Here is my transcription for solo ‘Ukulele of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, First Movement, Pages 11-12:
Like any other project you might consider, it started with a thought: In this case, the thought was that it would be possible to create an ‘Ukulele version of the Pastorale symphony. The thought in this case created the feelings of courage and determination, which led to the decision of doing the work to bring it into the world.
Once the decision is made strongly, a lot of other decisions fall into place quickly. Here are some decisions that have already been made, have been done, or are currently happening:
- Create an ‘Ukulele version of Beethoven’s 6th symphony…
- Break the project into small chunks so it isn’t overwhelming…
- Transcribe a page a day…
- Once the first draft of the transcription is completed, revise and film one page a week…
- Post the video on YouTube every week on Tuesday…
- Start an email list of folks who might be interested in playing the piece and send them a new page from the score every week…
- Share the project on social media every week…
Because these decisions were made strongly (i.e. “this is DEFINITELY going to happen”) it’s been easy to acknowledge my “internal naysayer” and still follow through.
Also, because there is momentum, some of the next steps in the project feel inevitable. Following the “1 page a week” scenario, I can even predict their date of completion:
- A complete video performance of the first movement (October 8, 2019).
- Live performances of the entire first movement (starting in October 2019).
- Second movement completed on February 12, 2020, third movement on April 14, fourth movement on July 7 and final movement December 1.
- Live performances of the entire symphony starting in December 2020 (if not before).
There are many things that will probably happen related to this project that I can’t imagine yet, but that’s okay. In January of 2019, I couldn’t have even imagined it being where it is right now. I’m excited to see where it goes.
What would YOU like to see happen next? Get in touch and let me know.
all the best to you!
-James