Technique is still very much…uhm…“beginner like” but I’m very happy I still have the choice, on rainy days, to open the window, get completely immersed in the mood of the piece and feel the Magic of Music without bothering too much about technique
Any feedback appreciated! Please feel free to give suggestions that come to your mind while listening and watching…they’ll help me to refine it along the way!
Good evening, Silvia
Being a dedicated electric guitar player I still love it when someone is deeply into playing classical pieces on a classical guitar. I’ve always liked your approach to the instrument, and this piece is no exception. Carcassi’s compositions are known to be an excellent study material for both seasoned musicians and learners, Siciliano being particularly beautiful. I like the transition from A minor to major key and back; many composers of that epoch (including F. Tarrega) used that shift.
Please don’t take it as a complaint or criticism, but, since you’ve asked, just a suggestion–I believe that a slightly better recording technique (if any improvement is possible with the means currently available to you) would make listening to your performance more enjoyable; your playing and the composition deserve it. Starting from 3:09 the replayed part is masked with a very strong noise.
With kindest regards
Tomasz
Well played and displaying true empathy with the piece. One variation you could try on the repeated sections is to slightly change the position of your right hand in relation to the sound hole so it is nearer to or further from the bridge: that change in position can alter the way the notes are voiced. This was a tip, one of many, from John Renbourn, one of my favourite guitarists.
I really just love your classical pieces, you do play with such emotional.
Your pull offs have gotten so smooth. Very impressive They are harder to make sound nice and make the transition timing just right when on the first fret. Just like that the one you are doing regularly on the repeated part in that piece you just played. It really does sound wonderful.
If I may suggest a possibility. It’s hard to tell from the camera angle but it seemed like your right hand wrist is slightly bent away from the guitar, perhaps because of where your forearm is resting against the lower bout. I learned recently that little adjustments in these placements and angles made a big difference to how relaxed my arm and fingers felt and I sounded.
That was really great, Silvia! I don’t think I heard one misplaced note in a 4-minute piece. That is an accomplishment in itself. I liked your use of dynamics, and some have made a good suggestion about moving further from and closer to the saddle to achieve tone variations, Keep up the excellent work!
Never heard of the composer or the song (displaying my ignorance). However as I listened I happened to be looking out my large bay window at the blue sky and the trees swaying in the breeze, and got totally caught up in the beautiful melody and harmony of the song.
Thanks Tomasz for checking it and your feedback I agree there’s something special into the switch to the Major key, and while the main repeated theme in Am evoke contrasting emotions in the different sections it’s played, that final Amajor in the A major section - which is arpeggiated exactly in the same way of the Am - gives a clear hint to me where the story is going to…getting back to that arpeggio but with a C# in place of a C makes me feel like the Major Key section is only deceivengly lighter-hearted and informs me of the fact the composer here is now facing the (sharp) truth. Then the main theme is repeated, but the story, or the memory of what was, has evolved and that same passage is now full of new meanings.
I will further develop my skills and be able to bring out all these dynamics I feel through the guitar more and more effectively along the way. Brian 'suggestion
is something I might feel ready to explore soon as Kevin’s precious feedback
made me think that there actually are misplaced notes…and all of them I misplaced intentionally…I might be ready to explore more advanced technique and gradually be able to add them while playing this piece!
That’s the rain! I should have known the recording wouldn’t do justice to the feeling
You’re right, I actually never went beyond recording with my smartphone camera, which btw is old and not really good. There’s an additional problem at the moment which makes recording a bit frustrating and that is it’s impossible for me to find a quiet place for recording…in this video as in other videos for example you hear the dogs from the apartment below even if the windows are closed and that happens really often, when they start crying is even worst, and to that you add the noises from our own home which is noisy as well at the moment for other reasons…so if you listen closely to my recordings you’ll hear telly, or my husband’ s coughing or his Duolingo… I asked him to be quiet for 10 mins for recording this and as a result you hear the dogs
I hope in the future to be able to make higher quality recordings, but it won’t be in the near future.
thanks for letting me know Mike, it really gives me joy! You need to know that in my imagination the composer is sitting by a large window on the sea while composing this, only it starts raining, gently at first but then it develops into a storm
Silvia!!!
Mi piace tantissimo!!!
This was the last thing I heard before going to sleep last night & I played it again first thing this morning! That was wonderful!
I don’t remember the first time I watched you play a Classical piece, but I remember thinking that you conveyed lots of joy for guitar & music…
With “Siciliano”, you have crossed a threshold & have grown into true musicianship!
Bravissima!!!
I really enjoyed this! You inspired me! I’m going to have to get my Classical guitar out, get it restrung & tuned up so I can learn at least a couple of pieces by heart!
Can you recommend anything to start out with?
A “beginner” piece or two? I have a fairly solid fingerstyle technique & really love the Classical influences in Spanish guitar music .
Unfortunately, I don’t know much about reading traditional music… some basics from band (trumpet) 50 years ago but for guitar, only Tab.
Again, you’ve come so far in your Journey! I’m really enjoying the songs that you post! Thank you so much amica mia!!!
As lovely and beautiful as always, Silvia! Your classical pieces are a delight to listen to and it’s calming me down right now.
I’m not down the classical guitar route, so I can’t offer any substantial feedback on technique. Only one thing was just coming to my mind right now: Justin’s Falling Leaves lessons - this piece would definitely offer more than enough room to play with that.
PS: Thanks for the sound of the rain falling! It was so terribly dry here this summer that even the sound of the rain makes me happy.