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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Wonderful!
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Judy Phillips Thank you!
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Hey everyone! Had some time this past week to work on some Handel while at tonebase HQ!
- Variation you worked on: Nos. 13-16
- One thing you found easy: The key of G minor. I've always felt comfortable in this key! Something about having the two black keys be the 3rd and 6th (which color the scale minor) and having a black key for the raised 7th (F-sharp). It just feels good to my hands, and I find I'm just faster at recognizing tonal relationships in Gm than other keys.
- One thing you found difficult: I found it really difficult not to switch over to teacher mode, so I added some commentary, analysis, and ideas at the end, if you're interested in sticking around while I run my mouth!
As far as the music goes, I'm still not sure how to deal with the structure of the piece, its repeats, its transitions between variations, its ornaments, etc. There are lots of possibilities, and I'm interested to know what might be most compelling to listeners.
I've had a blast practicing these, and watching/reading about all of your progress! More next week...
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Ben Laude thanks for switching to teaching mode - always helpful; on the structure I believe the power of the piece is that it allows for a kind of improvisational style of playing - there isn't 'one way that is most compelling', it's the right mix of close/distant, with/without ornaments, increasing/decreasing the tempo etc which could well vary every time the piece is performed
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Edwin Schalk you鈥檙e absolutely right about the power of possibility in this piece! I suppose I deal with a paradox when developing a conception: I both depend on the many possible routes to a convincing interpretation, but also at a certain point resist this pluralism when I鈥檓 trying to settle on a good idea. In other words, even though I know there are many equally valid possibilities, I have to act as if there is a singular most compelling conception, so that practicing is like a quest for that supreme idea. I realize it鈥檚 make-believe, but it helps me tinker and experiment, and it motivates my continued search for a way of playing that reveals even more about the work than if I hadn鈥檛 committed to such a fantasy in the first place.
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Ben Laude I鈥檓 really enjoying the tempo your. For the climax, rather than accelerating, can there be an ad lib expansion filled filled with ornaments similar to the 1st section?
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I麓ve moved this to the week 2 update thread
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I worked on the Theme, and Var. 1 and 2 the first week.
What I found easy: the first two variations are fun to play and straightforward.What I found difficult: the theme (still working on getting a version that I am happy with) and getting around to making the videos and figuring out how to upload them. I waited until I finally had some extra time to work that out, and now it will be much easier next time. (I鈥檝e never actually put one of my videos YouTube before!)
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Looks like my sight reading Variations 12 and 13 got lost. Here they are again.
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Great to see the recordings here. I went through all variations, and found the piece quite interesting. The hard copy I have (B盲renreiter Urtext) only got 20 variations with a lot of different notes and ornaments. Different editions really make differences. I hope I'll have a chance to record some variations, since I am busy working on other pieces.
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Hi, Everyone! It's been a while since I had time to get back to this Chaconne. I have a lot on my plate these days ;). Here I am sight reading Variations 16-21. A bit rusty at the start but it went smoother as I continued. Thanks for the fun challenge! Looking forward to more.
