3rd song upload - Antonio Lauro - Vals Venezolano No.3

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Here is the first draft of Antonio Lauro's "Natalia Vals Venezolano No.3".
As with the others it is not perfect. But at least it is not another Bach!

http://www.jonnyhotnuts.com/music/val.mp3

Any comments welcome. And I would like to see others start uploading songs as well.

-JH

[edwardcav]

I can't get that link to work :cry:

But I will take up your challenge. I can be heard as of Wednesday. I'll keep you all posted, until then I want to hear Lauro!

[adrian]

Johhny: Be sure to add ".mp3" to the end of the filename on the server.

edwardcav: You can add ".mp3" to the file once you've downloaded it. It should play in your default mp3 player.

[edwardcav]

ahh OK.

I like this piece, but I can't waltz as it is - I'd hate to imagine waltzing to this tune! Nothing against you Jonny or your playing, but classical guitarists have a bad habit of making waltzes (vals') undanceable, in other words: too rhythmically random. But we all do it 8)

Keep 'em coming!

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Funny you would say that Ed, my let my sis hear both Arilio and Segovia’s versions before I recorded this song and she mentioned that they did not hold true to a waltz for this same reason. She also said that I should not use their example and make this song my own and do it in waltz format timing. I did not, as you can see, in fact I tried to take things I liked about both versions, the super fast Arilio and the smooth Segovia. Will definitely take your suggestion into consideration when I make the final.


Adrian: you are correct and I am working on it. And just because you are a forum admin does not mean you can not post opinions or your own songs, I am assuming you do play. :lol:

[adrian]

That's true, I do play. But I haven't much free time for it. Gotta keep the GSI site tuned up, you know. :D

By the way, good work on the recording. Keep at it :wink: .

[thaddeusb]

hey hotnuts,
I am curious to know what your right hand is like. How long and shaped are your nails? What is the angle between your right hand and the strings?
Its kind of an odd question, i know, but answer it as best you can.

thad

[sorin popovici]

http://www.requiem.3x.ro/ss.mp3

Don't hate me for this mp3,try to listen 'till the end .jonny u're first mp3 was
more impressive than the second one(with lauro)I'm not laughing at you
,u should listen to my asturias :),boy do u lose the tempo).I got the courage to post this mp3 because of your second one(i'm not mocking u,is just that i cant make a record that good with a microphone that is used for chating)

I did this mp3 in half an hour with my guitar(I have guitar a reghin guitar,a brand in romania, aprox value 40$,i used a headset with a microphone attached).
used cool edit for mixing the two voices ,there is no other effects applied .
I just used some noise reduction(i obviously needed that).

I used the same guitar for the two voices,the acompaniament (i'm too lazy
to search this word on www.dictionary.com) is mostly Am(my Am i'm not tuned very well,)with some bass notes and some rhytm i've found just playing around).(used some spice on Am ,some cromatic bass notes with Am)
The solo voice is a complete improvisation,i can not do it again just as it is now(also some cromatic things somewhere ).

I like it ,i dont know what u think (besides that i surely dont own a hermanos conde :) )



many thanks to keith pratt (i'm starting to have almost equal strength in all my right fingers when i practice 5 stroke rasguedos,this is how far i am in flamenco).
if u want i'll post my gavotte en rondeau bach bwv1006,but the mp3 quality
will be the same.
By the way does anyone know a free downloadable score for this,i used
www.eythorsson.com ,but sounds very different from segovia(and i would like the segovia transcription)?


i've started playing guitar exactly 5 years ,two months and one day ago,i played mostly in the kitchen...uh uh ..... and that's all .At that time i was 17,
now i'm 22.
i'm not playing asturias and have only 7 months of classical guitar.
Pls dont be mad jonny ,i'm just teasing u(if i remember right u posted
u knew asturias after 7 months of classical guitar).
I just got to say that ,it has been haunting for months now :twisted:,and to
all the others Asturias is a really good piece if u can do it right(i listened to JW ,i couldnt believe my ears ,i can play it but not like this ),at the time all of u said "back off jonny....."(i was joking ,now i'm a little mad).

i just got to say I TOLD U SO (i will never talk about this again,sorry to disturb u with my rememberings and nightmares :D )

excuse my english ,and 10x keith.

