Tempted to say we're in the clear now for the remainder, but don't wanna jinx it!

...And, several hours later: Finished! Good riddance... ;-) Kept to the high ground (no register collapse) for the remainder, which provides better continuity coming out of the middle section, and just overall better aesthetic balance for experiencing the piece as a whole. It's a trick I've used a few times now. In some works the closing section is an exact recapitulation (ABA form), and I provide the option to play the refrain either at the lower or higher octave. Here, although there is a general sense of refrain, the closing actually shares just a few bars in common with the opening, so I've written only the literal version (i.e. all voices at original pitch, except one low note that was out of range).

Next up is No. 3, which is one of my favourite pieces of music. While I've played it many times on piano since 2016, I have not looked at the nascent transcription. On guitar, it's probably not going to be playable at the swift tempo intended by the composer, but I'm very curious how it will come across at whatever tempo is achievable!

This is one of the few pieces selected by the composer himself to record to piano roll in 1910. In fact, he recorded only the 3rd sonata and nine short pieces. Of those, there are four from the Préludes Op.11, and as it happens I've already transcribed two of them, and this is the third! Of the other pieces (outside of Op. 11), I've just finished one of them (Mazurka Op.40 No.2), and two of the others are in my list and are essentially complete (though being from 2016 they'll likely undergo extensive revision...). It seems my taste is similar to the composer's regarding favourite pieces, at least up to 1910, five years before his untimely passing at the age of 43.

Moving on to No.2, which seems likely to be fraught with difficulties... Standard tuning though (at least that's the tuning I was trying for the incipit transcribed in 2016), so may produce a standard classical guitar score for this. That's a lot of work and far from necessary, so we'll see. Really, while my spirits and energy hold up, efforts are better spent on additional transcriptions, or perhaps on a bit more composition. Or even on learning some of the Transcriptions or Ballads to a performance level.

I think it's reasonable to expect this to be fidelity 4 (my top rating, indicating the transcription is literal), in spite of a few compromises or omissions, and a bit of register collapse. The difficulty is only moderate (facility code m).

It's interesting to hear how, for such a "trifle" of a piece, so much variety exists in the interpretations on record—a trend initiated by the composer's own very eccentric 1910 piano roll recording.

...And, done at 3am!

Next up is the devine Scriabin Prélude Op.11 No.1.

A fairly complete and literal transcription exists from 2016, but I'm giving it the typical meticulous treatment that I nowadays feel is merited. So the sketchy old tablatures (which are frankly quite painful to decipher, even if technically unambiguous) are being rewritten into a highly explicit form, showing pretty much all string numbers, fingerings, ringlines, slurs, etc. This has been the standard adhered to for all Transcriptions in the project which are currently available, or which will become available. The only information I usually omit is plucking finger indications, since that is typically a matter of subjective preference. When provided, there are grounds for considering them canonical.

Of course each player can feel free to change my fingerings, or make other alterations (though copyright considerations apply unless the changes are substantial enough to constitute a different arrangement).

This piece in particular has a fragile quality, even on piano, but especially on guitar where much of it is played on the bare nylon upper strings. Getting a good sound can be challenging, even with the ample resonances passively contributed by the tonally richer lower (wound) strings. But ultimately it's just in the nature of this composition to be delicately plaintive.

I love this Transcriptions project so much—what a thrill creative work is when you have a knack! Though it is probably time to try learning to play some of these fluently (and likewise to play and sing some of the Brontë Ballads); and better yet to compose more music—none has been written since early 2018...

I'm considering making this transcription available for free in the handwritten form, not that the piece is a favourite, or that the transcription is the most successful (though I can say with confidence that it is a success), but more for interest's sake to see how the nitty gritty scratchers look.

Yeah sure, why not. Here it is: Schumann Fantasiestücke, Op.111, No.1 scratcher. As I test the piece, correcting typos and possibly finding better fingerings, I'll update this scan.

Notice that the scordatura tuning (C G C G Bb Eb) is a good example of why tablature is the only sane notation for this and most of my other transcriptions: Only one of the six strings is in standard tuning! Good luck reading that from a standard classical guitar score...

In case anyone is wondering why this piece is spanning six pages and not its usual three: The copies I use for transcription, colloquially called "scratchers", have piano staves laid out three per page with ample blank space for working up the tablature in pencil. I'd begun to favour "direct-to-AYT" transcription to a text-based extended tablature format comprising input files for my custom typesetting system, but I am become so sick of computers in recent years that I've favoured a return to pencil and paper.

