces I got, and hopefully getting something more next week, I hope. Also, I hope I NEVER have to play Lalo's Spanish Symphony EVER again. 

Wieniawski's Concerto in D minor
Wieniawski's Caprice La Velocite


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> I believe I have not yet listed my last pieces I got, and hopefully getting something more next week, I hope. Also, I hope I NEVER have to play Lalo's Spanish Symphony EVER again.
> 
> Wieniawski's Concerto in D minor
> Wieniawski's Caprice La Velocite


I'll arrange Lalo's Spanish Symphony for violin and guitar for us to play then.


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## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'll arrange Lalo's Spanish Symphony for violin and guitar for us to play then.


 So nice of you. I think if I ever have to play that again I'll go mad.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> So nice of you. I think if I ever have to play that again I'll go mad.


What's the matter with it?


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## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> What's the matter with it?


My teacher, lesson after lesson, tried to get me to play it in the right style. Only on Friday did I get it up to his standards. I AM SICK OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE SPANISH MUSIC! (Ok, I don't hate listening to it, but I hate playing it)


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> My teacher, lesson after lesson, tried to get me to play it in the right style. Only on Friday did I get it up to his standards. I AM SICK OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE SPANISH MUSIC! (Ok, I don't hate listening to it, but I hate playing it)


I also hate Spanish music.


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## appoggiatura

Adam Carse studies for Viola, first book


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## RonP

Besides my normal Simandl and Rabbath etudes for double bass, I printed the bass arrangement for Tchiakovsky's Serenade for Strings. I might give it a run-through for grins.


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## MaestroViolinist

FINALLY! New music!  

Saraste: Romanza andaluza 
Wieniawski: Legende


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## MaestroViolinist

MaestroViolinist said:


> FINALLY! New music!
> 
> Saraste: Romanza andaluza
> Wieniawski: Legende


Annoying typos, that was meant to be Sarasate.


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## Guest

I've gone back to Philip Hii's transcription of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.


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## MaryG

Right now I'm trying to play Gabriel Faure's "Pavane".


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## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> I've gone back to Philip Hii's transcription of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.


Since my father-in-law died last week and my family wants to hold a memorial for him, I decided to get the first section of Bach's Chaconne (the initial set of minor variations) back under my fingers and play it there. Bach wrote it after his wife died, so I think playing it in memoriam at the service is appropriate.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Hopefully I'll be playing this next year:






It's the only orchestral version I could find on YouTube. I hate this guys technique.


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## MaestroViolinist

More Wieniawski. I have to learn this, I have a month before I have to play it at a concert with my teacher (who is obviously going to be playing the easy part ).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

MaestroViolinist said:


> More Wieniawski. I have to learn this, I have a month before I have to play it at a concert with my teacher (who is obviously going to be playing the easy part ).


Gosh! That sounds insanely difficult! Good luck with it!

But I thought your teacher was better than you?


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## MaestroViolinist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Gosh! That sounds insanely difficult! Good luck with it!
> 
> But I thought your teacher was better than you?


Yes he's better, that's why he's given me the harder part so that I can learn. Actually, it's quite easy, just scales up and down (and around about...). It just goes really fast, that's all.


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## tdc

Amazingly I've finally finished up with Walton's 4th Bagatelle!!! 

The unorthodox use of harmonics in the piece caused me some difficulty, and I've noticed many performers 'cheat' on the double harmonics notated by only playing one harmonic and playing the other as a regular note.

I've decided to now focus all my attention on Bach's Chaconne. Since discovering it I've always felt it was the piece I most wanted to learn at some point before I die, and if there is any truth to the world ending December 21st 2012, I really don't have too much time left here.


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## Guest

tdc said:


> I've decided to now focus all my attention on Bach's Chaconne. Since discovering it I've always felt it was the piece I most wanted to learn at some point before I die, and if there is any truth to the world ending December 21st 2012, I really don't have too much time left here.


From a purely technical standpoint, the main difficulties are the scales and arpeggios, and even they are quite idiomatic. The Toccata and Fugue that I'm working on has far more difficult left hand issues. The Chaconne is mainly long--once you get the fast bits down, it fits under the fingers pretty well. Now, memorizing and keeping a 15 minute piece in one's memory is another issue altogether!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

After tomorrow NEW MUSIC!!! I am hoping to continue with all of Henze's _Drei Tentos_ and make a start on Giuliani's first guitar concerto.


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## tdc

Kontrapunctus said:


> From a purely technical standpoint, the main difficulties are the scales and arpeggios, and even they are quite idiomatic. The Toccata and Fugue that I'm working on has far more difficult left hand issues. The Chaconne is mainly long--once you get the fast bits down, it fits under the fingers pretty well. Now, memorizing and keeping a 15 minute piece in one's memory is another issue altogether!


Yes, I haven't even reached the difficult sections yet, still working on memorizing the first page and a half or so. Though the music is very satisfying to play in this piece, I'm just enjoying the process.


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## tdc

Still working on Bach's Chaconne, this piece _almost_ makes me want to give up trying to compose ever. Its hard to explain but I get to parts of the piece that don't quite make sense to me, then completely make sense after what happens so much later, I just feel like it would take incredible foresight to be able to compose this way. Its almost as if composers who don't have this extra 'sense' are like blindly trying to pick a combination lock. I certainly won't completely give up composing or anything, but I don't have much hope I will ever be able to compose anything on this level.


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## Guest

tdc said:


> Still working on Bach's Chaconne, this piece _almost_ makes me want to give up trying to compose ever. Its hard to explain but I get to parts of the piece that don't quite make sense to me, then completely make sense after what happens so much later, I just feel like it would take incredible foresight to be able to compose this way. Its almost as if composers who don't have this extra 'sense' are like blindly trying to pick a combination lock. I certainly won't completely give up composing or anything, but I don't have much hope I will ever be able to compose anything on this level.


You and Brahms share that opinion!

_"The Chaconne is in my opinion one of the most wonderful and most incomprehensible pieces of music. Using the technique adapted to a small instrument the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I could picture myself writing, or even conceiving, such a piece, I am certain that the extreme excitement and emotional tension would have driven me mad."_


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## Guest

tdc said:


> Still working on Bach's Chaconne,


Whose transcription? I'm using Segovia's, but I might add some of Barrueco's counterpoint.


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## tdc

Kontrapunctus said:


> Whose transcription? I'm using Segovia's, but I might add some of Barrueco's counterpoint.


I'm using Segovia's transcription as well, though I tend to add or subtract things that I like from other recordings. I have a recording of Barrueco playing the Gigue from BWV 1004 on a compilation cd I bought years ago, and I really love what he added to the piece, its the best version I've heard of that movement on guitar. I'll have to check out his version of the Chaconne you've mentioned.


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## Guest

Here's a sample of what he did. (I transcribed it by ear) Measures 33-36:








I soon realized that the imitation didn't need to be a second voice (Finale gives each one a different color); hence, the red for the rest of the measures since I forgot to switch back to voice 1!

Also, I saw a mistake...the imitative voice came in a beat early, so I fixed it, but I can't change the thumbnail version, so just click on the first one--it will enlarge enough.


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## tdc

^ Interesting, so he actually repeats that section two times playing it differently each time. That certainly changes things up more than most have. I played through it a couple of times, it seemed to add some nice dissonances.


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## Guest

No, he plays it just once--my first clip had a error in it! I spent several hours listening to it yesterday and added most of his additions--a few didn't add that much to the sound, so I left them out--I mainly like the sections where he adds some counterpoint or fills in the textures. By combining his and Segovia's, one ends up with a rather full-sounding piece!


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## Praeludium

*Bach* - BWV1006a, Prélude for now, but I'd like to get started with at least two other movements before January.

*Takemitsu* - Rosedale from "In the Woods" I'm working on it again after having played it last year at an exam. After having spent one hour with it I'm confident I'll come back really quickly - I had been working on it for hours...

*Henze* - Drei Tentos I have also already worked on it last year but not really properly.

I find the Henze and Takemitsu less hard than Bach. Bach is really frightening when you think about it, but I can't find why exactly. I feel like most Henze/Takemitsu are cooler, less pure and "unstained" than Bach - and on the top of that, this Prelude is fast and you can't rest anywhere.

Villa-Lobos : études... 10 and 1, but I should revise 3 and 5

And after I'll soon start *Mompou* Preludio & Muneira from the Suite Compostellana, and *Carter'*s Shard when I'm done with at the least the technical difficulties and the memorization of Henze and Takemitsu.


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## MaestroViolinist

I am playing Winter by Vivaldi!!!!!!!!!  

(I expect a like from all Vivaldi fans )


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## Ingélou

As a mad-keen third age violinist, I am now working through my book of Lully, 'Vingt Morceaux'. Rondeaux, Minuets & Bourrees. Gorgeous. But I've always had trouble with timing and I'm find it very hard getting my head round notes inegales, hemiolas et al. Plus my little finger's too weak to trill with! Ah well ...


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## MichaelSolo

tdc said:


> ..I certainly won't completely give up composing or anything, but I don't have much hope I will ever be able to compose anything on this level.


 No worry - you are in a good company of most of the otherwise famous composers..


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## MaestroViolinist

I am playing Mendelssohn's violin concerto. 

(^I wrote that so plainly but, on the inside I'm actually squealing and running around with joy :lol: )


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## RonP

Right now, I'm working on beer #2.

Oh wait, you wanted me to talk about STRINGS? In that case, I'm plodding along with some simplified Bach Regadoun and Minuets for my string workshop.


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## tdc

I've taken a little break from the Chaconne for now. As someone mentioned in another thread, some works are more long-term projects and this is one of those works for me.

A while ago member Aleazk posted this video of this nice guitar transcription of a Ravel prelude for piano.






I managed to learn this piece and transcribe the above version (which is actually significantly different than the Yates transcription the performer in the video credits as using) in around 4 days.

Lately I've been also working on a Matthew Dunne piece called 'Appalachian Summer'. A little known piece I very much enjoy.


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## BerglindCello

Saint Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Dvorak Symphony No. 9, and Flight of the Bumblebee.


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## Ingélou

Duke of Norfolk or St Paul's Cathedral - a Division on a Ground published by Playford, 17th century. Gorgeous but can't play it fast enough or shift to 3rd position & above fast enough. Also the Bourrées in G major & G minor by Bach at the end of Suzuki 3: love them!


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## CyrilWashbrook

Dvorak cello concerto. I first tried it out last year but let it slide because of time pressures, so the second movement is the only one I can manage at this stage.


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## RonP

Something a little more mundane - learning thumb position on the double bass.


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## Yoshi

Vivaldi's violin concerto in A minor


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## Ingélou

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring - marvellous music, fabulous finger-exercise!


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## cbrian

A few that I'm working on:
Khachaturian Cello Concerto Movement 3
Boellmann Symphonic Variations
Boccherini Cello Concerto in Bb Movement 3
Bach's Unaccompanied Suites

At the same time, I'm working on an arrangement of a Quartet by Dvorak - 'The American'.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Fantasia op. 145, I'm actually not supposed to start this until _after_ my assessment....but oh well.


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## mtmailey

Now i am writing something for string orchestra about 14 minutes long.I plan to send it off before the deadline.


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## TheBlackCat

Currently I work on two pieces on my classical guitar.
Matteo Carcassi Study in C (Op. 60 no. 6) and Luigi Legnani Caprice no. 13.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

TheBlackCat said:


> Currently I work on two pieces on my classical guitar.
> Matteo Carcassi Study in C (Op. 60 no. 6) and Luigi Legnani Caprice no. 13.


I've played that caprice! have you played any of the other ones?


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## Op.123

MaestroViolinist said:


> I am playing Mendelssohn's violin concerto.
> 
> (^I wrote that so plainly but, on the inside I'm actually squealing and running around with joy :lol: )


Lucky you... I wish I could play that


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## Ingélou

I am trying Klezmer - Freylekhs, Nign and Khosidl - and it's so wild and Bacchic, though I wish I could trill faster. Nothing's as fast and strong as it used to be, especially not my fingerwork. But it's a real change for me to let my hair down when I usually disgust Fiddle Guru by being so timid.  Wey-hey-hey!


