Study Op.35 Nº22 - Fernando Sor

[samoiedo]

Continuing with my study of classical guitar (31 months), I leave you with the rendering of the Study Op. 35 No. 22 by Fernando Sor.
I would like to know your opinion.

[BWV]

Nice playing! -only advice I would give is to bring out the melody line more with rest stroke. Practice making the top line as loud as possible and sing along with it while keeping the arpeggiated accompaniment as quiet as you can, this sort of exaggerated practice can help bring out a good balance in performance. Check out Julian Bream’s recording of the piece

[Rob MacKillop]

I want to encourage you, but there are a few things that jumped out at me. I'm not going to discuss technique, as mine is very different. Remember that you are completely free to completely ignore everything I say!

Speed: Sor wanted it faster: his tempo direction is Allegretto, whereas as you (and many other guitarists) seem to think it is Andante or even Moderato. So, I suggest pushing it on a bit. If your score says anything other than Allegretto, it is by an editor thinking he knows better than the composer. Beware of "editions". If you get really into Sor, I suggest only the editions by Tecla.com which give you exactly what Sor wrote, nothing more or less.

Phrasing: I suggest you put a pencil line through the stave after every 8th bar, and a dash line after every 4th bar. When you start a phrase, try to have in mind the mid point and the end point, something to aim for. At the moment you seem to be playing the whole piece in one phrase, from the first note to the last. If this sounds cruel, it is not intended to be, believe me. The phrasing might sound clear in your head, but it is not coming out that way to the listener. View these pencil marks as breath marks for a singer.

Dynamics: You have to differentiate more the constituent parts: melody, bass and accompaniment - in that order of importance. You are doing it a little bit, but not enough. It's like you are saying all parts are equally important, but they are not. Melody first, bass second, to give the foundation (that F# in the first 6 bars, rising to a G, then falling back - very important), then what is left over should just be a murmur, otherwise you are giving the listener too much information all at once to take in. When every note seems equally important, the ear grows tired.

Style: Sor lived through the transition of the Classical era to the Romantic era. This piece falls somewhere between the two. It has the structure of a classical piece – relentless 4- or 8-bar phrasing – but the melody is leaning towards the Romantic era, characterised by pushing forward and pulling back the tempo. Not as much as we might expect from Tárrega, for instance, but as I say, leaning towards it.

Sorry, BWV, I really don't like the Bream version. He's one of my idols, but I just don't like the way he plays this piece.

But above all, remember that you are completely free to completely ignore everything I say!

[samoiedo]

Nice playing! -only advice I would give is to bring out the melody line more with rest stroke. Practice making the top line as loud as possible and sing along with it while keeping the arpeggiated accompaniment as quiet as you can, this sort of exaggerated practice can help bring out a good balance in performance. Check out Julian Bream’s recording of the piece

Thanks for the advice... I'll practice this way...

[samoiedo]

I want to encourage you, but there are a few things that jumped out at me. I'm not going to discuss technique, as mine is very different. Remember that you are completely free to completely ignore everything I say!

Speed: Sor wanted it faster: his tempo direction is Allegretto, whereas as you (and many other guitarists) seem to think it is Andante or even Moderato. So, I suggest pushing it on a bit. If your score says anything other than Allegretto, it is by an editor thinking he knows better than the composer. Beware of "editions". If you get really into Sor, I suggest only the editions by Tecla.com which give you exactly what Sor wrote, nothing more or less.

Phrasing: I suggest you put a pencil line through the stave after every 8th bar, and a dash line after every 4th bar. When you start a phrase, try to have in mind the mid point and the end point, something to aim for. At the moment you seem to be playing the whole piece in one phrase, from the first note to the last. If this sounds cruel, it is not intended to be, believe me. The phrasing might sound clear in your head, but it is not coming out that way to the listener. View these pencil marks as breath marks for a singer.

Dynamics: You have to differentiate more the constituent parts: melody, bass and accompaniment - in that order of importance. You are doing it a little bit, but not enough. It's like you are saying all parts are equally important, but they are not. Melody first, bass second, to give the foundation (that F# in the first 6 bars, rising to a G, then falling back - very important), then what is left over should just be a murmur, otherwise you are giving the listener too much information all at once to take in. When every note seems equally important, the ear grows tired.

Style: Sor lived through the transition of the Classical era to the Romantic era. This piece falls somewhere between the two. It has the structure of a classical piece – relentless 4- or 8-bar phrasing – but the melody is leaning towards the Romantic era, characterised by pushing forward and pulling back the tempo. Not as much as we might expect from Tárrega, for instance, but as I say, leaning towards it.

Sorry, BWV, I really don't like the Bream version. He's one of my idols, but I just don't like the way he plays this piece.

But above all, remember that you are completely free to completely ignore everything I say!

I have to be honest... it's these comments that I love... they remind me of some things I already knew but I couldn't put into practice and add other suggestions that I didn't have in mind but that are relevant...
Thank you very much for your suggestions... I will continue to practice trying to put your advice into practice.

[ronjazz]

I'll add a quick note: the ends of your phrases do not keep the note lengths correct, they are all 1/8th notes, but become almost 16th notes in your version, a little more metronome work get the divisions accurate, then add your interpretive rubatos, etc. And Rob is correct, the tempo should be up around 104 bpm, give or take. after getting it comfortable at that tempo, address the dynamics and tone coloration to really make the piece come alive.

[samoiedo]

I'll add a quick note: the ends of your phrases do not keep the note lengths correct, they are all 1/8th notes, but become almost 16th notes in your version, a little more metronome work get the divisions accurate, then add your interpretive rubatos, etc. And Rob is correct, the tempo should be up around 104 bpm, give or take. after getting it comfortable at that tempo, address the dynamics and tone coloration to really make the piece come alive.

Thanks for your advice... I'll try to introduce them into the performance of the piece.