🎶 Latin American Music Challenge | Week 1

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martin.3
updated 2 wk ago
166replies

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. 💃🎶

- Civil law notary with a passion for music
- Bart_Versteeg
- 8 days ago
- Reported - view
And another one. Two pieces from the Suite Argentina by Adrien Politi.
- Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  beautifully played, Bart. I especially like the middle parts, sounds so sweet. Bravo.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
- Ariel.1
- 7 days ago
- Reported - view
Hi to everybody! I wanted to upload section B on saturday but i couldn't play a single note in all weekend. Here's section B with still some pretty big issues to resolve (still got to work on diminishing the noises a bit and how i really want the chords to play out and some circumstancial fixes) but I wanted to share. I'm also very late (so sorry!) about answering some comments and commenting the great work others are sharing and I'll do that today during the day... In the meantime:
- Barney
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  The B section sounds great! Bravo Ariel. I really enjoyed it.
- BLaflamme
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Nice flow and colours, this section sounds beautiful! 👌💪
- Dale_Needles
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Very nicely played, but I agree that the string noise needs to be reduced. Have you encountered Maestro Abel Carlevaro's School of Guitar? His left hand technique eliminates string noise, although it can be challenging to master.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Hi, Dale! Thanks so much for your comments! I know Carlevaro pretty well, since I'm from Argentina and my first teacher, the great Irma Costanzo, studied with him. I even went to some of his concerts and masterclasses. I understand his technique very well but it's not quite adapt to my playing.
  
  His idea of avoiding noises has to do with lifting the hand from the string and thus making legato an impossibility in practice. I prefer a instantaneous glissando as a general rule but for this section, with these fingerings, it's pretty unavoidable to have a little. We talked about this in the group working on Prelude 1. I admire very much Carlevaro's playing... not so much his technique books. It can be said that, IMHO, his better playing was when he was not so obsessed about noises, in the earlier years. But it's true that Villa-Lobos requires glissandi and with modern strings it is what it is. I can reduce a little, some, though. I need to study a little more.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  thanks for listening... it was really useful to record... I'm already studying quite a few changes (for the better, I expect)
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks for your kind words and very glad you enjoyed it! It's a wonderful piece...
- Ron.3
  
  6 days ago
  
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  That flows really well Ariel - well played!
- Steve_Price
  
  6 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Very nice, Ariel. Intense, but flowing, and I really like that combination.
- Retired
  
  Andre_Bernier
  
  6 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Very nice. 👍
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  6 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  thanks!!
- Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Bravo, Ariel, very well played. I'm still working on this section myself, especially the last few bars, with all the shifts is a challenge for me. You're really going for a high tempo on this section. I'm curious how fast your going for the C section.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  I am aiming towards something like this:
  
  A: 100/110 circa the half note
  
  B: 70/80 always the half note and
  
  C: 135/150 the half note
- Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Really enjoying your submissions so far. I'm excited to see the whole piece put together.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
- Ariel.1
- 7 days ago
- Reported - view
said:
However, the A Section does seem a little fast, mainly due to what I am used to hearing, but it works. Looking forward to hearing the entire Preludio

Thanks Dale! I'll keep working on it... Today it sounded better already... I'll surely post some intermediate version before recording it in the studio. I have been listening to many versions and renditions and it's really interesting to note how tradition weights on all of us.