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## Jaredpi

Bach's cello suites (mainly the first one). They are fun to play at a quick tempo, especially the Courante.


----------



## Ingélou

I saw a half-price book of Wedding Classics in our local music store. I've been playing Air on a G String, Schubert's Ave Maria, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring & the Trumpet Voluntary - all great fun. This week I'm on to Pachelbel's Canon. 

Now, I've read a few posts on this forum sneering at this piece, though I like it fine. The trouble is, for a newbie returner-violinist like me, the increases in speed and the jumping across strings are not exactly a piece of cake.

In fact..... H-E-E-E-E-L-P!!!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Working on Bach's prelude from suite no. 3 bwv997 to perform tomorrow for a highly regarded classical guitarist.....in fact the one who's debut CD inspired me to start learning classical guitar when I was 8!!! I was interested in the guitar before that though, only really started learning it when I was 8. 

In addition to that, Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Fantasia op. 145, Villa-Lobos' Prelude no. 1, Houghton's Scacchi, Brouwer's Étude no. 16, Bach's Gavotte from suite no. 1 bwv995.


----------



## MaestroViolinist

Ingenue said:


> I saw a half-price book of Wedding Classics in our local music store. I've been playing Air on a G String, Schubert's Ave Maria, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring & the Trumpet Voluntary - all great fun. This week I'm on to Pachelbel's Canon.
> 
> Now, I've read a few posts on this forum sneering at this piece, though I like it fine. The trouble is, for a newbie returner-violinist like me, the increases in speed and the jumping across strings are not exactly a piece of cake.
> 
> In fact..... H-E-E-E-E-L-P!!!


Bow variations are always helpful.  They will fix any problems.


----------



## JimX

Currently working on Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.2

I genuinely think that it's one of the most underrated concertos of all time.


----------



## Ingélou

I am working through Edward Huws Jones' gorgeous 'Early Music Fiddler'. Currently, I'm on the 13th century French 'Estampie Royal'.


----------



## hreichgott

Estampies are fun! Be sure to estamp when you play them


----------



## Shibooty

Wieniawski Violin Concerto no. 2, 1st movement
Bach Partita no. 2 - Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue
Excerpt from Smetana's "Dance of the Comedians"
Excerpt from Kreutzer Etude no. 12
Excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet"


----------



## Guest

Tristan Manoukian's arrangement of Bach's Sinfonia from 2nd Partita BWV 826. It's rather disheartening to watch this 16 year old play it so effortlessly, especially the fugue, which starts at 3:42.


----------



## tdc

Kontrapunctus said:


> Tristan Manoukian's arrangement of Bach's Sinfonia from 2nd Partita BWV 826. It's rather disheartening to watch this 16 year old play it so effortlessly, especially the fugue, which starts at 3:42.


Just look at that concentration while he is playing the fugue, he goes into another "zone". Awesome video!


----------



## Balhor

I'm studying Vivaldi's "Concerto in do maggiore per mandolino, archi e cembalo" 
(I play mandolin by a few years)

This is a nice interpretation


----------



## senza sordino

There's some very nice music people are working on here.

I'm working on Vivaldi's Summer, but I'm struggling with the double stops in the 3rd movement.
Prelude to the E major Partita, Bach
plus stuff for orchestra.


----------



## tdc

I recently hit a wall with Bach's _Chaconne_ and Matthew Dunne's _Appalachian Summer_, because I cannot yet play these pieces as well as I'd like to I have put them to the side for the time being. Lately I've been working on the _Sarabande_ from Bach's BWV 996, and Joaquin Rodrigo's _Tiento Antiguo_.

Joaquin Rodrigo - Tiento Antiguo, played by Jeremy Jouve, I'm always impressed by his technical mastery, one of the best players of our time imo.






J.S. Bach - Sarabande from BWV 996, gorgeous interpretation by Sharon Isbin


----------



## KenOC

tdc said:


> Just look at that concentration while he is playing the fugue, he goes into another "zone". Awesome video!


That fugue...is it even possible to play it like that? And 16 years old...


----------



## Praeludium

Milan, Fantasia XXI (lovely !)
Turina, Sonata op61 movements II & III (great !)
Sor, Largo op7 (interesting !)
Bach, Tempo di borea & Double BWV1002 (it's Bach, period.)

All these pieces execpt the Bach which I had already fingered from the violin score (but I could consider this as a transcription work rather than time spent actually learning the piece) since the 10th October for a masterclass the 26th October with (along with another teacher, Jean-Jacques Fimbel) the teacher at Paris National Conservatory, Roland Dyens !
I hate it and love it at the same time. I have most of the program down, except the Milan - I'm just starting it... but it's the easier piece, and fits under the fingers well. 
Sigh. But I don't think I will be the only one to have done that, since the 10th October was the day of the entrance examinations lists of works for 2014 were made public.
Is that what it is to be a professional musician ? I think I'll have to upgrade my work ethics and quality of practcing/concentration !


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## senza sordino

I play the violin. I started in my 30's and now I'm in my 40's. I am currently working on Vivaldi's Four Seasons, summer. And the Prelude to the E major Partita, by Bach. I love the string crossings on both pieces. 

I am also playing with our local amateur orchestra, so I have that music to practice too. 

My long term musical goals include playing the Mendelssohn violin concert; the Bach Chaccone; and the Bruch violin sonata(muddling through for myself, I'd never consider performing it for others). I think these are attainable in the future, with some help. I should probably return to my former teacher for some lessons.


----------



## Celloissimo

Bach Cello Suite No. 3- Bourree


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## ClassicalGuitarist

I just started working on Bach Cantata 147 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.


----------



## senza sordino

Double stops. I am working through Josephine Trott book of double stops exercises. I am trying to play the E maj Partita Bach. Plenty of double stops in the Rondeau and Gavotte. I can't seem to play double stops with any delicacy, I can only manage to play them loudly, I crash through double stops. So I need lots of slow practice.


----------



## Ingélou

Oh senza sordino, I so so sympathise! If you find out a tip or technique that helps, please let me know!


----------



## ShropshireMoose

It has today been fixed that on 22nd February, I will, all being well be accompanying a violinist in a local village hall. This is exciting for me, as I've not worked with a professional violinist before, only singers and so on, as well as playing solo.
On the bill of fare: 
Beethoven: "Spring" Sonata/Sonata in G Op.30 No.3
Dvorak: Romance in F Minor, Op.11
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
Kreisler: Liebesfreud/Liebeslied/Schon Rosmarin
There will be other things, but these are to be discussed. I'm very excited about it, I can tell you!!
Only just noticed this is a post for string players! Sorry about intruding, but I'm blowed if I'm taking it down having typed it all out!


----------



## senza sordino

In one week we will be performing The Nutcracker in the pit while dancers prance around above. It's a lot of fun, great music. Tricky, with lots of chromatics in Waltz of the Flowers. We're also performing some orchestra music without dancers including Pachelbel's Canon. It seems simple at first, just some quarter notes nice and slowly but then eighth notes, sixteen notes and suddenly thirty second notes, a flurry of 8 notes to each beat, in the only interesting part to this awful music. Sub divide and conquer. Plus some Christmas pieces, including Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson


----------



## boarderaholic

For now scales, lots and lots of scales. Reading through this thread has made my rather short list of "I want to play" music grow to be a rather long list.


----------



## Forte

senza sordino said:


> Double stops. I am working through Josephine Trott book of double stops exercises. I am trying to play the E maj Partita Bach. Plenty of double stops in the Rondeau and Gavotte. I can't seem to play double stops with any delicacy, I can only manage to play them loudly, I crash through double stops. So I need lots of slow practice.


Here's a trick - there's absolutely no difference in arm weight when you play single notes and when you play double stops. You find the angle and play as if the two notes are just one string.

I'm tackling Mozart #4 right now for All-State and probably Bruch #1 after, or the Barber concerto. Mozart isn't difficult to get the notes right, but intonation is really quite hard and it's difficult to get the sixteenth notes with shifts to be absolutely seamless (which is necessary for the characters).

Another option for later is Wieniawski #2, but as a composition I wouldn't say it's as great as Bruch or Barber. It's great for technique though!


----------



## senza sordino

I'm still working on double stops, but I put them aside for a couple of weeks while I was doing something else. I came back to playing double stops yesterday, nice and slowly and quietly. I'm getting better, but a long way to go before I play with some grace and skill. 

I am working on the Bach E major solo Partita. The Prelude is fabulous, love those string crossings. I've spent quite a bit of time working on the Gavotte and Rondeau. The Gigue is almost easy. But tuning is always a problem, and I have found that as the keys change with each piece, it's not equal temperment. But this is beyond my real ability to distinguish.


----------



## Guest

I'm working on Tilman Hoppstock's guitar transcription of the Fantasia BWV919:






which he couples with the Fugue from BWV 906:






The Fugue is a fragment, which Igor Kipnis finished by making it a da capo fugue--Hoppstock's version follows it. Both arts are brutally hard to play in places.


----------



## Ingélou

I'm working through the pieces for my Grade 3 exam - not a high grade but scary enough when you've never taken a music exam in your life. La Rotta from the 'Early' section - Carolan's Air from the mid-section - and Putting on the Ritz from the modern section. Every time I feel I've got my head round my teacher's instructions, he comes up with another refinement. Here's hoping my nerves don't kibosh everything.


----------



## hpowders

Ingélou said:


> I'm working through the pieces for my Grade 3 exam - not a high grade but scary enough when you've never taken a music exam in your life. La Rotta from the 'Early' section - Carolan's Air from the mid-section - and Putting on the Ritz from the modern section. Every time I feel I've got my head round my teacher's instructions, he comes up with another refinement. Here's hoping my nerves don't kibosh everything.


Good luck!!! You can do it!!!!!


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> I'm working on Tilman Hoppstock's guitar transcription of the Fantasia BWV919:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> which he couples with the Fugue from BWV 906:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Fugue is a fragment, which Igor Kipnis finished by making it a da capo fugue--Hoppstock's version follows it. Both arts are brutally hard to play in places.


Not anymore...I hope to play it on the piano in about 2 or 3 years.


----------



## Guest

Oh, who am I kidding? Guitar is in my DNA, plus I just don't have the patience to learn an instrument from the ground up. I might continue to dabble with the piano, but the guitar is my instrument. Taking 3 months off has given me a new perspective and musical insights about some pieces I was playing, so it was not a complete waste of time.


----------



## tdc

Kontrapunctus said:


> Oh, who am I kidding? Guitar is in my DNA, plus I just don't have the patience to learn an instrument from the ground up. I might continue to dabble with the piano, but the guitar is my instrument. Taking 3 months off has given me a new perspective and musical insights about some pieces I was playing, so it was not a complete waste of time.


Well, I hate to say "I told you so" but uh...who am I kidding, no I don't - I told you so! 

For the record I don't think you'll quit playing piano all together either, its great to do both. So, no - in my opinion it wasn't a waste of time at all.


----------



## Guest

I agree--it's a great fundamental instrument. If could play the Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations on the piano (It's a bear on the guitar!), then I'd be happy.

I do regret selling my concert quality guitar, though. I have a new Dieter Hopf en route, but it has been delayed a day--should have arrived today, in fact,


----------



## senza sordino

I am currently working on some fifth position studies, because I want to try first violin. I am quite methodical about this, I play with a metronome (an app on my iPad mini) and chart my progress day by day. Each day I play a little faster. In the next few days and weeks I'll "graduate" to sixth and seventh position studies and shifting. 

I should also prepare some music to perform, I might need to audition.


----------



## mtmailey

I downloaded software to compose music on my computer.I completed the parts to my string trio only the cello & violin parts.It was not easy because i had to read from the written score home.


----------



## sankalp

Indian Classical version of Violin..


----------



## senza sordino

I had a violin lesson this afternoon, my first in over ten years. I started 16 years ago, and took lessons for about two years, and progressed quickly. For the past 14 years I've remained somewhat static technically, though as part of the orchestra my ensemble playing is much better. I went back to my first violin teacher today. I'm not sure he's the best for me. I know him and it's a safe environment for me to try music beyond my current ability. I had forgotten that his repertoire is a little limited and he doesn't perform, hasn't for years. 