[edwardcav]

what an interesting post.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

sorin popovici: I post these songs because they are works in progress, meaning that they are not intended to be thought of as perfect. Merely gaining insight from other guitarist about dos and donts. Where it is true that I did halfway attempt to play this song when I first discovered CG, I have in all actuality been playing it for a week. I started learning it as soon as my last Bach recording was done. I do have a number of songs that I play that I consider peaces that are suitable for performance, I know this and therefore dont care to vest time to record them to post as of yet because I dont care what anyone has to say about them. Other then that I really dont have a clue what the hell you are saying. But I really think you should try playing any of the songs I have recorded if you are looking for a way to compare yourself to me.

Please give me credit for trying to be nicer, usually with a post like yours I would of just said you were an idiot.

Thad:
I have a great deal of difficulty growing nails. I own my own business (General Contractor) and often have to lead by example and train new hires. So my nails take a huge beating. I do prefer to play with nails and know there is a tonality difference. But often the songs I have recorded are done with about 80% fingers. I am searching for a solution to this and have considered acrylics. I feel my hand posturing is technically correct, this is something I am very aware of. But my forearm (near elbow) makes contact with the top edge of my guitar and I am not sure if this is acceptable.

[Todd]

Johnny, i would really like to hear you play something within your ability. These pieces you've posted are great pieces. But its clear that they are beyond your abilities, at least right now. I'd like to hear you play something that's easy for you, so i can hear your real tone. Right now, it just sounds like you're chasing the pieces, and not catching them. I hope you dont take this as anything but constructive critisism. You clearly love the guitar, and its obvious that you do alot of practicing and are dedicated. So, dont think i'm trying to put you down. I'm actually trying to do the opposite.
Keep practicing dude!
ToddK

[cdikland]

I don't feel qualified to express an opinion on this piece. Never heard it before and I am 1000s of hours away before I could hope to tackle something like that.

I do envy the sound he gets from a home recording, though. Also, I do admire someone willing to continue to upload his recordings knowing that in all likelyhood, reviews by others wont always be glowing. That said, to those who feel his work is not quite up to par, let's hear your version so we have something to compare. :wink:

Jonny: Keep em coming.

[CarlosJR]

Jonny, the piece is technically correct except for maybe soem of the chords during the middle sound like you were having trouble with them. But i think you need to work in your interpretation more, because it sounds too boring. Dont take this as an insult im just trying to help, try to play around with the tone (nearer the sound whole, or near the bridge at certain parts) and try to make parts that repeat different when you repeat them. At least thats the way i would play it, I would also try playing the first part faster and the romantic ending slower or something like that, spice it up a little bit, clearly this piece was not really meant to be danced to it was meant as a solo guitar piece so you have to give them heart.

[Clemente]

Jonny,
You are not playing this piece correctly. Slow it way down and count it out loud both in 3/4 and 6/8. You also have to pay close attention to the accent markings throughout the piece. That is what makes it so tricky. If you count out loud you will get a better feel where those accents are. I would listen to John Williams CD Spirit of the Guitar, music of the americas. It is a waltz and sounds beautiful when played as one!
,

[Henry Wells]

anybody know where i can get the music for this? From what I can tell, I like the piece. :D

dont bother..I found it.

[absmiths]

I feel my hand posturing is technically correct, this is something I am very aware of. But my forearm (near elbow) makes contact with the top edge of my guitar and I am not sure if this is acceptable.

Christopher Parkening and Aaron Shearer both list the forearm as a contact point with the top of the guitar (probably 2/3rds to 3/4th of the way to the elbow). I personally find it annoying and wear a thick sleeve on that arm to prevent the corner of the guitar from getting irritating. The alternative of levitating your arm seems worse.

