🎯 The Etude Challenge: Study Pieces, Serious Progress - Week 4
Attention tonebuddies! It's time to embrace the music that was literally designed to make you a better guitarist. Welcome to The Etude Challenge — four weeks dedicated to the art of the etude!
Etudes occupy a unique place in the classical guitar repertoire. They're technical workouts disguised as beautiful music — pieces that sharpen your skills while rewarding you with something genuinely worth performing. From the elegant simplicity of Carcassi and Sor to the rhythmic brilliance of Brouwer's Etudes Simples, the virtuosic fire of Villa-Lobos's 12 Études, and everything in between — there's an etude out there for every player at every level.
This challenge is your chance to pick one (or more!), commit to it, and share your journey with the community.
🎯 Whether you choose to:
- Tackle a classic — Sor Op. 35, Carcassi Op. 60, Giuliani Op. 48
- Go for something bold — Villa-Lobos, Barrios, or Coste
- Explore the modern side — Brouwer, Carlevaro, or Bogdanovic
- Revisit an old friend — Polish a piece you learned before and bring it to a new level
…this is your moment to dig in and grow. This challenge is open to all levels — whether you're working through your very first Sor etude or preparing a Villa-Lobos for the stage, you belong here.
📅 Challenge Dates
Start: February 23
End: March 20
💡 How to Participate
- Pick your etude – Choose one that excites you and challenges you. Not sure where to start? Ask the community for suggestions!
- Share your goal – Tell us what you're working on and what you want to achieve (clean run-through, memorization, performance tempo, etc.)
- Post your progress – Upload short clips, practice notes, or reflections as you go. We want to see the process, not just the polish.
- Engage – Listen to what others are working on, leave encouragement, and trade practice tips!
103 replies
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Gilardino Study #31 Theme and Variations (Theme and 1st variations w/o repeats)
This the first posting of this study by Gilardino. So far I only have the theme and 1st variation under some control. I hope I can get the 2nd variation by the end of this week.
I find this study interesting and beautiful. Gilardino states it is an homage to Fernando Sor, however, it is a theme and variations on Robert Schumann's Theme and Variations op.118 2nd mov. It is much tamer than much of his other pieces in his set of 60 studies, both technically and harmonically. This piece will be with me for quite a while as the next 3 variations up the ante technically speaking.
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Hi everyone. This study by Sergio Assad (Sketch No 7) is a fun one for me. And a hard one. It has so many changes in the meter and rhythm that i get dizzy.😄 It took me a lot of practise time without the guitar (just drumming with my hands on my legs) to get the 4 over 3 polyrhythm and 5/8 to 3/8 changes in my head. Next goal is working on precision.
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Sor Op 44 No 21
I thought I'd take a break today from the study I have been working on this whole challenge. This is one of my favorites by Sor, and it comes from his Op 44, which does not get nearly the attention his other collections of studies get. In fact, I would like to consider this one for his collection of Sor studies that did not make Segovia's cut. (There has to be some snappier, more concise title for this collection of yours, don't you think so, David?)
Sor's didactic intention in his studies is not always very clear, but it strikes me that this study requires a good number of anticipatory left hand fingerings, so maybe that's what he had in mind. Who knows?
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video take 2 of Giuliani's Op. 98 No. 4
Still needs a little work in the C section. Sounds a little muddled to me. Tried to memorize as much as I could. I'll try to post one more by end-of-week.