I took to the lesson The Lark Ascending to play. It's challenging for me, lots of high positions, but not loaded with double stops. He didn't really know the piece, he had probably never played it himself. 

I'm probably going to see him once every couple of weeks for three months and work on the RVW and Mozart #3 in G and the Bach E major partita, all of it. Then I'll decide if I want to find another teacher, or stop lessons again. I didn't get a good vibe today considering it was my first lesson in a very long time.


----------



## Nightman

Kinda working on Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on bass guitar...but it's a little rough.


----------



## Ingélou

Having finished my grade 3 exam, I am now working through the Young (!!!) Violinist's Repertoire Book 3 with Richard my exam teacher. Unfortunately I shot myself in the foot by telling him how I liked my three-quarters bow (he hadn't noticed) so now he is making me use my full size pukka brazilwood bow, and boy, is it heavy!

At present I am stuck on Mozart's Minuet from Don Giovanni - 



 - which requires lifting and landing, supposedly in a graceful manner, but I keep dropping it on the string so that it sounds like a spifflicated hen. I am also playing 'My Homeland' by César Cui, which is lovely, but I am to do whole bows for the minims & semi-breves and also try to do some vibrato on the long notes. It's very hard work, and I have to keep reminding myself that I'm British (my upper lip *will* wobble, even so)!


----------



## Jaws

I am working on the music for the a local Workshop Orchestra and some pieces for string ensemble written by a friend who is a professional composer. I don't play solo pieces because I have no interest in playing solos. If I was going to do anything I would play a study to help with a problem I might have in one of the ensemble parts.


----------



## Ingélou

For my repertoire teacher, I have chosen to start playing 'A division upon a ground' by Mr John Banister (17th century) and a Passamezzo (not the famous one) by Diego Ortiz. They are gorgeous, but very challenging time-wise. I think I'm getting the better of them, but I am going to ask my Fab Fiddle Guru to play them for me on Friday so that I can sort out some tricky bars. I love Early Music! 

I am also (thanks, Senza Sordino :tiphat contentrating on some slow airs (e.g. the Londonderry Air) to develop an arm vibrato. It's miniscule so far, but after forty eight years I'm beginning to think that finally there may be light at the end of the tunnel - or is that an oncoming train?


----------



## Op.123

1st mvt of Brahms - piano concerto 2


----------



## MissLemko

Well, since this school year is almost over, I am finishing my programne (just polishing the colours and such things) and I (or should I say my professor) will be choosing a new programme. This year I played Bach BWV 998, Sor's Variations on a theme by Mozart , Villa Lobos Etudes 7 and 10, Ivanović's entire Café cycle and Brouwer's Parabola.


----------



## Jaws

senza sordino said:


> I had a violin lesson this afternoon, my first in over ten years. I started 16 years ago, and took lessons for about two years, and progressed quickly. For the past 14 years I've remained somewhat static technically, though as part of the orchestra my ensemble playing is much better. I went back to my first violin teacher today. I'm not sure he's the best for me. I know him and it's a safe environment for me to try music beyond my current ability. I had forgotten that his repertoire is a little limited and he doesn't perform, hasn't for years.
> 
> I took to the lesson The Lark Ascending to play. It's challenging for me, lots of high positions, but not loaded with double stops. He didn't really know the piece, he had probably never played it himself.
> 
> I'm probably going to see him once every couple of weeks for three months and work on the RVW and Mozart #3 in G and the Bach E major partita, all of it. Then I'll decide if I want to find another teacher, or stop lessons again. I didn't get a good vibe today considering it was my first lesson in a very long time.


Someone who hasn't performed for years would be fine for a really really advanced music student because at that stage interpretation becomes personal choice and so demonstrations are less important. However for the average amateur player being shown how to do something technical or musical can be a very good way to learn. So rather than stop lessons, I would like to suggest that you find a teacher who can actually play the repertoire that you want to have a go at playing.


----------



## Op.123

Burroughs said:


> 1st mvt of Brahms - piano concerto 2


oops, sorry, this is not a work written for a stringed instrument. I seem to have put it in the wrong section. Oh well...


----------



## Ingélou

Yes, I noticed. It's easily done. Just put it up again in the keyboard section. 
But anyway, I don't look there much, so I'm glad to know about it!


----------



## senza sordino

I am making progress with The Lark Ascending. The central faster section is still a challenge. But I always get stuck on the double stops -the bane of my existence. But it's starting to sound like music. 

I've also been playing the Prelude from the E major Partita, Bach. Tough bowing and super fast string crossings.


----------



## Jaws

Burroughs said:


> oops, sorry, this is not a work written for a stringed instrument. I seem to have put it in the wrong section. Oh well...


I expect the violin part is quite difficult anyway. Brahms tends to be.


----------



## senza sordino

I've put aside The Lark Ascending for a short while. With my teacher I'm working on the Mozart 3rd Violin Concerto, in G major. It's not too difficult to play the notes, it's making the notes sound lovely and sweet that is the challenge. And I'm working on the Bach E major concerto. What is challenging here is that there is no definitive version, different versions have different bowings, slurs and fingerings.


----------



## mtmailey

I am about to add 3 more movements to my string quartet # 0,i sent the pdf of the first movement this week trying to get a grant here.


----------



## Ingélou

With my fiddle teacher, I am working through a simple book called Baroque Violin Pieces, Book 1, ed. Richard Jones. It was my idea; I hope that I'll learn about bow strokes, hemiolas, trills and so on in an ordered way - a new piece every week. Sometimes Jim is kind enough to record a piece for me & that really helps me with expression and dynamics, not to mention timing, my Achilles' heel.

This week I'm on a lovely Sarabanda by Johann Jakob Walther & Francois Duval's Gavotte _La Romaine_. I'm trying to reproduce what Jim calls 'spoon shaped bow strokes' - start light, apply pressure in the middle, and tail off, slightly early. But I'm finding it very difficult. As for trills, I just can't move my first finger on an open string at all well.

But we persevere. Next week's offering will be an Aria by Willem de Fesch; I've found a cello version on YouTube, and I'm already madly in love with it...


----------



## senza sordino

Ingélou said:


> With my fiddle teacher, I am working through a simple book called Baroque Violin Pieces, Book 1, ed. Richard Jones.
> 
> This week I'm on a lovely Sarabanda by Johann Jakob Walther & Francois Duval's Gavotte _La Romaine_. I'm trying to reproduce what Jim calls 'spoon shaped bow strokes' - start light, apply pressure in the middle, and tail off, slightly early. But I'm finding it very difficult. As for trills, I just can't move my first finger on an open string at all well.


I'm a bit confused, and curious. You are learning to trill on an open string? This is not normally done, usually violin players shift to another position to do that trill.

If you know the Kreutzer 42 Studies, try studies #15, 16. Trills nearly every note!


----------



## Ingélou

Oh well, you live and learn! Thanks, senza sordino. I stand corrected. I am very basic, you know - alas, not capable, yet, of moving to other positions (except the third) with any dexterity. 
I do find trilling ability improves with practice. After nearly a year spent on Klezmer, I'm much better than I was. I don't know the Kreutzer Studies you mention, but I've heard of them - I am probably light years away from moving on to them, however.

o Crawls away sadly, covered with confusion...)


----------



## senza sordino

Ingélou said:


> Oh well, you live and learn! Thanks, senza sordino. I stand corrected. I am very basic, you know - alas, not capable, yet, of moving to other positions (except the third) with any dexterity.
> I do find trilling ability improves with practice. After nearly a year spent on Klezmer, I'm much better than I was. I don't know the Kreutzer Studies you mention, but I've heard of them - I am probably light years away from moving on to them, however.
> 
> o Crawls away sadly, covered with confusion...)


My comment wasn't meant to be critical, with all play within our limitations. There is no law that says you can't trill on an open string. I was just curious.

The Kreutzer studies are challenging, the first studies require playing up to at least sixth position, I've only made it to about #15 of 42 studies.

Double stops are my Achilles heel.


----------



## senza sordino

I am making good progress with the Bach E major concerto. I played through the entire first movement with only a few repeats and slow downs. It is a real challenge playing in E major, and the piece modulates. You know that slow bit about 3/4 of the way through the first movement? It's in G# harmonic minor. 

You have to listen very carefully to your intonation. You cannot play it with equal temperment. 

Playing it slowly to get the exact intonation.


----------



## senza sordino

I played through the first movement of the Bach E major concerto this morning in 12 min 40 s. My recording of Andrew Manze and the Academy of Ancient Music is 7 min 20 s. I have a long way to go. What I played this morning wasn't bad, a bit slow of course, but all the right notes. 

I am also making my way through the Mozart third violin concerto. I have memorized large chunks of the first movement. I can't play the cadenza through yet, it's an Oistrakh cadenza full of pyrotechnics. 

I am practicing more now that I'm on strike and not working, I have more time and I'm not exhausted from the day working. 

I also recently learned the Meditation from Thais, Massenet. I played that through this morning in time, and fault free for the first time. Perhaps not sounding as sweet as Heifetz but I am happy with it.


----------



## lincrusta

Currently, I'm working on Esprit Chédeville's "Prélude" (1st voice) for épinette des vosges as well as Saint-Saëns's "Le Cygne" (violin's part) on my tremoloa. Struggling with slurs and very long notes (notably near the end of The Swan), since the tremoloa doesn't hold notes like a violin (plectrum). I've crudely arranged a version of The Swan for tremoloa, mostly changing the slurs and adding pitch bending to make notes stand out while slurring.

It's strange going from a bow to a plectrum haha.


----------



## TheCTViolinist

-Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade (Violin 1 part)
-Bach: Partita No. 3
-Beethoven: Sonata No. 9
-Kreisler: Preludium and Allegro


----------



## Guest

The last movement (a fugue) of Bach's Toccata BWV 914 transcribed by Stefano Grondona. Here is some other enterprising guitarist taking a stab at this ferociously difficult movement!






EDIT: Gibran Araújo plays his own transcription, which seems a little "easier" than Grondona's.


----------



## senza sordino

I had a nice violin lesson this morning. I started to learn the three Vienese Waltzes of Fritz Kreisler: Liebesfreud, Liebesleid, Schōn Rosmarin.


----------



## tdc

I've been working on Dowland's _Lachrimae Pavan - Flow My Tears _ and Rodrigo's _Sonata a la Espanola_.


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> The last movement (a fugue) of Bach's Toccata BWV 914 transcribed by Stefano Grondona. Here is some other enterprising guitarist taking a stab at this ferociously difficult movement!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Gibran Araújo plays his own transcription, which seems a little "easier" than Grondona's.


To quote inspector Dirty Harry, "A wise man's gotta know his limitations." This piece (and just about any Bach keyboard piece) is just too hard on the guitar. Back to Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro BWV 998, which is plenty hard!


----------



## SimplyRedhead

After handling pretty well the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto now I'm practicing 2nd and 3rd movement. Am I the only one who truly doesn't see 'the beauty' of second movement in this concerto?


----------



## senza sordino

SimplyRedhead said:


> After handling pretty well the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto now I'm practicing 2nd and 3rd movement. Am I the only one who truly doesn't see 'the beauty' of second movement in this concerto?


The Beethoven isn't my favourite violin concerto, there are several ahead of this. Too much like playing scales. Though I'm envious that you can play it.


----------



## Forte

SimplyRedhead said:


> After handling pretty well the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto now I'm practicing 2nd and 3rd movement. Am I the only one who truly doesn't see 'the beauty' of second movement in this concerto?


I love the 2nd movement but there's no reason to have to love it. I love the lyricism and the simplicity of it. It's like a song within an orchestral context. But everyone has different preferences.

The thing about the Beethoven concerto is that it is utterly unapproachable from a musical standpoint unless you know how to make music out of it (I'm talking about the 1st movement). Perlman said Beethoven is the hardest of them all because you need so much musical mind and control to make it not sound like a bunch of scales and practice exercises. The best versions of the Beethoven concerto are always the ones that don't sound just like someone practicing their scales.

