On February, I had the boldness of registering to La Siembra del Cuatro. This is a musical festival for instrumental music centered on the playing technique of the Venezuelan Cuatro.
The festival used to be bigger and had many rounds. For example, on its first edition. There had to be a big team of professional musicians going around Venezuela to have these preliminary rounds in different cities so they could bring back to Caracas a list of potential contestants along the different regions of the country.
Nowadays, things are easier as contestants pay an registration fee, record a video and send it. This is the preliminary round. Every video then gets published on their YouTube Channel and the selection process begins.
I didn't make it to the final rounds, but as I took part on the festival they sent me a proof of participation. What I believe is missing from the experience is having a detailed e-mail with the things I'd need to work in order to get to a higher stage next time. But I guess that's too much work for the people running the show.
However, I consider the experience interesting. When I began recording covers here, I wouldn't have dared to try out something like this. Recording yourself is hard. Doing it for the purpose of competition is even harder. And yet, Hive makes it somewhat easier as opportunities are here for everyone to show their talent and grow. Thanks to this experience I have had the resolve to try it even if it wasn't the best attempt.
Here's my entry. I can name some of the mistakes that prevented me from going further in the festival:
- Poor attack on the beginning of some phrases. There's some hesitation at the time of starting some phrases after doing arpeggios.
- Running out of time. Even when I like to play a lot with things like rubato, it isn't like it always works well. Sometimes, I feel anxious and try to run to get back in time and end up missing my own bars.
- And this a hot take. My interpretations are not as flashy as others. That's a thing of style, but it might be useful to learn some of those tricks that strike owe in some people.
- More work on the right hand. My left hand is really accurate. My notes are always in place. However, there's a of skills for the right hand. Since everything related to rhythm, flourishes and ornaments is done with this hand, getting some hard work on it will be a crucial step into becoming a better player.
On a final note, maybe we don't get these remarks as the festival has some other intentions. Self-evaluation never stops being an important tool for a musician. Having the chance to participate in festival is another test for the skills and a way to put in practice your skills and knowledge on a stage. Since music is a performing art, going on any kind of stage is part of what defines it.
If an instrument makes a sound and there's no one to listen to it, does music exist?
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