Having said that, should you wish to obtain any available transcriptions, rest assured they will be provided as print-ready typeset tablature, such as those found in the free samples—hopefully with the bugs fixed, if ever I can muster the resolve to stomach more code development...

I've discussed it more at length elsewhere on the site, but can't help reiterating that I abhor compromise for the sake of guitar adaptation (which is why I insist on the term "transcription" rather than "arrangement", though many if not most expert arrangements are quite literal). This attitude makes the work a lot more harrowing that it would be were I willing to compromise the composers' original music in order to achieve easier playability.

The self-imposed constraint to adhere to original key in all cases is a bit crazy for guitar transcriptions, and, while I've been astonished by what's been possible so far, it would probably pay to try fresh versions in more convenient keys in some cases—as is almost universally done in guitar arrangement.

That leaves only No. 7 (Träumerei), among the planned selections from this opus. I thought I had a sketch, but it seems I didn't write anything down. And having found several really excellent transcriptions in various keys (though none in the original F major, an E major version tuned sharp could achieve that), there is no need for my contribution.

I will move on to other works; guess I'll tackle the last Schumann left on my current list, namely Fantasiestücke, Op.111, No.1. This will not be very literal, and there's no way it'll be getting played at the indicated tempo (Sehr rasch, M.M. 84 to the half)! Even so, it's an impressive virtuosic tour-de-force played at even a fraction of that tempo on guitar; and the rest of the composer's textual direction "mit leidenschaftlichem Vortrag" ("with passionate expression") will be an inevitability...

This leaves No. 12 (Kind im Einschlummern) to refine (I have a good sketch from 2019); and then I also have a sketch already prepared for No. 7 (Träumerei) in a different tuning, and that will be the final number I attempt to transcribe from this opus.

As it happens (having just mentioned Cortot below), there is a delightful 1953 video clip of him playing this piece with simultaneous running commentary in a masterclass. It's a rarity and—while that fact is a disgrace in itself—certainly we're very lucky to have it! I won't link to corporate sites, but the video can be found easily with a web search. (Avoid versions overdubbed in English! disgusting...) Well, best to search rNUNNNNj_Qw to be sure...

This piece shares the same tuning with numbers 1 (already available as a free sample), 9, and 12, so that they can be played as a set without interruption. (5 was also planned, but it's definitely not happy about the raised fifth string, and even with standard tuning it's proving a PITA. It has the least value musically of the five, so I'm dropping it.) I'll confine work to the remaining two numbers in the days ahead, before moving on to other music. There is good preliminary work done, by the looks of the 2019 sketches.

Cortot's 1935 and (especially) 1954 recordings of Kinderszenen strike me as best of all time—highly recommended listening! (The relatively more obscure 1954 recording seems to have been for a radio broadcast.) The video clip mentioned above is delightful for showing us the maestro as pedagogue, but doesn't really do him justice as an interpreter of Schumann.

Happy Canada Day (soon) 🇨🇦, Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ (still) ... and, Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraiini!) 🇺🇦

I now venture forth to celebrate this confluent occasion... :)

Both have nearly perfect fidelity to the original piano scores, including adherence to original key. The Scriabin is in standard tuning throughout; whilst the Debussy begins simply drop-D, but employs several (quite affective!) en passant drops. The Scriabin includes a standard classical guitar score in addition to the usual tablature, something I do not intend to do often unless paid handsomely. (My rationale for preferring tablature for transcription work is discussed elsewhere.)

Also, the transcription that initiated this project, Liszt's Nuages Gris, has been refined and typeset. (There were two earlier transcriptions, an early version of aforementioned Scriabin Mazurka in 2016, completely rewritten this year; and, way back in 2008, Borodin's Serenade from the Petite Suite, performed but never written down; but the Liszt is what really got the ball rolling.)

Three successive albums from the 1980s by Québécois metal band Voivod, which are now a vital part of modern musical history. Incidentally, Voivod are still active, and won a 2019 Juno for best metal album. I value each of these three albums over (the largely retrospective-pastiche) The Wake that finally won, though it too is one of their best. Kudos especially to Denis Bélanger, the original singer, with a superb instinctive microtonal style, who still has his voice in spite of albums like those pictured here!

The deluxe box-set reissues of these early Voivod classics go for about £15 each (not sold here).

Unfortunately the principal composer, Denis (‘Piggy’) D’Amour, succumbed to cancer in 2005. Dan (‘Chewy’) Mongrain now fills Piggy’s shoes as composer and guitarist (though the original bassist, ‘Blacky’, who used to co-write with Piggy, was still in the band and writing up until The Wake—nice timing to be ejected). The new bassist ‘Rocky’ also brings something fresh and kindred. Anyhow, I think the next album will be more musically innovative.

