Week 1 - A New Hope 🌟

Hello tonebuddies! 🎶

A long time ago, in a practice room far, far away... you picked up a piece. You were excited. You cracked it open, worked through the first page, maybe the second — and then something happened. Life struck back. A new piece caught your eye. The fingering felt impossible. The score quietly migrated to the bottom of a stack where it's been sitting ever since. 🎸

This May, we're bringing back the Unfinished Business Challenge — and we're kicking things off on May the 4th, because what better day to summon the Force and finally finish what you started? Every guitarist has an abandoned piece (or three). This is your chance to rescue one from the Sarlacc pit of your music folder and bring it home.

This challenge is open to all levels. Whether you left off at bar 8 or bar 80, whether it's a Bach fugue or a beginner study that got away — if there's a piece waiting for its return, it belongs here.


🌟 The Challenge

Revisit a composition you started but never finished — and this time, see it through. It might be:

  • 🎯 A piece you abandoned because it felt too hard
  • 🎯 Something you got halfway through before a new obsession took over
  • 🎯 A passage or section you never quite nailed
  • 🎯 A piece you learned years ago but never polished or performed

Share the story of why it got left behind and what it means to finally complete it. That's half the magic of this challenge.


📅 Challenge Dates

Start: May 4
End: June 12
Watch Party: June 12


🎥 How to Participate

  1. Pick your piece – Choose the piece (or section) that's been haunting you. The one you've been avoiding. That's the one.
  2. Share your goal – Post in the forum thread and tell us what you're finishing and why it got abandoned in the first place.
  3. Post your progress – Share updates along the way — rough takes, slow-tempo run-throughs, the gnarly passage you finally cracked.
  4. Engage with your fellow rebels – Cheer each other on, leave constructive feedback, and celebrate every piece that makes it across the finish line.

Bonus points: Share a recording of your favorite performance of the piece you're revisiting — the version that first made you fall in love with it.


🎬 Watch Party — June 12

The Watch Party on June 12 will feature recorded submissions from everyone who completed their Unfinished Business. Make sure to submit your final performance videos so we can celebrate your finished piece together! 🎉


💡 Need a Little Help from a Jedi Master?

If the reason you left the piece unfinished is still giving you trouble, tonebase is full of lessons, masterclasses, and courses from world-class guitarists ready to help you through the tricky parts. Search for the piece, the composer, or the technique — chances are, there's a Master ready to help.


May the 4th be with you, tonebuddies. Let's finish what we started. 🎸⚔️

212 replies

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    • Retired
    • Jack_Stewart
    • 4 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Gilardino Study #31 Theme and Variations

    Wow! This opening caught me by surprise. I have kept checking periodically but somehow missed the beginning, not that I was ready to post until now.

    This is a full recording of the #31 Study from last challenge, so I figured that qualifies for the Unfinished Business category.

    There are still my requisite slips, blunders and lapses but, for the most part, it is reasonably well done. I find the arpeggiated variation really difficult to play convincingly, though I have heard some very successful versions (Attademo and Porqueddu). I was surprised how difficult this study was for me to get this to a reasonable level. But then, I am always surprised to wake up every morning.

    I intend to keep working on this but I have already started on my next project. Much of what I will be doing for this challenge will be revising and resurrecting previous repertoire that have fallen by the wayside. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Eric. I am really surprised that Gilardino doesn't have more 'air time. He has a massive catalog of works that are incredibly diverse. Unfortunately, much of it is above my pay grade.

      • LIVE
      • martin.3
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

        Can't wait to see where this one lands!!

      • Debbie
      • 49 min ago
      • Reported - view

       very cool piece, Jack. I’m glad you stuck with it to give us your latest version. It sounds great. Lots of work went into this so you should be pleased.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 22 min ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Debbie. I am still working on it. Or, rather, I still intend to work on it. I am currently 'maintaining' it but have started my next 2 pieces for the challenge.

      • Debbie
      • 2 min ago
      • Reported - view

       I find maintaining pieces while learning new ones to be one of my greatest challenges.

    • Civil law notary with a passion for music
    • Bart_Versteeg
    • 4 days ago
    • Reported - view

    This challenge has a flying start! I hadn’t even chosen a piece yet…. 
    Michelle and Nijwm, you convinced me to enter.

