I am content with Tarrega right now - my stretch piece is Capricho Arabe which is quite a handful...

The OP is an experienced steel string player though who plays with nails.

Hi Peter,
I was actually referring more to Barry's post earlier and the comment by CT. I recall that he had gotten a nylon string guitar, but didn't know that he had plunged into Bach right at the start.
Good call on Capricho Arabe! I've revived that one myself and am playing that these days (along with lots of Andrew York stuff). It's a great piece. You'll enjoy that one. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. That would be a good one to record in that church setting!:)

That prelude is pretty easy actually. Would be a quite nice piece to have in repertoire. No one in this thread is a beginner in any case.

Yes - it's quite a big step up from Lagrima and Adelita (which will be the next one I try to record) and test a few of my newly learned skills such as alternating fingers and also fingers (as opposed to thumb) on bass strings!

You're right about the church though :-)

I agree that it is one of his most accessible ones, although I wouldn't go as far as to say it is pretty easy. In relation to his others perhaps. I would say you still have to have developed a good set of skills to play it acceptably well. :)
I agree that it is a nice one to have in the rotation. I actually think the other movements in that suite, especially the Allemande, are much nicer, although arguably harder.

Adelita is a really nice one. That's one of the few pieces that I learned years ago and have never forgotten. Something about it that just lodged into my memory banks. Marieta is another. (another good one for you to look at).
Tarrega really knew how to find his way around the fretboard. :)
I'll look forward to your next recording!

Thanks for keeping us updated, Wrighty.
Well done.

Thanks for your interest :-)

Here's (I hope the link works) a performance of the Bach BWV 1007 Prelude
that I like a lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWsF...ature=emb_logo

I don't think it's easy, even if John Mills makes it seem so. I wish he had
recorded this for general release, in better sound..

Here's (I hope the link works) a live performance of the Bach BWV 1007 Prelude that I like a lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWsF...ature=emb_logo

I don't think it's easy, even if John Mills makes it seem so. I wish he had
recorded this for CD release, in better sound.. masterly playing, IMO.

Carey, thanks for sharing that.
John Mills is a very underrated player imo. When I was learning the Brouwer Etudes years ago I used a cassette of his, along with performance notes, to study from. I still have the notes. A booklet actually. But not the cassette! :(

Andre F- I think he is, too, and wish he had made more recordings; I like his
way a lot (and remember those perfomances you mention well.)

Further update..
 

So, for anyone interested, I wanted to post update number 2 after just over a month with this instrument.

1. It's harder than I thought it would be given where I was at with a steel string

2. My left hand is taking some strain - thought it was pretty strong but clearly it's not...

3. The quest for the right nail shape, length and where it hits the string has become borderline obsessive ;-)

4. Tone - the holy grail, a never ending search through Michael Chapdelaine videos to find the secret (There isn't one..)

5. Strings - I am a gear nerd and I love the string journey although I am finding the differences more subtle than I found with different sets on my steel string

6. The breadth of music takes my breath away - starting with contemporary and the likes of Andrew York, moving to the Spanish and also into the classical (Bach etc) are places I never would have thought I would find myself, but here I am, loving it and wondering how it eluded me for so long..

There is a seeming endless number of pieces I deeply want to learn and play

7. Julian Bream - it was partly his videos that pulled me into classical but on digging deeper and reading his book I am sad I didn't discover his true value before now. A true master of the instrument but full of personality and charisma.

8. Lastly, the big question - is there ever going to be room for steel string in my life again? Honestly, if you asked me to choose one guitar to keep right now it would be my nylon string - the prospect is quite scary but I am already thinking about how much I could get for my steel string guitars to put towards a serious nylon..

All that having been said, things change so no hasty moves afoot - just more practice.

Thanks all for the support so far.

Peter.

Hi Peter,
All great points you make. I totally get them.
Andrew York is quite the resource. I've been working on quite a few of his pieces lately. And when I ordered music from his site, he sent it to me directly, so I've had a few email exchanges with him. A bonus for us from the pandemic. Artists like that are usually on the road all the time, concertizing. But a lot of them must still be holed up.
His music is really captivating. And deep. From the first note to the last, a journey. It's been a real joy learning this stuff. I should have looked into his music much earlier.
He's also a mad scientist of sorts. :) He's published on his site a number of mathematical and physics papers. Quite an interesting individual. And of course, a world class player.
Ditto that. And a great sense of humor. He has some really fascinating master classes on YouTube.
Thanks for posting your insights. Glad you are enjoying the ride!