Piggy's art was to avoid cliché (as opposed to sublimating or ridiculing it), without leaving you feeling like anything was avoided—if anything, you feel that you've heard something even more essential / canonical / natural than the familiar musical tropes. If that's a true impression of his music, then it's bound to be a rare gift. But probably a good way forward for Voivod is edgier experimentation, maybe in a slightly jazz direction (but still heavy)? ... I'm not sure. Incorporating D’Amour’s characteristic harmonies and progressions of course, but conquering new ground stylistically? I hope and trust there will be another album.

Why not reconcile with Jean-Yves, work up a production integrating a troupe of dancers, and take that on a cruise! It would be great fun, and your fans would love it.

I’ve uncovered and scanned one of my first compositions, Poem, WoO 1995b, a solo piano impression of a poem my grandmother wrote. (WoO is the standard abbreviation for “without opus number”.) It was written in autumn of 1995, and performed at a public concert of new music the next summer. I have no piano these days, but a guitar transcription feels possible.

Apologies for the smudges, though I think most were there when she gave it to me. The music describes a butterfly’s adventures on a day of spirited weather, changeable breezes, rain and sun vying together in sunshower, and after, the peace, the patient fanning of the wings, the dripping leaves and bright, warm sunshine upon the dank earth, and a graceful tumbling flight into the glow. I did write down the meaning of the poem at the time (regrettably I have but little Ukrainian language, though my concern for Ukraine is rising):   “A wee tiny butterfly is happily flying from one blossom to another, looking for nourishment. Rain comes and her wings get heavy. She crawls under a leaf and waits for the sun. When the sun shines she’ll fly again.” (I believe the original is intended in a gender-neutral way. In Ukrainian, which has grammatical gender, butterfly is always masculine, just as in French. I chose feminine pronouns since ‘her’ sounds prettier than ‘his’ or ‘its’. And we can imagine Baba’s spirit fluttering into the heavens.)

My grandmother was quite frail when she wrote the poem, as you can tell from her handwriting. She was a devout Christian, and the poem is probably meant allegorically. I am anti-Christian, in the sense that I positively dislike Abrahamic religion (and have been subjected to enough of it to make the judgement), but I never expressed that view to her or disrespected her beliefs—not to condemn anyone who has been less discreet!

It’s important to maintain luthier-built instruments at a good humidity (about 50% ± 5% RH), which can be quite different from ambient. In Canada the problem is worst in winter, when indoor RH can drop below 30% with the dry frozen air and the dessicating effect of heating systems. I made this sponge-in-open-bag bespoke humidifier (wet sponge, squeeze out excess water, dry hands and bag [for sake of luthier’s label], then stuff it between 3rd and 4th strings, dumping it into the lower bout). When it dries out, dampen it again. If it isn’t getting crusty-dry after about five days, the guitar probably doesn’t want more water, and the bag should be removed.

Now there are over a dozen complete Transcriptions published and available.

The Liszt Eglogue, long overdue, is now available for free download. As of this date, there are three free transcriptions, and six other complete transcriptions available for purchase.

I finally changed my guitar strings! This is news-worthy since I had been using the original, used strings on this used classical guitar, and had played thousands of hours on them. (I expect they only lasted this long because I use a lot of alternative tunings.) Today I noticed serious intonation problems on the fourth string, and my hand was forced...

There is a new free work on the Transcriptions page, namely the first section of the Andante sostenuto from Schubert’s D.960 B-flat sonata. While not a complete movement, this famous 42-measure incipit stands well on its own.

Work on the Transcriptions has recommenced in full earnest. I am committed to making at least one free complete transcription available before then end of this month. Most of the work is on the tablature typesetting software (which I’m writing). The Tablature Guide PDF is also now available, though it’s still work in progress...

Looks like this page was not maintained.

Anyhow, I made it to Haworth for the bicentenary! Here’s the “Brontë Waterfall”
and a couple other shots nearby, photographed on Emily’s birthday.

Today I created the poem pages, which present the original texts of the poems, offer a memorisation aid version (first characters of words, and punctuation), and link to locations of the holograph manuscripts, most (though not all) of which unfortunately require payment to a museum to actually see.

The poem pages can be accessed from the score-browser, the works page, and anywhere else
you see the icon.

I created an envelope icon and put it as mailto link in the footer.