Sor, Fernando; op.60/10 - D02 Video [Updated]

[NylonStrung]

This is one of my favorite Sor exercises, and you play it well. You *do* seem a bit preoccupied with playing the notes rather than the music, which I find happens to me when I'm recording (audio or video), as I want to make sure I don't make mistakes. Oddly enough, when I'm playing for sheer pleasure, I'm actually *less* apt to make mistakes. I play for patients and visitors at my hospital, either alone or with a harpist, and find that when I'm in "performance mode" I play better than when I'm in "practice mode". So, when I record, I try to forget that I'm recording (or at the very least *allow* myself to make mistakes), and try to get into performance mode. This lets me focus more on the music as a whole than the notes themselves.

As for this piece, you might want to slow it down a bit, and let the notes really ring out. Enjoy each note, and how the arpeggios present themselves.

Mike

Many thanks for your comments Mike, they are all valid and appreciated. I agree with your point about recording and what happens to playing technique. I tend to find that I start out aiming to play with some freedom and ignore the camera but then the longer the piece goes on without any mistakes, the more I find that the tension sets in and the concentration increases as I want to get the 'perfect' take. I struggle to play a piece of music throughout with no errors whether I am recording or not, so to get a video without any is a rarity and unfortunately it sometimes means the performance suffers.

Steve

[mverive]

Don't aim for perfection. You'll never play *any* piece the same way twice, and if you're focused on mistakes you might make, you're focused on the mistakes, and not the music.

Get (or borrow) a copy of "The Inner Game of Music" if you don't already have it. We can be our own worst enemies!

Mike

[NylonStrung]

Mistakes are the bane of my life (at least where guitar playing is concerned). These past few weeks I've been on the verge of giving up playing altogether because I have been so disappointed in my playing - progression has turned into regression lately. I will look into the book you've mentioned, thank you for the recommendation.

Steve

[ArthurG]

Steve,

I can sympathise with the mistakes bit. I make loads. I had a quite a lecture about focusing on the positive and recognising the progress I'm making from my teacher this week. As he said, people tend to believe what you say, if you say you are bad, they'll believe it and so forth.

I guess from your videos, we're at about the same level, and knowing how the red light tends to be such a distraction and makes playing disimprove, I think you're doing really well. Cheer up, Bro, it's not always easy, but I can't believe if you have the talent to post good video performances here, that you won't develop tremendously in time.

[NylonStrung]

Many thanks for your post and your encouragement, Arthur, I'm grateful for both. I'm afraid that I am very 'picky' about my playing and dud notes make me cringe. I don't believe I'm a "bad" player for my level but what I really want to be is a consistent and competent player which seems to elude me. I eventually decided to take a step back and look at what it was that seemed to be the main cause of my problem, which I came to the conclusion was poor left hand fingering of notes. Over the past week I have taken a lot of time to improve the movement of my left hand both between notes and actually playing them, concentrating on how my fingers come into contact with the strings and it is gradually improving. Hopefully getting a cleaner sound from my playing will boost my confidence from now on.

[George Crocket]

I have had the occasional bad day when I have felt there was no point because I was never going to be any good. I've had a few good days when I have felt I enjoyed playing that and it was better than usual, but I will never be any good. I will never be any good, but that's not the point. I play because I enjoy it. I do not play because I think I will be able to reach some arbitrary standard. I just do my best, and sometimes that's OK for me, sometimes not.

I have been quite hesitant about recording my playing. I do want to, and I know why, but I am still hesitant. There are some pretty awful videos out there, and I don't want to be that bad. Equally there are some pretty good videos out there and I don't believe I can be that good. But I still intend to record my playing, because I know it will help me.

Don't take it too seriously - it is supposed to be fun. If it is getting you down, re-assess your aims.

[NylonStrung]

Hi George, I completely empathise with everything you've said. When I said I wasn't a 'bad' player for my level, I wasn't referring to any particular standard or academic level. I was more trying to say that I know what 'level' of pieces I am able to play and what I can't yet play because I haven't developed enough technique and within that range I'm not a bad player. It has occured to me more than once that the whole thing is supposed to be fun or a leisurely activity and why am I getting so stressed out about my lack of progression. I think the thing is that what I find to be 'fun' is playing something well or, at least, competently. When that doesn't happen for a period of time, it then stops being fun and becomes a frustration...but then that could be said of almost anything that you do.

[NylonStrung]

Thought I'd post this update. I think it's an improvement on the previous video.


Youtube

[KeMe]

Beautifully played, Steve.
This piece isn't easy to play with feeling, but you did it. Thank you for sharing your music with us.


Kay

[NylonStrung]

Many thanks to you Kay, your kind comments are very much appreciated

[ricknylonstring]

I like it...I think Sor is hard, and playing to a video camera is harder!

[NylonStrung]

Many thanks.