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Thread: A Year With Calace?

  1. #1
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default A Year With Calace?

    I just signed up for this:

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/c...an-Klaus-Rumpf

    One lesson a month for a year for the price of a coffee each lesson. It's a nice way to support mandolin pros. His website shows the number of workshops he's had to cancel due to Covid-19. Enterprises like this help a little, if we support them.

    If more people here sign up for it, we could use this thread to discuss it, maybe, and hopefully Florian will stop by sometimes.

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  3. #2

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I signed up for it a few days ago. I think it is a commendable and lovely project to support I look forward to receiving his first lesson. I believe it is being translated into English.

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Canada View Post
    I believe it is being translated into English.
    From Florian's Ko-Fi page:

    I am currently working on my book "A Year with Raffaele Calace" with Etudes of the Maestro with tablature and instructions in German and English for each month of the year .
    Jim

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  5. #4
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I got the first lesson yesterday, and had a choice to download either a German or English version. Florian asked for feedback on the translation, and I sent him a few recommendations, but overall it is excellent.

    I don't want to let all the secrets of the lesson out of the bag, as it were, but basically he takes an exercise from the Method, presents it with treble clef and tab, and discusses technique for both hands, and interpretation. He has some good pointers, and I can't really disagree with anything he says.

    Florian has recorded the sonatas and partitas for violin by Bach, which is no small undertaking, and is clearly a virtuoso. I'm happy to buy him a coffee once a month during this downtime for musicians, and I'll learn a lot too.

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    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Great idea thanks for flagging this up Rob. With so many of my normal boot up the bum activities drying up I've noticed a drift in my classical playing. This will hopefully get me a bit more refocussed.
    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I have been working on lesson 1 for a week, and it's proving a worthwhile effort.

    If we want something to discuss, how are people handling using the same finger on adjacent strings? If it's the first finger, as in bar 18-19, I am bridging but I haven't found an elegant solution for the 4th finger in bars 20-21?
    - Jeremy

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  11. #7
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Good point. In bars 18-19 I'm doing a momentary two-string bar, and ease off the 3rd string when playing the 4th string.

    Bars 20-21 are more problematical, but I do basically the same thing: a momentary two-string bar, partially lifted when the right hand goes from string 2 to 3.

    Being a dumb guitar player, the violin/mandolin Position thing is a head scratcher, but I am sure it just requires repeated practice to make it seem normal. Position II seems to extend from the 3rd fret to the 9th.

    So, I'm just at the locating notes and strings phase.

  12. #8
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Another thing, why not use finger 4 for the A# in measure 18? Violin/Mandolin fingering seems very prescriptive, each finger has its own role, no matter if it leads to awkwardness. I'm not saying I can't use finger 3 for the A#, but 4 is easier.

  13. #9
    Pataphysician Joe Bartl's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I began this about two weeks ago. Ironically, I found that Florian's first lesson was precisely at the piece I had currently reached working through the Calace method myself. How could I not join up? I did send a note telling him he'd dropped two measures from the middle of the piece. He quickly corrected the mistake and sent out a fresh copy to the group. I note this by way of saying that Florian is responsive ... which bodes well for the year ahead.

    Joe

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    Registered User Brian560's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I am curious: Does anyone have a recording of what lesson #1 is supposed to sound like ?

  15. #11
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Good question. It would help if the teacher included a sound file or video.

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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I sent Florian a request asking if he could provide recordings of the exercises I thought it would also help him market this incredible set of lessons. It had already been suggested to him. It is unfortunate that he presently does not have the available time or the resources. It would certainly be a great add on. I am really impressed with lesson #1 and look forward to lesson #2.

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  19. #13
    Registered User Brian560's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I also enjoyed the first lesson and was looking forward to the next one. It is my first attempt at playing Calace. Unfortunately I don't fully understand all of the notation, so there is a good chance I am practicing it entirely wrong.

  20. #14
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Brian, I suggest you get the English translation of the Calace method, published by Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, Adventure Music Publishing. It's in two volumes. No tab, but it does discuss Calace's notation.

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  22. #15

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hello everybody,

    I am extremely surprised and grateful that you like my project so much.
    I have noted your discussion of jumping a finger from string to string and will try to include it in one of the next lessons.
    In general, Rob's suggestion to get the English version of Calace's method by Caterina and Mike is highly recommended. "A year with Raffaele Calace" is not meant to convey Calace's techniques, but to provide instructions on how to practice efficiently. If you would like to have some tips for literature on the techniques, please let me know and I'll try to incorporate them into the preface.
    On the subject of video and audio, I would like to say that I hear your wishes there. I understand that, but then I would have to increase the price for each lesson due to the additional effort and I do not want that at the moment. But I will keep that in mind for future projects.
    I also have to be careful not to overcharge myself. With a CD production, preparations for video shoots of pieces for the CD and the financing of these projects, my time is very short right now. I would also like to start another project on Ko-fi from September. It should be a book with music for mandocello. I don't yet know exactly how that should look like. But soon I'll be in Denmark for a few days' vacation and I will definitely know more afterwards.
    Tomorrow I will send the version of the translation corrected with Rob's help in English. I look forward to any suggestions for improvement and other things. It shows me that you read the lesson carefully, and that makes me very proud.