[Scott]

You can also use a sock with the toe cut out of it when you wear a short sleeve shirt. My wife of course thinks I look ridiculous :oops: but it makes playing easier and saves the French polish.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Todd and others:
Please don’t get me wrong with my intentions of recording these songs and posting online. It is NOT to display my abilities or for the desire for glowing reviews of my playing. As I said in another post, there are a number of songs that I play that I consider suitable and ready for live performances. I record these songs to gain insight from other CG players about things that need to be changed and thoughts on different prospective ways of skinning the cat. Truth be known I have only been playing Vals for a week and is definitely a work in progress. But before I master a song I want to rid myself of any predispositions about how the song should be played. And this is why I post them here. I simply don’t care to post anything I have mastered because I am happy with the way they are and don’t want to change them.

I will however take this into consideration and think about recording something that is a song I am comfortable with. And I never thought you were putting me down.

CarlosJR and Clemente:

In two back to back posts I get:

CarlosJR : “Jonny, the piece is technically correct but I would also try playing the first part faster”.

Clemente: “You are not playing this piece correctly, Slow it way down”

I feel you both have points and really take to heart what CarlosJR is saying, I feel the same way.
Clemente, the Arilio version is considerably faster than my version but mine is a bit faster than Segovia’s version that I have. I do agree that I should make this song my own and experiment with traditional waltz timing forsaking how the masters played this song and maybe doing something a little different.

Cdikland: Thanks

[ykabban]

Jonny,
your melody is getting lost. Make it come out. I have a friend that plays just the melody notes of a piece he's working on. Do this with a metronome and you will be pleased with the results. Or try playing it as if a human voice was singing, this is what I do. It would be a good idea to work on the melody first before polishing off other musical elements that need work. A wandering melody is apparent even to a novice audience. When you are ready, it would be interesting to repost this piece for final critique.

Yusef

[Henry Wells]

it takes a lot of cajones to post a song you can't play correctly yet. Having read your reason for doing so.... "I record these songs to gain insight from other CG players about things that need to be changed and thoughts on different prospective ways of skinning the cat."
I can only assume you are looking for criticism at the grossest level, rather than regarding any kind of subtlety in the music or performance. But this doesnt make much sense to me as you obviously know what you are doing wrong, based on your own comments. The only basic advice at this point that can be given is: play the notes as written in time. One's first thought on listening is "where is his sense of rhythm?" This music thrives on its rhythmic pulse, so I would suggest that you practice it at about half the speed you are currently trying, with a metronome, until you have mastered the rhythmic nuances. Then re-post it and you can get some valuable (hopefully) feedback on a real performance, rather than comments about one of your practice sessions. You have some talent but right now it's too rough to evaluate. I agree with Yusef

[Clemente]

Jonny,
Let me clarify! I suggested you slow it down only to learn the correct rhythm. The final tempo is subject to your interpretaion. Henry and Yusef are right on the mark.

[fakestar]

I think that as guitarist, especially Classical guitarist, we need to accept comments from others and try to improve. To restrict ourselves from comments, we will never improve.

Jonny, I would suggest that you don't compare your playing with segovias or Arilio as I feel that this might affect your own style of playing. Develop your own style, this is a waltz so you need to have an idea that if you are playing it in a ballroom, the dancers can dance. To focus on small vibrato like segovia, the whole song will be gone. Remember, this is a dance, you can't play it totally in the classical way.

I know I'm new here, but from the msgs I read, I found you are a bit like my thinking in the past when I start picking up guitar. Be free on comments, if the people who listened to your playing are just focusing on your flaws, they will not enjoy the beauty of other parts of your playing.

It takes alot of courage to play a tough piece and put it up for others to listen. I had just picked up guitar for less than two years and had finished la catedral yet i found it imperfect. Therefore, I dare not let others listen. haha that's why I respect you in this way :)

All the best Jonny