WEEK THREE Updates: Main Thread - Beethoven smiles in the Coda!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK THREE 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 October 4 - 11th I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music:
Beethoven: 6 Variations on an Original Theme
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: Shifting the Hands was a bit tricky to get smooth!
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
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If we compose music for TVcommercials, I could possibly get us some projects!
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mariannejhampton And lots of really nice people from all corners of the globe!
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Gail Starr Sounds interesting, Gail!
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Gail Starr Agreed !
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Sindre Skarelven I'm a bit busy with some real estate projects right now, but once they are complete we should talk about TV commercial music! My best friend is the chairperson of the digital media composition department at our local university, and I am going to attend one of her seminars starting in January! Her students compose lots of music for Disney projects, because we live near Disney.
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Gail Starr Wow! That is some lucky students, I love Disney!
Good luck on your projects, and just follow up when you're ready. I'm very interested to hear more about this TV commercial music thing!
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Struggled most with video size right now (so did a no repeats version)鈥part from the obvious keyboard techicalities and Mr Beethoven aspects which are the greater issues This was a great piece to learn though - will continue to practise it.
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Johnathan North3 Bravo! I loved every single note of your performance. And the wood grain on your piano is gorgeous. What kind is it?
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Gail Starr Thx so much , really appreciate your comments. So different hearing yourself over a recording than when playing, and it made me realise again how much work and effort is required to really round something off well (and it gives me a huge newfound appreciation for not only professionals, but also people in this community). My piano is a bit of a family heirloom (grandfather to my mother to me) - it is a Feurich and I am really feeling very lucky to have it. On the inside there is something that looks like a serial number - I typed it into the Feurich website, and it says the piano was made in approx 1913. It needs work though (you may have heard a lingering F#), and not sure if we have sufficient specialists here in South Africa, always hard to make decisions on these things.
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Johnathan North3 Bravo, Johnathan! This was a fantastic performance with clarity in all on the notes! Hope you're joining the next one too.
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Johnathan North3 It is difficult to find excellent technicians ANYWHERE! I was given my grandmother鈥檚 old Steinway many, many years. Because she lived at the beach, the strings were actually rusty and the piano had not be well cared for as she got older. I spent an enormous amount of money and time trying to resurrect it to have a responsive action and the nice sound I remembered when I was little; and, sadly, I never found a technician who could restore it properly!
And this was in New York, near the Steinway factory!
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I finally had a chance to enjoy the Beethoven Watch Party. Congratulations to everyone for all the lovely performances. I learn so much from everyone's take on the pieces we do together, and I love getting a glimpse at everyone's "piano personality".
Dominic, your comments are so insightful and gracious.
When I first joined Tonebase, I was originally just planning to "lurk" and not post my own videos. But, everyone is so welcoming that I'm now getting more comfortable with recording my practice.
Can't wait to start our next shared piano adventure!
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Gail Starr Thank you for joining in Gail! Your performances delighted so many of us, that it is such a pleasure to have you :)
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The Beethoven really grew on me as we worked on it!
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Gail Starr You did a beautiful job! I enjoyed your video! Thank you!
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Pauline Thank you so much! I've just posted a new "general" topic for anyone who'd like to try learning a few of the Goldberg Variations. Do you think you might want to try a few?
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Gail Starr Thank you for your suggestion, Gail. I am a music-lover - not a "producer", so to speak. I come from a "literary landscape". My interest is multi-faceted. It is a privilege to be a part of this community! Performers enjoy an attentive, appreciative audience! That's me!
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Juan Carlos Olite I have a really interesting fingering for the Goldberg Variations that I got from a friend. If I can find it, I will scan it and post it for the group. However, we moved a few months ago...and I can't seem to find ANYTHING. (I just discovered my bicycle shoes in a box with shampoo...).
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Gail Starr I found the scanned Paul Barton fingerings for the Goldberg in my laptop. It's a really large file, so I don't know how to post it here, though! how could I share it?
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Gail Starr https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y5p2szw5sb2m77k/AAA7EdQTyj5_2_-DzKveAKVla?dl=0
Maybe this will work?
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Gail Starr Thank you very much, Gail! It's great to have different fingerings for the Goldberg. And about your bicycle shoes and so on..., the most important thing is that you haven't lost your wonderful B枚sendorfer :)
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Juan Carlos Olite Yes! We couldn't lose the Bosendorfer because it is so large that I needed a special moving company that ONLY moves pianos.
And, we are slowly finding all the little items that were packed in miscellaneous boxes. It really takes a while to settle into a different home! You'll notice that the fingerings for the Goldberg also divide up how the hands play certain variations. There are a few areas where Paul Barton moves notes into the left hand that I had always tried to play in the right hand. I found his version REALLY helpful. His YouTube channel is excellent! Now that I am "retired", I finally have time to explore his tutorials.
I hope we all get to play these variations some time. I have only read through them, never really learned them.
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Gail Starr Juan Carlos Olite I love that you are going play the Goldberg variations!! Please submit to a masterclass when some of it is ready!
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Sindre Skarelven Well, it will take a "certain time"... I think
... But it is amazing music! -
Gail Starr Thank you, Gail! I'll keep it in mind.
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Juan Carlos Olite It is amazing music, one of the highlights in the whole repertoire! I've been wanting to play it, but have not dared to touch it... Maybe I try on the Aria and the first variation when I'm finished with some other projects :)
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