WEEK ONE Updates: Main Thread - The Journey Begins!
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 June 17th - July 8th I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music:
Handel: Chaconne in G major HWV 435
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- Variation you worked on:
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
Sample daily update:
- Variation you worked on: No. 1
- One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
- One thing you found difficult: Playing the trills/ornaments in an elegant way was what challenged me the most.
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
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Hello Dominic and all, thanks for a great challenge!
I started out with "random" variations, nr. 4, 10, 14 and today 5. Fun to behold the difference between triplets, sixteenth, minor and major as the main focus, instead of sightreading from a to z.
easy: a sort of remembering the chords, although I do not play by heart easily, I will try to learn some of the variations by heart.
fun: changing rhythms to make it flow, make a slow siciliana out of variation 4! (video)
difficult: deciding on a fingering or a couple, working enough on that to let the movement flow.
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Ketil Gr酶tting like the lilt you bring to this variation.
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Hi everyone, really enjoying the challenge so far.
I鈥檝e worked mainly on the theme to get it in my fingers and flowing so I can play it more confidently.
The simple harmonic structure has helped me to learn the notes quickly.I鈥檝e found that I tended to start with a tempo that was too fast making the runs and embellishments more difficult
Have sight read through seven variations so far but haven鈥檛 quite decided which ones to focus on - not panicking though. I鈥檒l decide soon
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I love the idea of doing a challenge and I like the level of difficulty in this challenge. I started with the theme. I鈥檓 a few days late starting.
Figuring out how to play the notes and rhythm was easy.
Moving to the chord immediately after a trill was harder. Tomorrow I need to work on making it fluid. I noticed that on the descending short trill, people do all different lengths: short, long, none. I think I鈥檒l do just once back and forth. -
Sight reading Variations 6 and 7.
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Natale Farrell thanks for posting!
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Natale Farrell I'm enjoying watching and hearing some of these variations for the first time - thanks for sight reading live... will be interesting to see which ones you perfect (or maybe all of them)!
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This is such a good way to connect and interact! Today is the first day I've had time to look at this.
Easy part: playing the triplets in the melody.
Difficult part: landing the base chords accurately and on time.
I started with the third variation because it looked easier to grasp quickly (my sight reading needs a ton of improvement). So my video is a true sight reading, this is literally the first I've seen or heard of this piece (be gentle, lol!). Anyone want to share your best sight tips with me?
Here is a link to my first run through:
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Darrell you did great! I thing the trick to improving your sight reading is to JUST DO IT, and do it often.
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Natale Farrell Thank you for the kind words and advice!
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- Variation I worked on: number 10 - working methodically one hand at a time.
- One thing you found easy: Practicing, I'm enjoying the beauty of the music and looking forward to putting hand together.
- One thing you found difficult: Hold the notes the appropriate amount of time and being able to slur as written.. but it is getting better each day... tomorrow starts both hands, it has been extremely difficult to not play hands together, but I wanted to document the progress and do the process instead of jumping to the end. Looked over the piece, worked out the timing, played and separately - so anxious to move on to hands together tomorrow.
I'm enjoying watching everyone's videos - thanks for the inspiration everyone!
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Here I am sight reading Variations 8 and 9.
I like the ninth variation (adagio). ;)
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Natale Farrell Nice work! The number 9 Adagio is a very pleasant sounding variation. I also like number 10.
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Natale Farrell I like the 9th a lot too... I also admit it was comforting I wasn't the only one who thought the timing was a little tricky. You are a much more advanced pianist than I am and I enjoy watching you sight read and comment live. Do you by any chance have the 9th variation with the ornaments and trills on it? It seems the Barenreiter edition has them, but I can't find a copy that I can get in less than 4 weeks. I'm thinking you might by what you are playing.
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Tim I am simply using the sheet music that Tonebase recommended: https://imslp.eu/files/imglnks/euimg/3/38/IMSLP423087-PMLP29660-Handel,_Georg_Friedrich-HHA_Serie_IV_Band_5_02_HWV_435_scan.pdf
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Natale Farrell Thank you, that is the one I'm using too. I might see if they have an online app like Henle does... I'm liking this enough I will probably be working on it a while anyway.
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Hi to all . I鈥檓 really enjoying working on this music , reading your comments and listening to the videos .
- Variation you worked on: Theme and no 1 and 2
- One thing you found easy: The notes , key signature of G major, the notes lie nicely under my fingers and thus fingering is fairly easy for me . I also like that there is no metronome markings so I don鈥檛 have the pressure of getting up to speed.
- One thing you found difficult: For the the life of me I can鈥檛 figure out the rhythm in beat 3 of bar 2 in the theme. I have looked at several different editions of the music and each one has a slightly different rhythm for this . I just want to break the 3rd beat into 4 parts so I can get it accurate . Any ideas would be appreciated . Thanks Marianne Hampton
The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable perfection, even though it consist in nothing more than the pounding of an old piano, is what alone gives a meaning to our life on this unavailing star.
Logan Pearsall Smith
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mariannejhampton I like your quote! I'm right there with you about the second measure of the theme. The timing is tricky! Maybe try thinking of it as one, e, and, a? Roughly about two notes per pulse, but then play the last three notes (the 64th notes) rapidly on the "a." Also try it with the metronome. We'd love to hear your practice if you want to post it! :)
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Darrell Thanks for replying to me. I like using the one , e and a way too but couldn鈥檛 get the notes to fit ( which they don鈥檛 ! I guess Handel expected people to figure it out themselves ). Anyway , I found this on the internet and this is similar to what you suggested . I will try and post my version tonight . Thanks for your insight !
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Here's my first recording.
- Variation you worked on: no. 10
- One thing you found easy: notes aren't that difficult
- One thing you found difficult: it isn't easy to let the 'easy music' sound interesting (now it sounds quite boring); will work on that
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Edwin Schalk Bravo !
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That麓s nice. I like that. That will give Dominic something to think about!
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Richard George Littlewood Thank you
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I'm enjoying the variations written in G minor (my favorite key)! They are beautiful.
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Today I finally being playing both hands - mwahahaha - I'm so excited I got the go-ahead from my piano coach.
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8, 9 and 10 again
In 8 I still have problems in bars 4 and 5 moving down the keyboard
and in 9 I still haven麓t worked out what is going on in bars 6 and 7.