As soon as I get my bow back from repairs, I'm learning the 3rd movement of the Bruch concerto, which is not a walk in the park technically. But I believe I have increased the efficiency of my practicing an incredible amount by reading up on the subject so that will be a nice project


----------



## senza sordino

SimplyRedhead said:


> After handling pretty well the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto now I'm practicing 2nd and 3rd movement. Am I the only one who truly doesn't see 'the beauty' of second movement in this concerto?


I'm curious to know how long it takes you to learn a concerto. How long have you been working on the first movement of the LvB? I'm impatient and also not disciplined enough in my playing. This needs to change, I know. For nearly two months I've been working on the Bach E major, and Mozart G major.


----------



## Guest

SimplyRedhead said:


> After handling pretty well the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto now I'm practicing 2nd and 3rd movement. Am I the only one who truly doesn't see 'the beauty' of second movement in this concerto?


Learn it with Schnittke's cadenzas and get back to us.


----------



## SimplyRedhead

Kontrapunctus said:


> Learn it with Schnittke's cadenzas and get back to us.


No need, Kreiesler's is beautiful enough  By the way, this cadenza is probably one of the best in the whole violin literature.



senza sordino said:


> I'm curious to know how long it takes you to learn a concerto. How long have you been working on the first movement of the LvB?


It's hard to say how long I was working only on this movement because at the same time I was practicing several other pieces (Wieniawski's 5th caprice, Bach's great Chaccone, 1st movement of Mozart's A-major violin concerto + cadenza and Frank's violin sonata). All together took me about 3 months.


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## senza sordino

I've been playing the Mozart G major for about two months, trying to memorize it. I am convinced that at my advanced age of.........48....... memorizing is more difficult. If you've been memorizing music since you were a kid then memorizing as an adult is probably easier. I never did memorize anything as a kid, except maybe the times table, certainly not music. This is the first significant and long piece of music I've tried to memorize. And most of the first movement is memorized. I played much of the first movement from memory for my teacher yesterday. Another problem is that I'm playing it too slowly, and now the too slow version is starting to sound like the correct way to play it. 

I too have been learning other pieces at the same time, so not all of my time has gone into the Mozart. Kreisler, Bach E major and this week the Presto from the first solo sonata of Bach. 

Thank-you for replying SimplyRedhead, your input and insights are greatly appreciated.

P.S. The Kreisler cadenza is superlative.


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## Forte

senza sordino said:


> I've been playing the Mozart G major for about two months, trying to memorize it. I am convinced that at my advanced age of.........48....... memorizing is more difficult.


I read a blog by a performance psychology teacher at Juilliard (Bulletproof Musician), and one of his blogposts was on memorizing pieces of music. I think it helps a lot. He suggests having different ways of encoding music into our memory so that we can recall it in different ways whenever we want:

See if you can hum or solfege the entire piece without referring to the score.
See if you can "play" the piece on your instrument - without making a sound.
See if you can visualize the score in your head and mentally "play" the piece through from beginning to end.
See if you can mentally "hear" yourself play the piece through from beginning to end.
Try closing your eyes and trying to mentally rehearse the piece from beginning to end, "feeling" yourself play the piece on your instrument, "hearing" the desired sounds being produced, and perhaps even "seeing" the notes pass by on the score. Can you get through the piece without a hitch?

Challenge: Sit down with empty staff paper and write out the entire piece from memory including the notes, articulations, dynamics, tempo markings, etc.

Another suggestion was to create images for sections and phrases of the piece, so you could identify certain parts by thinking about those images. You can assign different characters, or stories (see: Maxim Vengerov's masterclass with four young students) to an entire movement and use those images to systematically recall every bit of it.

The last suggestion was the "memory castle" whereby you think of a piece as a trip, perhaps starting from home, and then ending up at the end of such a journey at whatever destination. A section of the piece could be you walking to a friend's house, or sitting down someplace to eat, or wandering through the park, or a grove, or the mountains, or meeting up with people you know, and then arriving back home. So basically you have a map in your head of the piece.

If you're interested, you should read his blogposts here.


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## zvioliny

I am a new violin player (just started 8 months ago)... I'm currently working on the 2nd Seitz Concerto.


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## senza sordino

I have been playing all three movements of the Bach E major concerto, though it's not fast enough yet. This piece has been a challenge because of the key, all those accidentals, B#, E#, F double sharp.

I started to learn the Beethoven Spring Violin Sonata today. I'm quite excited about this. And the plan is to play this with the piano.


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## Shibooty

The 2nd movement of Mozart's 3rd violin concerto, the Presto from Bach's 1st violin sonata, and breezing through Kreutzer violin etudes with my private teacher.


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## senza sordino

Now I'm working on Beethoven Spring Sonata. First and second movements for now, but I'll learn to play all of the movements. And I just started to learn the LvB Romance in F major. It's easier than the G major. 

But my problem is that I don't play and learn something until it's mastered. I get through a piece with some ability then move on. I really should try to master some pieces, and not just hack my way through music. It doesn't help that I work full time, in a stressful and tiring job.


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## senza sordino

I've made it through the entire LvB Violin Spring Sonata. The second movement is giving me nightmares. A couple of bars in particular. There is one bar with a turn, slow quarter notes and a run of 8 sixty fourth notes all in one down bow. I always run out of bow. And later on the second movement modulates and I have to find Cb and Db on the D string. Yikes. Anyway, it's slow progress. 

And I've played through the entire LvB F major Romance. This isn't too bad. 

Of course, when a professional gets a difficult piece to learn they have all day. My day is spent with ungrateful teenagers on another subject altogether. I somehow have to come home after a long day of work and get the energy to play LvB. 

I will never sound like a professional. That's okay. It is so satisfying making one's own music. To my ears when it goes well, it sounds pretty good.


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## tdc

My guitar playing has been a little less of late as I've been playing a lot more piano, as well as going back to studying composition. But lately I've started to work on Bach's Chaconne again, I'm determined to make it past this darned 3rd page (of the Segovia transcription) this time. Its going all right so far. I noticed on the violin score there are sections of 64ths, but none on this guitar transcription. I'm not sure if because of the added bass notes, there is a similar effect, or whether Segovia just felt certain passages would be impossible to play up to speed on guitar.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

tdc said:


> My guitar playing has been a little less of late as I've been playing a lot more piano, as well as going back to studying composition. But lately I've started to work on Bach's Chaconne again, I'm determined to make it past this darned 3rd page (of the Segovia transcription) this time. Its going all right so far. I noticed on the violin score there are sections of 64ths, but none on this guitar transcription. I'm not sure if because of the added bass notes, there is a similar effect, or whether Segovia just felt certain passages would be impossible to play up to speed on guitar.


Good luck with your bach! I've been working on the prelude from Bach's lute suite BWV 995 (transcription of the C minor cello suite) and I was stuck on certain passages for a long while and put off from learning it for a week or two. But wit sheer determination I can now play the whole prelude up to speed.


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## senza sordino

I think I need to stop learning new pieces and instead concentrate and perfect what I've been learning. Maybe not perfecting, but getting better. I have a habit of making it through a piece of music and then starting something new. Therefore, I will spend the next two or three months working on the following pieces and not start anything new.

Mozart's 3rd Violin Concerto in G
Beethoven Spring Violin Sonata
Bach E major Concerto
Beethoven F Major Romance
Bach E major partita prelude
Kreisler Three Vienese Waltzes
Bach Air on a G String 

See what I mean? That's a long list already, I don't need any more music. My problem is that I'm impatient as I've got other pieces I want to try.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I'm just starting these pieces (continuing my Bach though):

Villa-Lobos: Étude VII
Brouwer: El Decameron Negro (just the first movement for now)
Richard Charlton: Short Walk in a Rainforest
Elliott Carter: Shard
Koshkin: Tin Soldiers (from The Prince's Toys)


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## tdc

^ You two are ambitious. I used to try to play all the pieces I'd memorized everyday as well as learning at least one new piece, after I got up to twenty some pieces it became inefficient. Now I rarely work on more than two or three pieces at a time. I'm still just working on Bach's Chaconne at the moment. (Finally through page 3 though, yay!) 

But, aside from this I'm also working on various pieces on piano, as well as trying to study tonal harmony, read other books I'm interested in and get exercise everyday (oh and I also have a job). There aren't enough hours in the day!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

tdc said:


> ^ You two are ambitious. I used to try to play all the pieces I'd memorized everyday as well as learning at least one new piece, after I got up to twenty some pieces it became inefficient. Now I rarely work on more than two or three pieces at a time. I'm still just working on Bach's Chaconne at the moment. (Finally through page 3 though, yay!)
> 
> But, aside from this I'm also working on various pieces on piano, as well as trying to study tonal harmony, read other books I'm interested in and get exercise everyday (oh and I also have a job). There aren't enough hours in the day!


Well I have an assessment on those pieces next year and my performance of them will affect my final high school mark, so I gotta work hard!


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## tdc

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Well I have an assessment on those pieces next year and my performance of them will affect my final high school mark, so I gotta work hard!


A nice variety of modern pieces you are working on there, and mixed with the Bach - that is just the kind of stuff I enjoy most. The only thing you are missing is a piece by Rodrigo.


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## senza sordino

As mentioned before, I've got too many pieces to work on. So I'm spending a couple of weeks or more on one piece at a time. Right now I've been playing Mozart's Third Violin Concerto, G major. All cadenzas, all movements. I can't play through non stop, but I'm getting better. It's my first real concerto and cadenza to learn.


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## dkrisner

Robert Muczynski Gallery "suit for unaccompanied cello"


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## senza sordino

The Mozart is coming along fine, not memorized. It won't ever be. I also play the LvB Romance in F major well enough. So I've put them aside for now and I'm working on the Beethoven Spring Sonata, the last movement needs the most work. My teacher also gave me two new pieces to learn.

Pablo de Sarasate Malagueña. It's a good piece, and with lots of left hand pizzicato for me to learn. 
Bach Corrente from the Dm partita. 

And I'm up to Kreutzer study 24 of 42 if anybody knows what I'm talking about.
And I bought the Carl Flesch scale system book. Scales of all sorts in all keys, major and minor. I really need to work on scales and double stops in scales to progress further.


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## MoonlightSonata

I've been given some Grade 3 pieces for viola today:
Holst - Theme from _Jupiter_ (the Planets, of course)
A French medieval one
Grieg - Arietta from Lyric Suite


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## gracebarton

Well, I suppose the only pieces I'm working on are my exam ones: La Rotta, Carolan's Air, and Putting on the Ritz.

We've dabbled in pieces in the orchestra, but we're not working on anything solid at the moment.


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## senza sordino

I started another piece two days ago, the Kabelevsky Violin Concerto. I wanted to learn to play something from the 20th Century, and this is within my reach. It's fast, and plenty of accidentals but few double stops. It's a good piece for me to try with my teacher.

I also started to learn the Bach double violin concerto. This isn't so difficult for me, only first and third position, and no double stops. I've only had it a week, but it's not bad. My teacher played the second violin part while I played the first violin part, that was fun. It was under speed, but each week it'll get faster as I get more familiar with the notes. 

I do attempt a lot of different pieces as you can read from my posting history in this thread. And I have our weekly orchestra rehearsal. I don't try to learn everything to perfection, that's an elusive goal I think. Some music I learn more thoroughly than others. And often I learn a piece, put it aside as I grow weary of playing it so often, try something new for a few weeks, then return to it at a later date. 

Some music I only play to get a skill and technique. For instance, Air on a G String I learned to gain practice playing high positions on the G string. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair I learned solely to play harmonics within a piece of music. And Malagueña for the left hand pizzicato.


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## jericollins

a couple hymns (Amazing Grace and Just as i am,) for my church gig on the third saturday, and a couple of Bach's minuets and Beautiful Dreamer for a Meet-up below Houston on the 17th.


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## Guest

I'm learning the first movement from Torroba's Sonatina for Guitar. Thought I'd set aside the nearly unplayable Bach keyboard transcriptions for a while! Ravel thought very highly of Torroba's piece, and I like it too. It's catchy, well written for the instrument, and not too hard to play.


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## tdc

Still chipping away at Bach's Chaconne. I am now on page 7 of 9 of the Segovia transcription.


