Paganini shuffle part 1

In the post "My Band", Anders commented that the best odds of us finding common musical ground would be Paganini in the form of a shuffle. I thought it would be cool to try to adapt at least one of Paganini's 24 caprices to a bluesy format, so this here is sort of a journal entry on the way to a final product in the form of a recording. The idea is that I'll record the original format, plus one shuffle version, perhaps with a backing track. This post might not make sense to anyone but Anders and myself, but if you could see my face as I type this, you'd have an excellent opportunity to witness a picture of me not caring.

Niccolo Paganini is perhaps the most metal of all the virtuoso violinists of old, as the rumors of him having made a deal with the devil in exchange for his otherworldly technical skills still endure to this day. The Faustian ideal of a deal with the devil also provides a link to Robert Johnson and the Crossroads, although it must be said that if Johnson and Paganini made the same basic deal - soul for skillz on their respective instruments - then one of them got severely short-changed.

Step one was to choose which caprice to modify. After giving it some thought, I picked caprice No. 24 in A minor, because the main theme lends itself to 4/4 with no major issues from it's original 2/4 tempo, and because I feel the melody doesn't suffer too much in doing so. Moreover, some series or other on radio way back actually used a 4/4 version of the main theme, so it's not entirely uncharted waters. After poring over the sheet music and practicing a bit, I found that not all the variations work well in a shuffle format. The parts I picked (all of which are 16 bars) are:

1. The main theme (120 bpm). Most people have heard this theme without knowing it's Paganini. It's a staccato question-and-answers theme with a contained, raw energy waiting to be released in a later variation.
2. Variation 1 (132 bpm). Dramatic, descending, progressively muted arpeggios (i.e. sweeps) which provide a small relief from the tension of the main theme. Very YJM section, which suits me well.
3. Variation 2 (144 bpm). Return of the main theme with some chromaticism thrown in for good measure (and extra notes). Also, it's played at a slightly higher tempo, which is cool. I'm probably going to record it a little more muted than what you'll hear on violin recordings, to avoid the notes bleeding into each other on a non-glissando instrument.
4. Variation 3 (80 bpm). A "heavier" chordal passage with wide intervals which on a guitar necessitates two-handed tapping. More or less the same style of tapping you'll find on Satriani's "Midnight" and Van Halen's "Judgement Day", if you're interested, but more rigid, or tense. This variation really brings down the overall mood of the piece.
5. Variation 4 (120 bpm). Bouncy, lively theme heavy on the chromaticism, which provides some relief from the downer of the previous passage.
6. Variation 5 (120 bpm). Another wide-interval two-handed tapping section. This time the tapping is in the same style as typically employed by Michael Romeo of Symphony X. Way cool.
7. Variation 7 (108 bpm). Playful passage comprised of wide-interval legato trills, which entails string-skipping.
8. Variation 8 (80 bpm). Euphoric, choral passage with a tremenduous sense of relief, in the same style as the main theme of Beethoven's ninth symphony. Or, if you don't know what I'm talking about - it gives the same sensation as Etta James' "At Last". This is the part I find most difficult to play, as it requires classical fingerpicking, i.e. no plectrum. I don't exactly practice fingerpicking every day, so this is gonna take a little while. The most difficult aspect of this and variation 7 is to convey the emotions of euphoria and playfulness, respectively, that I hear in these passages. Which ain't always easy to do when the music is technically demanding at the same time.
9. Variation 11 (72 bpm). Octaves and speed-picked ascending runs alternated with descending sweep arpeggios. It's a thing of beauty.
10. Finale (~115 bpm). Sweep-and tap arpeggios to your (or at least to my) heart's content.

Now I've got to practice more unplugged and with my good friend the metronome, before I move on to the next aspect - choosing the sound.