🎶 Latin American Music Challenge | Week 1
Welcome to our tonebase Guitar Community Challenge! For the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into the vibrant world of Latin American music, exploring rhythms, colors, and styles that have inspired guitarists around the globe.
This is your chance to work on masterpieces and hidden gems by some of the most iconic composers:
Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazil) – lush, virtuosic preludes and études
Agustín Barrios Mangoré (Paraguay) – romantic, poetic works full of soul
Abel Carlevaro (Uruguay) – brilliant studies and innovative techniques
Leo Brouwer (Cuba) – modern masterpieces mixing folklore and avant-garde
Manuel M. Ponce – sonatas, and romantic masterpieces
Antonio Lauro – famous Venezuelan Waltzes
Atahualpa Yupanqui – folk-rooted pieces
Jorge Morel – virtuosic concert works and arrangements
…and many more treasures from across Latin America!
How it Works
Pick your piece(s) – anything from the Latin American repertoire that excites you.
Introduce yourself – share what you’ll be working on and why.
Post updates – you can share progress videos, practice tips, or reflections.
Support others – comment, encourage, and learn together.
📅 When?
Start: September 29th
End: October 30th
Watch Party: October 30th 🎉
Why Join?
✅ Discover new repertoire
✅ Build consistency in practice
✅ Get feedback from peers
✅ Celebrate Latin American music with the community
💡 Whether you’re tackling a full Villa-Lobos Étude, polishing a Barrios gem, or exploring a short Brouwer piece, this challenge is for everyone — from curious beginners to advanced players.
👉 Jump in by introducing yourself below and telling us what you’ll be working on!
Let’s bring the sounds of Latin America to life together. 💃🎶
166 replies
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I'm excited by this! I'm working on a few South American pieces at the moment - Milonga by Jose Cardoso, some Villa Lobos and some Barrios. Hopefully I will get chance to record some for this challenge!
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Great to see the Community challenge back! I'm working on a couple of Brouwer pieces and some Villa Lobos at the moment but looking forward to exploring other Latin American composers/pieces
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Glad to see this! I've been working on some of Ponce's preludes, and always some Brouwer. I was reading a book about him, and I've been learning about some of his Cuban influences and contemporaries as well.
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Thanks for launching the Latin America Music Challenge. Let's get this Challenge started! Here are two Microestudios #12 & #13 by Abel Carelvaro. The Uruguayan Maestro published a set of 20 Microestudios in the 1990s, and several additional unpublished Microestudios which can be found on the Abel Carlevaro Online Library. These Miscroestudios not only tackle technical issues but also are meant to be performed in concert alone or as part of a set.