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## senza sordino

I'm making good progress with the LvB Spring Sonata, I'm just about ready to try it with an accompanist. My violin teacher's colleague is the piano teacher and regularly accompanies his students, I'll hire her for a few lessons once the school summer holidays begin. 

I put aside the Kabelevsky violin concerto, but I'll come back to it soon. 

My teacher and I have been playing the Bach Double violin concerto together. That's fun. But I'm not very good when I play with someone else, as I get distracted by his playing. I need to learn to concentrate, easier said than done. 

I learned the Rachmaninov Vocalise recently. I'll play that along with the Beethoven with the piano teacher. 

I've been playing a lot of Bach lately, solo violin partita no 2 in Dm, minus the Chaconne. And I've just begun to play the entire solo violin partita no 3 in E, prelude, Loure, Gavotte and Rondeau, Minuets, Bourrée and Gigue. E major is tough, plenty of sharps and then accidentals, A#, F double sharp. 

I'm going to music camp again this summer, 200 or so adult amateurs like myself, instrumentalists and singers. Orchestra, string orchestra, string quartet, choir and orchestra and more.


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## MoonlightSonata

tdc said:


> Still chipping away at Bach's Chaconne. I am now on page 7 of 9 of the Segovia transcription.


I like that piece, it's beautiful.
What's the picture?


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## tdc

MoonlightSonata said:


> I like that piece, it's beautiful.
> What's the picture?


Here is the connection:

I've been working on some beautiful music from the D major section of Bach's Chaconne that happens to be on page *seven of nine* of the Segovia transcription. The picture is of the (beautiful) character called *Seven of Nine* from the TV series _Star Trek Voyager_.


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## Guest

I'm working on Adolf Lotter's 1913 piece, _The Ragtime Bass Player_. I found the sheet music online and it's not particularly difficult. Here are a couple versions, neither of which I care for as both seem to be having intonation problems but you can hear how the piece goes basically.











Lotter (1871-1942) was a Czech-born bassist. I can't find much bio info about him. The internet is notorious for skimpy info on influential double bassists. He worked with Dvorak and Frantisek Cerny--another double bassist. Czechoslovakia/Bohemia was a powerhouse of double bass innovation in the 19th century. Lotter went to London in the 1890s and, from what I can gather, spent the remainder of his life there. _The Ragtime Bass Player_ seems to be his most famous piece today although he wrote a number of more serious pieces such as the _Dunkirk March_.


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## senza sordino

I don't know whether it's hubris or alcohol but I've decided I'd like to give a small recital for my 50th birthday later in November. I need to find an accompanist and a location. I only want a small audience: my parents, my girlfriend, a couple of friends and aunt. I could do this at my parents place where they have the room and a piano, but they don't live centrally. Another more central location would be better.

I've been working on the repertoire for a while now. Probably I'd play the complete LvB Spring Sonata, a couple of solo Bach from the Dm Partita The Allemande and Gigue and Rachmaninov Vocalise, Elgar Chanson de Matin and Kreisler Schön Rosmarin. I'm fairly comfortable with these pieces. I'm not trying a hugely courageous concert, but letting people close to me know what I've been playing well. 

I had a violin lesson last week with an accompanist from a different music school. She was alright but I'd prefer to play with someone who does this sort of thing more often. My violin teacher has a piano teacher colleague who does this sort of thing more frequently and is more prepared than the teacher I played with last week. She would be a better choice. I've booked another lesson with the first teacher this week, but that will likely be the last. My teacher's accompanist is away for July and I'm away in August. I can't play with her until at least September. 

I don't know whether this recital will actually happen. It might be that I'm ready to play, but I can't find a piano player or venue etc. We will see what happens in the autumn. Meanwhile I'll keep practicing.


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## senza sordino

I'm going to music camp in a few days. It will be music all day long with like minded individuals. We amateurs will be coached by professionals from mostly the local orchestra. There will be about 200 of us, about half singers the other half instrumentalists. We have a chance to play chamber music, orchestra with choir, early music, SATB choir, musical theatre, jazz band, string orchestra or wind band, and big orchestra. There are music programs for kids, and young teens. So many families go.

We are assigned a chamber group to play with. I had the chance to get together earlier this week and play with my string quartet. It's a good group of fairly strong players. We sight read for about two hours, lots of easier quartet music to warm up, and also Mozart's Third Quartet. My group last year was very weak, I never felt as if we even made music, as it was such a struggle for at least two other members of my group. I was assigned to a very weak group. This year it will be much better. I think we will perform the Mozart Third Quartet.

The last two days of the music camp we will perform for each other, the music we've been working on all week.


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## senza sordino

Update:
Music camp was great. I played music all day all week. Orchestra, string orchestra, in the pit for the first scene of an opera, in the orchestra for a Haydn mass, and a string quartet. We also had a Masterclass for each instrument. A few of us played in the Masterclass, I bungled my way through some solo Bach. Overall, this camp is a great place for adult amateurs like myself, all ages and abilities are there. 

One thing I took away from the Masterclass is playing a piece from memory. I'm a terrible memorizer so I never try. But I should at least try. I won't ever actually play a piece in a Masterclass from memory, but while I'm practicing I should try to learn the piece from memory. The reason is that learning from memory means you really know the piece, muscle memory becomes more ingrained. You learn a piece by heart, it becomes a part of you. 

I've got lots of new pieces to learn this next season, but I'm currently staying with some pieces I've been working this past season. I'm now going back to the Bach E major concerto, which is worked on last fall. I'm trying to memorize it. I do this in sections. It's slow going. I can play from memory only slowly. Sight reading I go faster, but from memory it forces me to slow down, especially tricky sections. Initially learning from memory, I really have to think about each note, but gradually from memory it becomes automatic. And then sight reading the piece once almost memorized means I'm not a slave to the notes on the page, there is a lot of automatic muscle memory. 

And this summer, I bought a violin. It's from the late 19th Century, French. It's so much more clear and resonant than my existing violin.


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## breakup

senza sordino said:


> One thing I took away from the Masterclass is playing a piece from memory. I'm a terrible memorizer so I never try. But I should at least try. I won't ever actually play a piece in a Masterclass from memory, but while I'm practicing I should try to learn the piece from memory. The reason is that learning from memory means you really know the piece, muscle memory becomes more ingrained. You learn a piece by heart, it becomes a part of you.
> 
> I've got lots of new pieces to learn this next season, but I'm currently staying with some pieces I've been working this past season. I'm now going back to the Bach E major concerto, which is worked on last fall. I'm trying to memorize it. I do this in sections. It's slow going. I can play from memory only slowly. Sight reading I go faster, but from memory it forces me to slow down, especially tricky sections. Initially learning from memory, I really have to think about each note, but gradually from memory it becomes automatic. And then sight reading the piece once almost memorized means I'm not a slave to the notes on the page, there is a lot of automatic muscle memory.


Interesting observations, I have found that when I play a piece on the piano from memory I can let the music go and play the music as I feel it, that's not to say I don't play what is written, I just don't need to read the music. I played the cornet with a combination of sight reading and memorization, and now I am starting to play both again, the trumpet I can play by ear, but the piano I must memorize the music to really play well. I need to learn to sight read for the piano. I've had a piano for about 4 years after a 40 year layoff, and the trumpet since July of this year after the same layoff.


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## gardibolt

Picked up a mountain dulcimer when we were in the Great Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago and have been puttering around on that. Fun little instrument.


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## senza sordino

I've just started working on Preludium and Allegro by Kreisler, and the Opus 5 Sonata no 6 in A major by Corelli.


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## tdc

In addition to the Chaconne I've been working on a few short pieces by Gaspar Sanz, Brouwer's Danza Caracteristica, and Rodrigo's Zarabanda Lejanda.


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## senza sordino

I'm really enjoying my new violin, which is actually a very old violin. Double stops are more clear, I find I can hear both notes more clearly and therefore tune both with more precision. And very high position notes sound more clear, they resonate more. After I stop playing the violin continues to sound and vibrate. A much better sound than my previous instrument. Now I need a new bow to keep up with my new violin. 

I am still trying to memorize pieces I work on. Though I play and practice too much to actually memorize entire works. But I'm convinced that if you memorize the piece, you get to really know the piece, and you're not just always sight reading. Sight reading is sort of superficial and temporary. 

I'm working on Kreisler Preludium and Allegro, Grieg First violin sonata in F, Bach E major Partita and Dm Partita (minus the Chaconne), Corelli A major sonata no 6. Plus music for orchestra, second violin parts. 

Previously, I mentioned I'd like to try performing a recital, very small scale. This has to be put on hold for many months. But sometime in the future I'll try again.


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## Ingélou

I am working on tunes for the monthly 'Session' that I have now joined at a local pub. Some of the Scottish folk tunes are on the verge of the baroque music of their time, and I have been playing two slow airs by Niel Gow today at my lesson - Gow was a celebrated eighteenth-century Scots fiddler but he also liked & played music by Corelli at social gatherings.

My favourite is 'Niel Gow's Lament for his Second Wife', and I am using Iain Fraser's video and book:


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## tdc

I'm finally playing through all of Bach's Chaconne, though I haven't quite memorized the final D minor section. Although I'm focused more on piano now I intend to continue spending 45 minutes to an hour a day on guitar as well.


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## desire machine

Allegro from Mozart's 5th violin concerto I just began working on the other day.

Recently I've been playing Vivaldi's 4 seasons. I'm able to play it through... but very sloppily... I think that's one I'll keep coming back to as I improve. It's always been a favorite of mine to listen to. The 1st piece Spring Allego is the funnest part to play and the part I'm probably strongest on.

I've been looking for melodic pieces at the edge of my ability that will challenge me and get me more comfortable shifting and playing in high positions so any suggestions are appreciated.


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## desire machine

senza sordino said:


> One thing I took away from the Masterclass is playing a piece from memory. I'm a terrible memorizer so I never try. But I should at least try. I won't ever actually play a piece in a Masterclass from memory, but while I'm practicing I should try to learn the piece from memory. The reason is that learning from memory means you really know the piece, muscle memory becomes more ingrained. You learn a piece by heart, it becomes a part of you.


When I was younger I took Suzuki lessons and they had us memorize songs. I hated memorizing, songs, I have a bad memory and struggled w/ it. lol I would find myself get stuck in these loops were I would end up repeating the same sections over... I feel like my fingers will remember the notes for each part but I need a reference in order to know what part comes next. It's kind of like reciting prayers in church or the pledge of allegiance, I know the words by heart and then I go to say them by myself and I'm surprisingly unsure.

....I think when it comes to violin when you first learn a song it is usually challenging and at the height of your ability. When you move onto more challenging pieces and then come back to a song your ability to play that song is so much more improved and you're able to give it so much more style. You no longer struggle over and need to focus the notes and are able to focus on making it as musical and sweet sounding as you can... I think when you're in that phase it might be easier to memorize the pieces then. It's hard to memorize them when you can barely just play the song. Whenever I watch professional musicians they always seem to play the songs with such ease and just seem to focus on the musicality of it. I feel like it's good to keep learning new pieces and come back to pieces, mastering songs in separate phases, rather than overly focus and try to master it all at once. ...lol not that I have much credentials to give such advice tho.


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## Guest

I was watching the 1935 version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which uses a score that is entirely Mendelssohn and they used "Spring Song" and I thought...hmm...so I found some sheet music online. I've got the melody down but to perform it live I need someone to do the bass line. That's an awesome bass line to accompany the melody and both are awesome played on double basses.


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## senza sordino

I'm going to music camp again this summer. I have my new violin to show off. And I will play something for the masterclass. It's all low pressure for us amateurs. I've been working on Prelude and Allegro by Kreisler which is a good piece to show off but it might be a bit ambitious for me. I've also been working on the first violin sonata of Grieg, which is less showy but playable. 

Last year I played some solo Bach and the year before the Mozart G major concerto, without cadenza. I want to play something else, no more Bach, and something a bit more modern.