    I will settle for the Sor Rondo opus 48. I started this in 1975. Time to finish it!

      • Amateur guitarist/lutenist
      • David_Krupka
      • 4 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I don't know, what's the rush? 😂 Anyhow, that's a fun piece - I look forward to hearing it! I'm sure in my own pile of scores I've got more than a few half finished pieces from that time too. Now you've really got me thinking!

      • BLaflamme
      • 4 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Great to see you back here Bart!

      • Eric
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

      Awesome choice, looking forward to hearing it!

      • LIVE
      • martin.3
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

        1975 — that's a long time to keep a piece on the back burner! 😄 The Sor Op. 48 Rondo is a wonderful choice — half a century of patience deserves a beautiful payoff. And it's great to hear   and   convinced you to jump in. Looking forward to following the journey.

      • Civil law notary with a passion for music
      • Bart_Versteeg
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       yes Martin, sometimes you have to give yourself some time. There is so much music to play. Often I don't have the patience to polish a piece, and I move on to something else too quickly. 

    • Eric
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Holy cow! I step out of the forum for a few days to grade exams, and the challenge which hasn't started yet has totally blown up with posts! Usually I'm the one jumping the gun.

    After I post this video, I'll try to catch up with listening to the earlier posts, but it may take me a while.

      • BLaflamme
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I'm sorry to have opened the ball, it was unexpected! It's a very good choice of piece, this Ponce sonata is incredibly beautiful and this second movement already sounds superb under your fingers, can't wait to hear more!

      • joosje
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       beautifully played, Eric! The melody shines and I  hear the many countervoices. I’m looking forward to follow your revision of fingerings. There is so much happening in this short piece. , it’s probably one of the most beautiful,  most intense and ingenuous movements in guitar composing. Thank you for sharing.

      • Amateur guitarist/lutenist
      • David_Krupka
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Off to a great start as usual, Eric! I also love this sonata - it's one of the real gems of the entire guitar literature, imo. And the middle movement, for reasons pointed out by   is particularly engaging. It can definitely stand on its on own!

      • Ron.3
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Such a beautiful movement Eric and what a great start (even if you weren't fist to post 😂).

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       That is beautiful, Eric. I haven't heard it in a long time. This is definitely a work needs to be 'finished'. You have such a good command of it that shouldn't be difficult. Looking forward to your future posts of this work.

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Incredible start, Eric. I hadn't heard this piece before. Its melody is so hauntingly beautiful and evokes a sense of longing, and you made it sing so tenderly and beautifully.

      • Retired
      • mgshirk
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Very nice, Eric, I really love Ponce music. I love the way he weaves his harmonies around a theme in very cool and modern ways. His 24 short preludes through the circle of 5ths are amazing. 

      • Civil law notary with a passion for music
      • Bart_Versteeg
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       well Eric, your start for the Challenge would be my goal. 
      very well played! Looking forward to seeing what you improve!!

      • LIVE
      • martin.3
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

        Welcome back from exam-grading jail, Eric 😄 Ponce Sonata III is such a great pick to pull out of unfinished business. Looking forward to following this one!

      • Derek
      • 20 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Great start Eric - I was surprised that Blaise pipped you to the post. Looking forward to hearing your progress on this.

      • Debbie
      • 37 min ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautiful choice Eric and off to a great start. I look forward to your progress. Ponce was such a great composer. One of my good friends named her chihuahua Ponce!

    • Retired
    • mgshirk
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    As I said at the start of this challenge, I have so much to work on. After thinking about it for some time, I decided to narrow the list to 4.  

    1. Letters from Home - Pat Metheny arranged Jason Vieaux (already in my rotation, but this will force me to finish it)
    2. English Suite - John Duarte (Prelude only) (was in my rotation but fell off the wagon a while ago)
    3. Caprice Arabe - Francisco Tarrega (Somewhat know this but need to brush off the cobwebs)
    4. Claude Gagnon - Douze Preludes en Forme d'Etudes, VIII (somewhat read through the piece but new to fingers), this is a very cool piece though

     

    I guess I'll choose by opening day tomorrow, maybe attempt 2 of them since some are somewhat already under the fingers. 

      • BLaflamme
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Nice programme! Gagnon's Preludes are awesome, I would like to record the whole set one day, can't wait to hear your take on it!

Content aside

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