    I will rarely join the discussion here, but will follow it closely. For acute questions you can always write me an email. I'll answer as soon as possible.
    Thank you for your enthusiasm and best wishes from Hamburg,
    Florian

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  24. #16
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I have a question for anyone familiar with using the Ko-fi payment system, which I've never used until now;
    I signed up on the 19th to Florian's lesson series on a monthly basis, so presumably my payments will go out each 19th of the month.
    Florian releases his lessons on the 1st of each month when he makes them available from his drop box.
    However the link goes out from Ko-fi with the payment email, I presume that means I shouldn't expect to be able to access the material until 19th of each month, even though it is theoretically available from the 1st of the month.

    If this is how it works, is there any way of bringing the payment date forward to synchronise with the 1st of the month release date?
    Also doesn't this leave things very tight for people signing up later in the month? (as the DB link expires by 1st of the month)
    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

  25. #17

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hi,
    the new lesson comes always with the next payment.
    I completely clicked through Ko-fi and after a simple way to postpone payment earlier in the month. Unfortunately I haven't found anything useful either.
    My tip: cancel your existing subscription after the 19th and close a new one on the next 1st. So you get the next lesson as one of the first.

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  27. #18
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hi Florian,

    Thanks so much for checking it out and coming up with a good idea for a work-around.
    I was thinking we may get more fluid comparisons on this thread if we were all working in the same week, allowing us to be at the same stage of each month.
    However I had a think about it and I'm actually going to leave it tick along as it is.
    I'm bad enough at being thorough in seeing all my practicing through in the detail and repetitions it deserves, so I think I might use this as another parallel lesson to myself in how to give it the full time it deserves.
    I really like the concept of the twelve month cycle and it has reenergised my practicing of Calace pieces. Often the volume of possibilities can overwhelm if there isn't a teacher on hand who is familiar with the material. By having the best cherries picked and structured approaches outlined it is much more motivation to give it the time it deserves.

    Thank you for this.
    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

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  29. #19

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hi,
    I am happy to read that my work brings you so much. I am currently collecting ideas for another book of this kind only with another composer. If you have any requests or suggestions for it, I would love to hear them. At the moment I'm thinking of "A year with Gabriele Leone" or "A year with Carlo Munier", but I can't really decide.

  30. #20
    Pataphysician Joe Bartl's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I'd certainly subscribe to either the Leone or the Munier year. As for which to do, my initial thought is that you might garner new subscribers with Leone: it would be a different period, style, and techniques from Calace. On the other hand, for those who have signed on to the Calace year, Munier might be a logical follow-up. Either of these appeal to me. Thanks for asking.

  31. #21

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I still intend to sign up for the Calace year, but am late given day-job duties.

    Interesting thoughts regarding what's next. With Leone, would you approach from a period (brass, gut, and silver-wound silk; octave g course; quill plectrum; etc.) or modern hardware perspective? I'd be all over a period approach to Leone, but suspect I would find myself in a truly tiny minority. I also imagine you could easily add a little on quills, etc. as a side note to Leone played on modern mandolins with modern plectra. Etc.

    For what it's worth, Leone's is easily my favorite of the first-generation methods.

  32. #22
    Registered User bstanish's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I would subscribe to a Leone year. I've been picking at Leone's method and would welcome the focus on the style and technique.

  33. #23

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hey there,
    Thank you for your opinions on Leone or Munier. At the moment I also tend to Leone more.
    But first the project "A Mandocello´s Yearbook" starts on August 1st on Ko-fi. In it I present an arrangement or an original composition for mandocello (8 and 10 strings) every month, give information about the composer and piece and a few tips for practicing. Videos for each piece are also planned for this project.
    When setting up the project, there was a bit of a mess because of my own inability, but that should now be fixed.

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  35. #24

    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    Hey there,
    just a quick reminder, that today my new project "A Mandocello´s Yearbook" started on Ko-fi. Perhaps that´s something you´re interested in.
    Here is the link:
    https://ko-fi.com/fkrumpf2

    Have a nice weekend!
    Florian

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  37. #25
    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Year With Calace?

    I have two "big picture" question, Florian.

    First, once a student has spent a month with a lesson; learned it; absorbed it; experienced it; what does he "do" with it? Does he file it away as finger memory to be pulled out a month, a year, or two years later to rekindle the skill set focused on in the technique? Or is there a concept that once you have mastered an etude, it has helped you create a permanent, ingrained, increase in proficiency that the fingers and subconscious will never really forget - and thus there is not necessarily a reason to return to it in the future other than for pure enjoyment?

    Second, can you, or will you eventually, describe (or categorize) the primary significance (skill set to be developed) of each lesson for future reference? I can imagine, far down the road, wanting to recall a particular etude to bolster a certain technique that might be waning.

    I think this approach is brilliant, extremely useful, and most enjoyable. I wish you great success with it!!!!!

    PS 1: What is "Tkt" an abbreviation for (my "dah" moment)?
    PS 2: Thank you to Rob for initiating this thread!
    PS 3: One vote for Leone
    Last edited by Tim Logan; Aug-01-2020 at 6:53am.

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