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## tdc

senza sordino said:


> I'm going to music camp again this summer. I have my new violin to show off. And I will play something for the masterclass. It's all low pressure for us amateurs. I've been working on Prelude and Allegro by Kreisler which is a good piece to show off but it might be a bit ambitious for me. I've also been working on the first violin sonata of Grieg, which is less showy but playable.
> 
> Last year I played some solo Bach and the year before the Mozart G major concerto, without cadenza. I want to play something else, no more Bach, and something a bit more modern.


Its good to switch up your repertoire for sure. I'm not familiar with the violin pieces by Kreisler or Grieg (though I do like Grieg's String Quartet). If you are still thinking about possibly adding other modern pieces Bartok wrote a lot of excellent works, and I quite like Rodrigo's Capriccio for solo violin.


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## Ingélou

I'm working on some traditional Scottish tunes that use Scordatura - my fiddle retuned to AEAE - including the eighteenth-century classic The Lea Rig.
I can't believe the sound that my cheap starter violin is making - the volume, the resonance, the Scottish ringing-strings sound! 
I'm loving it!


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## tdc

Ingélou said:


> I'm working on some traditional Scottish tunes that use Scordatura - my fiddle retuned to AEAE - including the eighteenth-century classic The Lea Rig.
> I can't believe the sound that my cheap starter violin is making - the volume, the resonance, the Scottish ringing-strings sound!
> I'm loving it!


Very cool and nice to hear, but I would like to encourage you to return to doing some proper classical music again in the near future too.


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## senza sordino

I'm currently working on the Bach Am violin concerto. I love the slow movement. There is a constant shifting of keys and harmonies, each phrase in a different, albeit related, key. I'm really getting the hang of the baroque trill, which starts on the top note. And I use a little vibrato only. I can vary my vibrato now to suit the mood.

I'm also working on the Grieg violin sonata no 1 in F major. In this piece I can now change my technique to play more romantically, a wide vibrato, slides (portamemto) and trills that start on the bottom note. It sounds quite different than the Bach. I couldn't do that before - change my style to suit the era of music. 

I'm still working on the Sarasate Malagueña, which I'll probably play at music camp this summer. It's more technically showy than the Grieg. It's got artificial harmonics, and left hand pizzicato. 

And I just started playing the allegro assai from the C major sonata of Bach solo violin. 

I'm sure my teacher likes all his students, but especially me because he's only ten years older than me. We talk about music, but also house prices, taxes, politics etc, which he doesn't do with his much younger students. And also, I like to learn to play an entire piece of music. When music students prepare for an exam or recital they are required to play two contrasting movements of a piece of music, not the entire thing. So they never do learn the entire piece. I like to play the entire piece of music, all movements.


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## Rongtian

Check out a strings song I wrote.


__
https://soundcloud.com/rongtian-yue%2Fa-normal-day


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## Guest

tdc said:


> I'm finally playing through all of Bach's Chaconne, though I haven't quite memorized the final D minor section. Although I'm focused more on piano now I intend to continue spending 45 minutes to an hour a day on guitar as well.


Try Busoni's transcription for piano!


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## tdc

Although it still needs work I feel quite accomplished as I've finally memorized the Chaconne in its entirety.


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## Pugg

I am pulling the stings right now, does that count.


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## Guest

Pugg said:


> I am pulling the stings right now, does that count.


Aaaiii


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## senza sordino

It's a big challenge but I've just started to work on the Bruch, yes that one. Bruch violin concerto no 1 in Gm. Here it's a grade 10 piece, out of eleven levels. It'll take some months before I can play it will some grace and style. But I think it's quite exciting to play something from the standard repertoire. I'll never get better if I don't try pieces that are a challenge. 

I'm still working on the Grieg 1st violin sonata, and always playing solo Bach. I've started playing the allegro assai and largo from the second solo sonata in C major. Lovely stuff. 

And I've started playing some new studies: Fiorrilo, Mazas and Rode 24 Caprices.


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

I'm currently working on overcoming tendonitis in my left arm...Tennis-elbow from playing funk and bending strings on my new electric guitar. I've been strictly classical for 15 years and it was (too) fun to do something different. I can play some exercises and dream of what's to come when I get well, which is duo with piano and cello. With the piano guy I'll be playing the Villa-Lobos concerto and Desafio no. 37 by Marlos Nobre and maybe something else. With the cellist also Villa-Lobos, de Falla, Schubert & Granados. It really sucks not to be able to practice now...


----------



## Ingélou

I'm working on Scottish folk tunes ready for our trip to the fiddle/keyboard classes at Beauly.

This book has some lovely pieces in it:










I am working on two new strathspeys from it, 'Miss Lyall' and 'The Stewarts of Grandtully' - and also going over some tunes that I've already learned. Here's the first in the book, 'Sitting in the Stern of a Boat'. 
A lovely fiddle tune & fiddler!


----------



## tdc

Not trying to be rude, just pointing out I have a personal quirk about the word 'fiddle'. I prefer when people refer to the instrument as a violin (of course everyone is free to use whatever term they prefer and that is fine).

To me 'fiddle' has a masturbatory quality to it, and if someone tells me they play the 'fiddle' I seem to associate the word with an image of incompetent screeching and squawking as if the individual 'fiddles' around with the instrument as opposed to playing or performing on it. 

As I said just a personal quirk.


----------



## senza sordino

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> I'm currently working on overcoming tendonitis in my left arm...Tennis-elbow from playing funk and bending strings on my new electric guitar. I've been strictly classical for 15 years and it was (too) fun to do something different. I can play some exercises and dream of what's to come when I get well, which is duo with piano and cello. With the piano guy I'll be playing the Villa-Lobos concerto and Desafio no. 37 by Marlos Nobre and maybe something else. With the cellist also Villa-Lobos, de Falla, Schubert & Granados. It really sucks not to be able to practice now...


I've probably developed a tendinitis in my left elbow too. I'm not really sure how I could. There isn't a lot of movement in the left elbow when I play, I do play right handed. All the big motion is my bow arm, the right elbow and that's fine. It's quite painful at times. I can't grip too much in that hand without some discomfort. For example, holding a plate of food horizontally in my left hand is difficult now, it never used to be. The discomfort is in the forearm near the elbow.

So I don't play as much right now. At most 30 minutes per day. The Bruch is therefore slow going. Though I've played through the entire first movement so far.

I'm also working on the Vitali Chaconne. It's a somewhat forgotten piece that used to part of the standard repertoire more than 50 years ago. I found a Heifetz recording on Spotify. It was written in the late 1600s. It's quite a challenge and a good preview if I ever get to try the Bach Chaconne.


----------



## tdc

senza sordino said:


> I've probably developed a tendinitis in my left elbow too. I'm not really sure how I could. There isn't a lot of movement in the left elbow when I play, I do play right handed. All the big motion is my bow arm, the right elbow and that's fine. It's quite painful at times. I can't grip too much in that hand without some discomfort. For example, holding a plate of food horizontally in my left hand is difficult now, it never used to be. The discomfort is in the forearm near the elbow.
> 
> So I don't play as much right now. At most 30 minutes per day. The Bruch is therefore slow going. Though I've played through the entire first movement so far.
> 
> I'm also working on the Vitali Chaconne. It's a somewhat forgotten piece that used to part of the standard repertoire more than 50 years ago. I found a Heifetz recording on Spotify. It was written in the late 1600s. It's quite a challenge and a good preview if I ever get to try the Bach Chaconne.


That is too bad about the tendinitis. I think physical ailments such as this are very common for many musicians, I've certainly had my share of issues, actually part of the reason I've cut back a lot on guitar is because of physical problems I encountered simply from my sitting position which is not the proper technique. I sit closer to the way Paco De Lucia sits and its caused some problems in my left knee just from having my right leg rest on it so much. I unfortunately do not find it comfortable to play with a footstool or any other similar device. However I was already wanting to transition into playing classical mostly on piano anyway because I enjoy the wider repertoire and because I think it is a better instrument from a compositional standpoint. I do still play some guitar, but not very much classical guitar.

So far I've already gotten a little stiffness in my right wrist from playing piano (I have some problems with my right arm) but nothing too serious yet thankfully. I know that a lot of professional players (including one who occasionally posts here - hreichgott) have had to deal with some major physical setbacks and had to take some time off and adjust their technique accordingly in order to advance. I hope you are able to advance past this setback, or at the very least continue to enjoy some playing and gradually progress with the amount of practicing you still do.


----------



## Nate Miller

tdc said:


> Not trying to be rude, just pointing out I have a personal quirk about the word 'fiddle'. I prefer when people refer to the instrument as a violin (of course everyone is free to use whatever term they prefer and that is fine).
> 
> To me 'fiddle' has a masturbatory quality to it, and if someone tells me they play the 'fiddle' I seem to associate the word with an image of incompetent screeching and squawking as if the individual 'fiddles' around with the instrument as opposed to playing or performing on it.
> 
> As I said just a personal quirk.


but when you are playing folk music, it is called a fiddle. It is a violin when you are playing repertoire, a fiddle when you are playing folk tunes.

I play Irish fiddle and was properly instructed in the definition of terms by the locals of these Appalachian hills when I live

so the poster was using the proper term as he was talking about the Scottish fiddle tune tradition


----------



## tdc

Nate Miller said:


> but when you are playing folk music, it is called a fiddle. It is a violin when you are playing repertoire, a fiddle when you are playing folk tunes.
> 
> I play Irish fiddle and was properly instructed in the definition of terms by the locals of these Appalachian hills when I live
> 
> so the poster was using the proper term as he was talking about the Scottish fiddle tune tradition


I think you are right. In any case I started this thread because I was interested in what classical pieces posters are working on.


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## Nate Miller

tdc said:


> I think you are right. In any case I started this thread because I was interested in what classical pieces posters are working on.


and you have a point there, too


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm working on "How High the Moon" on my jazz guitar.


----------



## tdc

millionrainbows said:


> I'm working on "How High the Moon" on my jazz guitar.


I suppose some might consider this classical music. Watching the video you posted in the *non-classical forum* of Methany reminded me that I'm not really a big jazz fan.

However, I do like this particular piece, the Duke Ellington band version is nice.


----------



## Guest

A guitar transcription of the fugue from Bach's Violin Sonata No.1. Getting it back under my fingers and in my brain!


----------



## Guest

Nikita Koshkin's "The Fall of Birds," a very demanding passacaglia and toccata piece. I can only dream that it will ever sound this good!


----------



## Guest

OK, the previous two pieces are basically ready now, so I'm starting Carlo Domeniconi's massively challenging Chaconne. He basically took Bach's Chaconne and replaced all of the notes but kept the note values and rhythms (for the most part). Parts are much harder to play than transcriptions of Bach's piece, but it's also far more guitaristic, and dare I say it, more harmonically and contrapuntally interesting? Here's a video of a fellow playing it:






and an audio-only version by Dale Kavenagh, for whom it was written. I greatly prefer her interpretation:






I'm curious to see what any violinists think about the Domeniconi piece.


----------



## Dharma66

I'm working on "Sausages and Ice Cream".

It's quite demanding...for me


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

Still not completely over tendonitis...Been 9 months! I do play Sor & Giuliani and yesterday decided to go for Bach's Chaconne again. Played through it all the way  I got some special strings in the mail that are for tuning the guitar G to g, a minor 3rd up. That and my Despalj transcription in e-minor will make it sound g-minor! Nobody does that!


----------



## Guest

I'm reading through Sergio Assad's Sonata. It will be a while before it flows like this! (This is the first of three movements.)


----------



## JeffD

Nate Miller said:


> but when you are playing folk music, it is called a fiddle. It is a violin when you are playing repertoire, a fiddle when you are playing folk tunes.


A fiddle is what folk musicians spill beer on. A violin is what classical musicians spill wine on.


----------



## JeffD

All on mandolin.

Music:
Scarlatti K87 and K430 arranged for mandolin by Victor Kioulaphides
Vivaldi Op 12 No 1.
Munier "Ninnarella"

Exercises:
Calace Method for Mandolin Op 37 No 72
Wohlfahrt Sixty Studies for Violin Op 45 No 7
Branzoli Metodo Teorico Pratico per Mandolino No 43

(On the dark side I am working on a few Charlie Poole songs and some wonderful waltzes.)


