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 RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1 
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Post RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Thanks for making it out for our first session on playing Bach on the Chapman Stick. Nice to see Boaz, Samson and Dan! We talked a little bit about Bach, but mostly focused on some tips for playing and performing simple Bach pieces, the first of which was the Minuet in G Major.

The piece is immediately recognizable for most of us, and follows an AABB format. I was having a hard time with the B section, which I have since remediated :D

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQxmrVUwyxk[/youtube]

Here was the snag. My left needed to play and E to G movement - a horizontal movement as opposed to a vertical one! This one part was tripping up the rest of the piece and we talked a little bit about that too, how a simple distraction can offset an entire performance (lights are too bright, monitors are too loud, can't remember a chord in a section, etc.). I am hoping to post a high quality version of this piece in the next 2 weeks.

We talked a little Stevie Wonder and shared our enthusiasm for Samson's latest work on Isn't she Lovely - always a crowd pleaser. A Stevie Wonder session is in order for sure. We also agreed that Wonderful World and Dylan's Just like a woman would be good additions to any set (certain to get a buck or two in the tip jar). Boaz brought up the piece that Guillermo did as part of a concert - he looped some parts. Man, it's pretty amazing how he put it together. Boaz, can you post that vid?

I also shared my thoughts on TIME. That is, make a note of when you start a piece and keep a running log of your progress. Don't try to learn it in one session as half the fun is getting there! Update your notes, mark up your music like a madman / madwoman and celebrate each passage, clef, chord, measure or discovery that you make along the way. Looking back on your progress will inspire you to learn more and learn faster. You can do it. Make a note of it :D

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Sat Feb 13, 2016 1:50 am
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
This is so great Gene! Pity the sound was a bit rough, maybe that's one benefit of having folk on the google chat with you at any one time....Anyhoo, you've given us such a good run down of how to get into one of these classic works.

Thanks so much for your continued sustenance and reinvigorating our community.

Heaps of Love.

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Sat Feb 13, 2016 7:45 pm
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Post RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Hey Gene, great show. I have a bunch of Bach songs I'm working on at the moment but ok: you sold me this one too. ;) started this afternoon and the first bar is done. Let's see if I can learn a new one each day.... Probably not. Thanks, you are the man! :)


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Sat Feb 13, 2016 8:57 pm
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Oh man, this is great to hear. Stickrad, I am a huge fan of the trio - do you have a channel setup for your videos? I'd love to get that or if you have a SoundCloud link. The video with trio from the museum was jaw-dropping moment for me. Creative, spatial, groovy and original. More please.

Rodrigo, you are on fiya! Always love to see the high quality videos that you produce - would you be willing to create a post on your video, sound and process for making such fantastic productions? The quality on these fantastic performances are stellar.

I am hoping to have the Minuet in G minor done in the next week, I knocked out the first measure of the B section last night.after this, I'll probably split my time / work on Minuet 2 in G major and Invention 8.

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Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:57 am
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Wish I could have made this, great to watch it though.

I’ve been playing these two minuets for a while now, and was also having some issues with a passage in the left hand while prepping this for Stick night. (Note for Dan - I played an entire set of classical stuff at a sports bar and they didn’t kick me out!)

One especially difficult aspect of performing this is that everyone knows the second you flub it. You really have to know the piece and prepare in advance on recovering from any potential slip-ups. Making sure at least one hand can continue if you mess up a part is important, mostly so you don’t stop or get out of rhythm. As long as the piece is presented well and is musical, most audiences will forgive minor mishaps.

One thing I would add is that when working on this (or anything else), when you’re breaking it down in smaller parts, don’t simply go by beats or measures. The smaller parts should make musical sense (ie small melodic fragments or full phrases), and should be practiced through to the start of the next part. Music generally leads you somewhere, so practicing along with that flow makes for faster learning (at least in my experience). Once you get each part down, they’ll also flow together like they’re supposed to because you’ve already practiced the transitions between each part.

I’ve also been wanting to record these…


Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:47 am
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Hi GP!

Many thanks for your comments regarding the trio. I'm slowly getting more of that together and will eventually post on my youtube channel.

About time I learnt a Bach invention though.... ha :lol:

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Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:40 pm
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Rad, Inventions are REALLY hard. There is basically the same expectation in each hand whereas the Minuets give one the basic melody in the right hand and delicious counterpoint in the other. I like Minuets best cause you can learn them at a fast clip.

Claire, good to hear you in on the subject, would love to have you talk through the Minuet in G Minor at some point (for selfish reasons at this point... hehe). I agree with your points on delivery. The pieces are tightly constructed and the only real crime in performing one is stopping. Greg had a good suggestion which is be able to pick up the piece at ANY point in the composition. That's golden when performing pieces that are written note-by-note for each hand.

I had not thought about learning the pieces as you expressed, as I am a bit mechanical about the process. This makes excellent sense though, a more thoughtful approach to the piece (dare I say feminine?) and the parts that make up the piece as opposed to just blocking out sections and writing out the time it took (maybe more masculine and possibly more lame, hehe).

Thanks for the value add on that process, that will definitely make it more enjoyable in the process of learning and memorizing the parts. :D

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Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:53 am
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
earthgene wrote:
Claire, good to hear you in on the subject, would love to have you talk through the Minuet in G Minor at some point (for selfish reasons at this point... hehe).

I unfortunately can't make the usual FHF time as I'm working during those hours.

earthgene wrote:
I had not thought about learning the pieces as you expressed, as I am a bit mechanical about the process. This makes excellent sense though, a more thoughtful approach to the piece (dare I say feminine?) and the parts that make up the piece as opposed to just blocking out sections and writing out the time it took (maybe more masculine and possibly more lame, hehe).

The teacher I learned this musical-goal-based method from happens to be a man. ;) That method and keeping time notes don't seem mutually exclusive. I think people really just have to figure out what works best for them, just trying to offer some different options...


Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:32 pm
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Pretty slammin', Gene.

Your episode had a real workshop vibe, which I appreciated. I also agree with your methodology of learning both parts as one, instead of falling into the trap of seperating hands, learning each before attempting to combine them. I liked seeing you take control of the show, and I like seeing your renewed energy toward this end. I liked the episode.

For whatever it's worth to you.

K Rex

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Mon Feb 15, 2016 6:34 pm
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Post Re: RECAP: Free Hands Friday #70 Bach pt. 1
Thanks KR - feedback appreciated.

I don't generally listen back to the sessions much, but I did in this last case. Now I know what Boaz was talking about, the new headset I am using is definitely not working.

The follow up to this session for me will be to try use the speaker / mic on my laptop next time, isolate the left hand part for viewing / hearing and a separate video with a performance and perhaps some friendly tips for getting this one down.

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Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:43 pm
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