Week 1: Status check! (also pick your piece!)
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between January 23 - 30 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
1. Pick your piece!
2. If a new piece, post your sight-reading of it (never hurts to practice this valuable skill!) If it is an old piece, let's try and dust it off, and play through what we can, to evaluate its current condition. Let us know what your "piece status" is!
3. Optional: Tell us WHY you picked this piece that you love so much!
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I'm learning BWV999. I divided the piece into a few chunks and try to memorize a chunk and rotate them over the next week. Here's what I have so far:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjDm9nV33c8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIiaqtsADuM
I will add the transition to each chunk and hope to memorize the entire piece. I won't have access to piano for a week due to traveling.
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ALICE Good job!
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ALICE Well done! This is a great piece to play!
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ALICE great!! I the memorization part is amazing! Congratulations!
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I made up these short exercises (some at the teacher's suggestions) to practice RH chords, rolling motion, LH downward apeggios, LH and RH coordination etc:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkjuf1fYcEuuxzbm8S5oNmbFkjti1x4rV
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ALICE Nice playing Alice! You play with such beautiful sound.
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ALICE it sounds nice, great job with the memorisation too!
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Beethoven Sonata 12 Opus 26 Andante with Variations
First submission of the theme. Worked a lot yesterday. Love will do that.
I'm asking myself:
- Is the tempo too slow and ponderous? Is it the norm to play all the variations at the same tempo? Do I have to choose a tempo for the theme that works well with all the variations?
- I'm challenged by the several dynamic shifts over units of 1 measure or two. The sforzandos all make sense. But the crescendos in 1 or 2 measures followed suddenly by p in the next measure (like 5-8) sometimes don't correspond to my first guess on how I like to handle the dynamics. I'd like my crescendo-ing phrases to peak before the end of the measure. The only way I can reconcile this at the moment is to crescendo all the way through but ritardando at the end before shifting to piano.
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Michael LOVE IT !!! XXXXX
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Michael That was lovely!
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Michael I love the way you give the repeated a flats such personality. Each one speaks!
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Michael Beautiful.
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Michael I enjoyed watching your practice. You are well on your way to the final recording.
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I have chosen the Liszt Sonata because of the depth of endurance required to play this piece... a marathon for the soul/spirit/body... I enjoy and love a challenge, because my experiences of transformation of my psyche enable me to understand other people's minds and assist them as they come to union with the God that created them. +
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Will Green Come on Will, choose something challenging for a change!
You amaze me.
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Michael Yeah, Will really does need to put in more time. But he's getting there (like, um, close to PERFECTION!)
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Will Green Thurmond and I were wondering if you were playing this one or the Dante Sonata (which Thurmond said is really a fantasy). Now we know!! You continually amaze me.
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Michael Thank you Michael for your compliments :) xx The amazing thing is tonebase, that we can all get together as a beautiful community and share pieces of our individual lives collectively!! Love to hear you play. God Bless You +
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Gail Starr Gail you are too kind.. merci beaucoup, ma petite cherie !!! XOXO
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Michelle R That is a wonderful work. Would love to hear Thurmond play it !! xx
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Will Green Great playing of an amazing piece!
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Will Green Thurmond has come a long way in just 3 years of playing, but I'm not sure he's ready to tackle the Dante Sonata just yet! He has a new teacher, so he has all new pieces this month (Chopin's post. C#minor nocturne, Debussy Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum, the Mozart Fantasy in d minor). Hopefully he'll have the Chopin ready for the next community concert - perhaps the Liszt next year!!
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Will Green Wowza!
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you, Vidhya !!
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Will Green Great playing Will, looking forward to hearing more excerpts! It is the Liszt masterpiece!
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Michelle R Thurmond has progressed SO rapidly! Amazing!
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