----------



## Tchaikov6

Repertoire I'm working on right now:

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, first movement
Bach's Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major
Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Canzonetta
Romanze Andalucia, Sarasate
Barber Violin Concerto, first and second movements

Also looking at Tzigane by Ravel a bit- _very_ challenging, but very fun as well.


----------



## Bettina

Tchaikov6 said:


> Repertoire I'm working on right now:
> 
> Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, first movement
> Bach's Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major
> Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3
> Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Canzonetta
> Romanze Andalucia, Sarasate
> Barber Violin Concerto, first and second movements
> 
> Also looking at Tzigane by Ravel a bit- _very_ challenging, but very fun as well.


This is an impressive list of pieces - congratulations on your advanced repertoire! Are you planning on performing the concertos with an orchestra, or with a piano accompanist playing an arrangement of the orchestral parts?


----------



## Tchaikov6

Bettina said:


> This is an impressive list of pieces - congratulations on your advanced repertoire! Are you planning on performing the concertos with an orchestra, or with a piano accompanist playing an arrangement of the orchestral parts?


Oh, no, not with an orchestra! Maybe- hopefully- someday, but I'm not near good enough or have enough connections to play with an orchestra. I actually just finished working on the Mendelssohn (I performed it two weeks ago with a piano accompanist, nothing big)- and as for the other pieces, I will probably only ever perform a couple of them, with a piano- most of them are just for fun!


----------



## hpowders

Tchaikov6 said:


> Repertoire I'm working on right now:
> 
> Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, first movement
> Bach's Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major
> Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3
> Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Canzonetta
> Romanze Andalucia, Sarasate
> Barber Violin Concerto, first and second movements
> 
> Also looking at Tzigane by Ravel a bit- _very_ challenging, but very fun as well.


Nice! The opening "Preludio" to the Third Partita is a virtuoso showpiece, commonly played by violinists as a stand alone encore.

If you can play it in under 4 minutes, you've done well!


----------



## Tchaikov6

hpowders said:


> Nice! The opening "Preludio" to the Third Partita is a virtuoso showpiece, commonly played by violinists as a stand alone encore.
> 
> If you can play it in under 4 minutes, you've done well!


Yes, a beautiful piece (as is the whole partita). And I currently cannot play it under 4 minutes... although I haven't really timed it, I'm just guessing. :lol:


----------



## hpowders

Tchaikov6 said:


> Yes, a beautiful piece (as is the whole partita). And I currently cannot play it under 4 minutes... although I haven't really timed it, I'm just guessing. :lol:


A perfect prescription for anyone feeling down in the dumps, thanks to world news and other reasons.

That bright E Major Preludio is like drinking a triple espresso. Perks one right up!!


----------



## kirolak

STILL Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "No hubo Remedio" - will I ever get it??


----------



## Guest

Sergio Assad's Sonata isn't holding my attention--it's a nice enough piece--maybe at a later point. So, I'm relearning Ettore Desderi's "Toccata and Fugue", a remarkable piece for someone who didn't play the guitar! That might be an advantage since he doesn't rely on traditional guitar figurations. His dates are 1892-1974, and he wrote the piece for Segovia, who never played it. Initially, it was published as is, but several years ago, it was discovered to be the last movement of a massive Sonata!


----------



## Portamento

I'm currently working on the Reger cello suites, more specifically the first one. Pretty challenging stuff - you have to consistently nail those double-stops, which is a bit of a problem on my end.






I'm getting better (I think).


----------



## Ingélou

Thistle & Minuet - 16 Easy Pieces from the Scottish Baroque... - Schott publishing.

My fiddle teacher will soon be going away on tour with English Touring Opera, so I have decided to start on a 'project' while he is away to give me something to get my teeth into. 
Fiddle Guru is a professional HIP baroque violinist and violist, and he brightened up immediately when I took this music in for my lesson this week. 
As for me, back home in the practice room, I'm wondering what I've taken on - I love the melodies, as I am passionate about The Golden Age of Scottish Fiddle - but I find it *so* hard to use my baroque bow and to do all that lifting and careful attention to the shape of the notes.

So yes - the pieces may be 'easy', but my performance of them is not...


----------



## Guest

Another bassist and I are transcribing Bach's Inventions and several of the Well-Tempered Clavier exercises as double bass duets. It's rather fun.


----------



## ClassicalMaestro

The BWV 1001 Fugue is one for my favorite pieces. Not easy to play.


----------



## Ingélou

What are your ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ for your playing?

In 2017 I decided to work through ‘Thistle & Minuet’ with my baroque bow & my fiddle teacher (a baroque specialist) and I’ve almost completed the project - just moving on to the last one, Oswald’s Thistle Sonata. There are some fabulous ‘Scottish traditional’ style tunes in that book: I especially love ‘Low down in the broom’, ‘The New Bridge of Edinburgh’, & ‘The New Bridge of Ballater’. My favourites out of the baroque art-music tunes are the Thistle Sonata, and a wonderful Minuet in A, with variations by mystery-man William McGibbon. 

For 2018, I mean to - 
* learn all the Niel Gow tunes on Pete Clark’s cd 'Even Now’. And play them as well as I can. 

* finally get somewhere with vibrato so that my long notes and slow airs can sound a bit better.

* I’m getting there on speed - but I want to be able to play a Scots reel fast enough for dancing.

* enjoy myself! 
We have two traditional music school holidays booked for me on fiddle and John on keyboard and concertina. Plus, we’re looking forward to seeing if John can go to the Swaledale Squeeze in spring, and I’ll take my fiddle along. 

Hey - how lucky we are to have this musical retirement. 

As long as I live and my health holds it will be ‘my fiddle my joy’.


----------



## Guest

ClassicalMaestro said:


> The BWV 1001 Fugue is one for my favorite pieces. Not easy to play.


None of his fugues is easy on a string instrument! I'm trying to get Segovia's guitar transcription of Bach's Chaconne back under my fingers. His version has fallen out of favor with its filled out textures, but I read that he was inspired by Busoni's piano version, one of my favorite pieces, so that's good enough for me!


----------



## Zeus

Well, I'm very occuppied with my composition duties, but on the offside I'm hoping to do a good job of performing Haydn's C concerto (with my own contemporary cadenza of course  ), Brahms E minor sonata (just 1st movement), Bach cello suite number 2, and Kol Nidrei.


----------



## Taplow

Working on some Corelli Opus 5 sonatas, and considering buying a baroque bow for the purpose.


----------



## senza sordino

Three days ago I started working with a new teacher. I have worked with her in an ensemble, string orchestra, but not individually. I feel a little like I've betrayed my previous teacher with whom I've worked off and on for twenty years. I wanted to work with this new teacher because she knows the modern repertoire better than my previous teacher. My previous teacher is great, and very generous with his time, but what he knows mostly ends at music written before 1900. He was born behind the iron curtain and educated in the Russian school and then played in baroque orchestras before coming here. 

With my new teacher I've started to learn the Prokofiev Solo Violin Sonata and then I'll move onto learning The Lark Ascending and Aaron Copland's Violin Sonata. My previous teacher knew Soviet music, but not Anglo American twentieth century music. 

My new teacher is a member of our local professional orchestra and she performs Chamber music also. She's very busy with performance and teaching, so my lessons right now are irregular whenever she can fit me into her schedule and mine. She went to music school in the 70s and 80s in America. One of her teachers was Gingold, another originally from the Russian school. My new teacher is great, very friendly and supportive. She has many adult learners.

Immediately what was different was that I as sight read the Prokofiev, she played along with me. That helps me find the notes. I got through the first movement in the first lesson. She knew the piece well because she's recorded it, and performed it multiple times. We ended the lesson sight reading Leclair Sonata for two violins. She says that we'll end every lesson playing duets, something I need more practice with.


----------



## Nate Miller

right now, I'm pretty busy

I am working on the Giuliani Rondos op 68, it is a guitar/piano duet were both instruments are on even footing. I perform that on the 13th 

I am also working on several sets of pieces for violin and guitar. I play with a retired symphony violinist and we are booked pretty much every weekend in February and March. 

then I am playing a couple of solo things up at my Church, but I have to cover more than an hour, so I have about 100 minutes of solo material to get ready to perform. I'll be reading for this, so least I don't have to memorize the program, but about half the material is taken from my solo recital program anyway, so its already on the brain box

all together its about 3 and a half hours of music that gets performed over the next 10 days

...and that doesn't count the gig Saturday with my jazz trio

but this is why I do it. Its always great fun to be busy. I love it when every time I leave the house, I have an instrument case in one hand and a folder of music in the other


----------



## JakieBoyy21

I am currently working on Haydn G major concerto, last movement of Brahms A major sonata and the first movement of the Kabalebski con erto. The first two are coming along nicely, but the Kabalevski is a lot harder than I had anticipated


----------



## Guest

Bach's Lute Suite No.2 transcribed for guitar by Sharon Isbin--just the Prelude and Fugue at the moment. Whoa, the Fugue is a beast! Most scholars now think his Lute Suites were written for the lautenklavier, a keyboard instrument that plucked the keys much like a lutenist would, and sounded like a lute, which explains the extreme difficulty of some of the counterpoint and notes that cannot be sustained for the noted duration.


----------



## tdc

I'm currently re-learning some of Brouwer's simple studies. I used to know the first 7 of them, I'm in the process of re-learning 4 through 7, after that I plan to also do 8-10.


----------



## drmdjones

After many years I am relearning Recuedos de la Alhambra and the Villa-Lobos first etude. Lots of right hand in these. I am learning, for the first time, Albeniz's Tango in D. Lots of left hand challenges here.


----------



## ClassicalMaestro

I'm working on the BWV 998 Lute Suite. I just finished the Prelude and I hope to start the Fugue in a couple of weeks.


----------



## Guest

The first movement from Nikita Koshkin's Sonata No.1 for guitar--it's a beast! This video is not great, but he plays the daylights out of it!


----------



## Ingélou

Tunes from Apted (English country dances, eighteenth century) which I'm playing in duet with Taggart's English concertina.










It makes practice so much more enjoyable, playing with another musician.


----------



## Ingélou

Had a great lesson with Taggart & my fiddle teacher on keyboard playing the whole 24 Apted tunes. 

This week's practice will concentrate on playing Playford in parts. This is a new skill for the raw home duo, but very satisfying, and good for us musically too, I think.


----------



## senza sordino

I neglected this thread, sorry. 

The teacher I started working with February of last year couldn't seem to fit me into her schedule and so I got ditched. Disappointing really. She's good. So I haven't had lessons for about 16 months. That's usually not a problem, but I like to have lessons once in a while to help me with something new and keep my playing fresh and improving.

I've started with another new teacher. Two lessons already. This teacher lives upstairs and over two apartments. She's a local professional playing with the opera orchestra. She also occasionally plays with the symphony orchestra. She comes downstairs to my place. This is brilliant because I can spend time prior warming up, and spend time immediately after practicing what we've just done. She's giving me a $5 discount because we're neighbours. 

I'm working on The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams. I started this once before about 5 years ago, but it went no where. This new teacher has performed it, she knows it well. She's got some good fingering and bowing. I will possibly perform this at a masterclass in July. It's a masterclass full of adult amateurs like me. Not too much pressure. I've performed in previous years too. 

Last week we had a lesson in the afternoon and then I saw my new teacher (and previous teacher) perform Also Sprach Zarathustra with the local professional orchestra. 

Two more lessons are scheduled. I'm going to ask her if she wants to continue giving lessons. But at $75 per hour the price does add up quickly.


----------



## gotosleepalready

I'm working on Lalo Symphonie Espagnol 1st and 4th movement! The runs and shifts are pretty exposed, so its tough. Also getting the right expression at the same time... I'll keep practicing.


----------



## Cellofreak2020

Yeah. I played Dvorak 8 a while ago and its just not as great alone.


----------



## Cellofreak2020

Dvorak Cello Concerto
Bach Cello Suite 3
Popper etude 2, 17


----------



## Guest

A guitar transcription of Scarlatti's Sonata K.1. Not easy.


----------



## senza sordino

senza sordino said:


> I neglected this thread, sorry.
> 
> The teacher I started working with February of last year couldn't seem to fit me into her schedule and so I got ditched. Disappointing really. She's good. So I haven't had lessons for about 16 months. That's usually not a problem, but I like to have lessons once in a while to help me with something new and keep my playing fresh and improving.
> 
> I've started with another new teacher. Two lessons already. This teacher lives upstairs and over two apartments. She's a local professional playing with the opera orchestra. She also occasionally plays with the symphony orchestra. She comes downstairs to my place. This is brilliant because I can spend time prior warming up, and spend time immediately after practicing what we've just done. She's giving me a $5 discount because we're neighbours.
> 
> I'm working on The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams. I started this once before about 5 years ago, but it went no where. This new teacher has performed it, she knows it well. She's got some good fingering and bowing. I will possibly perform this at a masterclass in July. It's a masterclass full of adult amateurs like me. Not too much pressure. I've performed in previous years too.
> 
> Last week we had a lesson in the afternoon and then I saw my new teacher (and previous teacher) perform Also Sprach Zarathustra with the local professional orchestra.
> 
> Two more lessons are scheduled. I'm going to ask her if she wants to continue giving lessons. But at $75 per hour the price does add up quickly.


I did play The Lark Ascending at the masterclass in the summer. It's a low pressure masterclass full of adult amateurs like myself. I played though 2/3 of the piece, it's quite long. I played for nearly 10 minutes in front of ten people. It's wasn't a particularly good performance but considering I had only really been working on it six weeks I was pleased. And my audience was appreciative. I go year after year, and I'm usually the only one brave enough to stand up and play in front of the others.

I'm still working with my neighbour / teacher. I'm now working on the Franck A Major Sonata, and the Andante from the second Solo Violin Sonata of Bach. The Andante is really difficult. My intonation is not good, and the pulsing bass line difficult to maintain. But that is what practice is for. The Franck is lovely. I downloaded an MP3 file of the piano accompaniment. There is a professional accompanist who sells online piano accompaniments. I have not played along yet to this but I will soon. I have no experience playing with a piano accompaniment.


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

Autumn break for me and finally time to practice a lot. I'm getting ready for a piano/guitar recital on November 22. We are playing the Villa-Lobos concerto, "the Albeniz concerto" by Stephen Goss and hopefully Desafio by Marlos Nobre and a solo each. We've played them before some years ago, except Nobre. Right now I feel it's too much but had some good practice sessions today. Getting psyched up.


----------



## Bwv 1080

Sor’s Variations on a Theme from Magic Flute and an arrangement I made of the Burt Bacharach song Walk on By


----------



## Bwv 1080

Recorded Sir Andrew Aguecheek this afternoon. Videoed it with the score as the recording blended a few takes and it felt lame to try to video myself playing along. A few gliches still, but here it is:


----------



## mikeh375

Bwv 1080 said:


> Recorded Sir Andrew Aguecheek this afternoon. Videoed it with the score as the recording blended a few takes and it felt lame to try to video myself playing along. A few gliches still, but here it is:


A piece I didn't know, nicely done Bwv, it looked tricky in places.


----------



## tdc

The Henze piece is nice, sounds like it is in the far outer boundaries of tonality. I like that zone.


----------



## Bwv 1080

An arrangement I made of the Steely Dan tune Aja


----------



## consuono

Bach's first cello suite.


----------



## Owen David

I am working on a composition for string quartet. Unusually for me it travels backwards and forwards through several keys: F#mi, C#mi, Bmi, and A maj and ends up with a melody essentially in the E major key over a chord sequence of D, C#min, Bmin, A, G, F, Eb. It's good to work outside your comfort zone.


----------



## dbassed

Greetings to the TC folk, this is my first post.
Currently working on the Koussevitzky concerto for double bass and Annibale Mengoli's Study no 16 for double bass from the Petracchi Simplified Higher Technique book. So I basically came here to cry. 
It's been a few months since I started working on these, have already developed my thumb callus and my hands feel strong but there are still so many things to fix.


----------



## Guest

I just bought a guitar arrangement of Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in D major, Op.3, No.9, RV 230 first arranged by Bach for keyboard. It's quite challenging, so I'll see how it goes. It will never sound this good, though!!

*



*


----------



## Guest

I'm also working Manuel Ponce's La Folia Variations and Fugue.

This is what I hope it sound like someday...


----------



## Guest

I'm working on a transcription of the Sinfonia from Bach's keyboard Partita No.2. It's a beast, especially the fugue, which begins at 3:35.


----------



## Guest

Bwv 1080 said:


> Recorded Sir Andrew Aguecheek this afternoon. Videoed it with the score as the recording blended a few takes and it felt lame to try to video myself playing along. A few gliches still, but here it is:


I love that entire Sonata (and the 2nd one, too.) Have you seen this video of Bream and Henze discussing "Oberon"? (The discussion begins at 1:27, but it's amusing to watch them playing tennis, and Henze explains the title beginning at :53)


----------



## Bwv 1080

Arranged the WC Handy song St Louis Blues - tried for a more pianistic, fast harmonic rhythm


----------



## Guest

Kontrapunctus said:


> I'm working on a transcription of the Sinfonia from Bach's keyboard Partita No.2. It's a beast, especially the fugue, which begins at 3:35.


Since I also play piano, I think I'll learn it on that instrument instead--it's actually easier in some respects. The guitar is not really equipped to handle keyboard works, at least not without a lot of modifications/simplifications.


----------



## Ingélou

Trying to get the hang of Tullochgorum - based on arpeggio techniques but with Scottish snap coming out of its ears.
Not the Scott Skinner variations featured here - just the basic tune, in C.


----------



## Ingélou

Some Irish tunes - they're so beautiful. I can't play them to speed, but I can luxuriate in the melodies.


----------



## Musicaterina

At the moment I'm learning the choral "O dass ich tausend Zungen hätte" (O That I Had a Thousand Voices) written by Johann Mentzer (German text) and Johann Balthasar König (melody) on the tenor viol.


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## 6Strings

I'm currently working on Fernando Sor's Guitar Sonata Op.14 and Leo Brouwer's La Gran Sarabanda.


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## Musicaterina

Next choral: "Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht" (english: "Jesus I will never leave"), namely the melody of the Hymnary of Darmstadt from 1699. The composer of this melody seems to be unkown; the text was written by Christian Keymann.

Here the melody of this choral played on the organ






I learn it on the tenor viol, naturally.


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## Musicaterina

Johann Sebastian Bach: "Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn" (a choral of the St John Passion)


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## GucciManeIsTheNewWebern

Brahms Cello Sonata No. 2, learning this has definitely helped whip me into shape!


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## Animal the Drummer

Rachmaninov prelude in G minor for piano, my lockdown assignment - barring unforeseen developments I'm due for my first lesson back in 3 days' time with one or two passages still taking me to the outer edge of my technique!


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## Kjetil Heggelund

Nice to see guitar players here  Have been very lazy with my guitar lately, but started over again with Llobet's Cordoba (Albeniz) transcription. Since my fingers feel stiff, I got a bit excited to really practice again. I have a ton of music I want to play and none of it is easy. I don't want to sound any worse than a CD...:guitar:


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## Musicaterina

Now I'm practising the G major key. Before this I played mostly chorals in F major or, less commonly, C major. So soon I will have together the most important major keys.


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## 6Strings

Nikita Koshkin's Prelude and Fugue in F-Sharp minor. Here is is ex-wife playing this very demanding work (especially the Fugue...whew!):






(This is the closest we guitarists will get to a guitar work by Shostakovich!)


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## tdc

Been working a bit on the Fandango lately from Rodrigo's Three Spanish Pieces.


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## Ingélou

I haven't had a fiddle lesson since May 2019, just before we left Norfolk for Yorkshire. I was thinking of finding another teacher after we'd found our new home in Gemtown near York, but then came lockdown.

To keep my hand in, I have a repertoire of tunes, mostly Scottish with some Irish and some Playford, that I try to do each week, though I also revisit sheet music of various sorts - baroque, klezmer - that I played with my East Anglian Fiddle Guru.

The latest tune that I've added to my repertoire is Johnny Cock Thy Beaver, from The Division Violin, the Playford publication of 1684. http://www.folktunefinder.com/tunes/72280 - if any violinist here would like to try it.

There are other pieces from this book that I've played, including St Paul's Steeple, which I may return to at some point. 
Here's the tune played by The Witches: 




And here's the sheet music: https://musescore.com/user/668541/scores/6157264
When I used to play this for Fiddle Guru, I didn't entirely master it. It always felt scary, and it's scarier still now that I'm out of practice - I think my standard in any case has slipped in the two years without a teacher. Still, it would be good for me. Use it or lose it.


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## Taplow

I've recently picked up a work that I took a stab at once in my youth - *Hindemith's Violin Sonata in E*. This is a wonderful piece which presents just the right degree of challenge for me at my current level of ability. But there's one passage that continues to plague me.

In the second movement, 3-4 bars after the "V" mark, there is a shift from an F# (played in fifth postion on the A string) to a high A on the E string (which I play with the third finger in 8th position). I _never_ get this first time. I have to go over it again and usually get it the second time, but never the first. I don't know what is wrong with me - I can't seem to hear the note in my mind, which is half of one's success in position shifting. It bugs me no end.

Playing with a pianist for the first time tomorrow. I just know I'm going to embarrass myself!


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## Ingélou

Ingélou said:


> I haven't had a fiddle lesson since May 2019, just before we left Norfolk for Yorkshire. I was thinking of finding another teacher after we'd found our new home in Gemtown near York, but then came lockdown.
> 
> To keep my hand in, I have a repertoire of tunes, mostly Scottish with some Irish and some Playford, that I try to do each week, though I also revisit sheet music of various sorts - baroque, klezmer - that I played with my East Anglian Fiddle Guru.
> 
> The latest tune that I've added to my repertoire is Johnny Cock Thy Beaver, from The Division Violin, the Playford publication of 1684. http://www.folktunefinder.com/tunes/72280 - if any violinist here would like to try it.
> 
> There are other pieces from this book that I've played, including St Paul's Steeple, which I may return to at some point.
> Here's the tune played by The Witches:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here's the sheet music: https://musescore.com/user/668541/scores/6157264
> When I used to play this for Fiddle Guru, I didn't entirely master it. It always felt scary, and it's scarier still now that I'm out of practice - I think my standard in any case has slipped in the two years without a teacher. Still, it would be good for me. Use it or lose it.


Going to a new teacher tomorrow for two trial lessons - just going to do some pieces that I know so she can find out what I'm like. I've been practising two Klezmer pieces from Ilana Cravitz's book (Khosidl & Terkisher), Purcell's Rondeau from Abdelazer, and two baroque-type Scottish pieces from Iain Fraser's Scottish Fiddle Tunes, Roslin Castle (James Oswald) & Sir Charles Forbes of Newe and Edinglassie (William Marshall).


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## Musicaterina

I work on the choral "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr" (English: All Ye Who on This Earth Do Dwell) by Paul Gerhardt with the tenor viol because I want to play it (with organ accompaniment) on the commemoration of my grandfather (who died yesterday at the age of 106 years) and my godfather (who died in January this year at the age of 78 years). This commemoration will be in two and a half weeks and will also include a church service.

My grandfather was a great fan of Paul Gerhardt and his hymns, and he encouraged me to learn to play the viol.


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## Musicaterina

I'm adding another choral: "Gloria sei dir gesungen" (English: "Now let all the heav'ns adore thee", the third stanza of "Wake, awake, for night is flying") in the version by Johann Sebastian Bach. I want to play also this with organ accompaniment on the commemoration of my grandfather and my godfather. I'm keeping free the next weekend for rehearsing the chorals with the organist.


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## Musicaterina

On Saturday I played the chorals on the commemoration of my grandfather and my godfather in the church. It was my first real public performance with the viola da gamba. It went well - the rehearsing also with the organist was worth it.


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## Ingélou

I'm still beavering on with the folk music, but to improve a little I'm working on some of the early music I used to do with my fiddle teacher in Norfolk - see post #289 above.

I'm also working on improving my speed by accompanying Jimmy Shand! Finally, after ten years' return to the fiddle, I can keep up!


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## 6Strings

Ponce Variations and Fugue on "La Folia" for guitar.


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