Week 3

Attention all tonebuddies! Are you ready to embark on a journey of musical creativity and exploration? Join our Arrangement & Transcription Challenge and discover the joy of reimagining music for the classical guitar!

Over the next four weeks, we’ll celebrate the art of transforming works from other instruments, ensembles, or even genres into stunning guitar performances. From Albéniz and Granados to Piazzolla, Bach, Scarlatti, or even your own favorite songs — everything goes!

🎯 Whether you choose to:

  • Work on a well-known transcription (Albéniz’s Asturias, Granados’s Danza Española, Piazzolla’s Libertango)

  • Create your own arrangement from scratch

  • Compare different versions and share your insights

…this is your chance to dive deep into the creative process and share your journey with the tonebase community.

This challenge is open to all levels — from curious beginners discovering their first transcription to experienced players refining their own arrangements. Let’s celebrate the versatility and expressive power of the guitar together!


📅 Challenge Dates

Start: November 11
End: December 11
👉 Join anytime by introducing your project in the comments below!


💡 How to Participate

  1. Pick your piece – Choose an arrangement or transcription that excites you.

  2. Share your goal – Are you learning, arranging, or refining?

  3. Post your progress – Upload short clips, notes, or reflections as you go.

  4. Engage – Encourage others, ask questions, and exchange arranging tips!


🎥 Watch Party Reminder

The Watch Party on December 11 will feature recorded submissions from this challenge!
So make sure to submit your final performance videos and showcase your creative work!

80 replies

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    • Eric
    • 4 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Scarlatti - K34 (Nov 29)

    Here is another go at this. I tried to have more of a dynamic plan. Also, after listening back to my previous recording, I tried to avoid over-arpeggiating the note pairs.

      • joosje
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       so musical en beautiful. Pure joy for the ear. Great phrasing and sound

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautifully played. Since you like Scarlatti, you might check out an early album by Abel Carlevaro where he plays Scarlatti Somatas on one side and Sor Studies on the other. I think you would really enjoy it. You can find it on YouTube.

      • Eric
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       That does sound like a slice of heaven! I will have to check it out.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       This is excellent, Eric. You have really captured the poignant character of this piece. Beautiful.

      • BLaflamme
      • 14 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautifully done Eric, everything flows so naturally!

    • joosje
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    I decided to go for another piece in a different category, the great Johann Sebastian. Arrangement from the David Russell collection. It is absolutely the first phase of the work. I hope to have enough time to get to recording the whole piece before 11th December. This is just a take with my iPad, no mics or anything. 

      • Steve_Price
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       That is gorgeous, Joosje. I'm used to the usual lute, cello, etc. transcriptions of Bach but I don't recall hearing anything for an ensemble like this transcribed. You really balance the different voices well. Well done. 

      • Eric
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       It is sounding really good already, Joosje! A couple years ago, I saw a transcription of this by Bradford Werner, but I can only imagine David Russell's is much more challenging. It is such a beautiful melody.

      • matt.1
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       This is beautiful Jossje! Now I want to learn it too.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Beautiful, Joosje. Looking forward to hearing the rest of this piece.

      (I assume you are not referring to the founding member of The Loving Spoonful? 🙄) 

      • BLaflamme
      • 14 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       This is indeed a beautiful Bach Sinfonia, I hope you'll have time to run through it, this sounds already good.

    • Eric
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Scarlatti - K77 (A section only) Nov 30

    Yesterday, I went searching for more Scarlatti that I hadn't heard before, but that was still within my technical ability. When I came across this one, it just spoke to me, telling me to give it a try. So ... here is my first attempt at the A section. The B section appears to be more difficult (Why is that always the case?!).

    I am using a transcription by Alberto Mesirca, from which I haven’t changed any notes, just a few of the fingerings.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       That is very nice, Eric. I am not familiar with that one (understandable as there are ca. 450 Sonatas). Is that from the book of 14 Sonatas by Scarlatti by Alberto Mesirca?

      I am always blown away by your ability to pull these things together on such short notice.

      • Eric
      • 22 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you, Jack! I do not have the book, just the score to this one, which I got with a Google search. It clearly is part of a book, since it is labeled with page numbers 17-20.

      • Steve_Price
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Nice work on this so far, Eric. When I was researching Scarlatti pieces, I stumbled on the minuet from this one. It didn't seem all that hard technically, but it seemed out of character for the period, and I had trouble getting my head around it. Could just be me. 

      • BLaflamme
      • 14 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Nice discovery Eric, never heard it before and your first take of it just sounds amazing! 

    • matt.1
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Phew! This was a busy week. I was afraid I wouldn't get a video in, but I finally had some time tonight.  Here's week 3 of my Dedicatoria by Granados, transcribed by Llobett.  In week 1, Dale commented on the string noise and now that is all I can hear. 😂 Once I get it completely memorized and feeling comfortable I'm going to work on cleaning up all the noise. 

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       This is coming along so well. The beautiful melody is really brought forward with your sweet tone. While easier said than done, just a little cleaning up of some of the left hand squeaks and you will have a great performance of this beautiful piece. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Beautiful, Matt. Really well played.

      • Steve_Price
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Very nice, Matt. The melody is really coming out so strong on this. I have nothing to offer on technique, but I do notice that for me, things get squeakier in the winter, when my hands get dry. If I find that balance between moist hands and gumming up my guitar, then I can get a cleaner release. Excellent work.

      • BLaflamme
      • 14 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Great work on this Matt, I very like your overall playing and interpretation of this piece. If you permit me a suggestion, I would try to ensure the last note of your chord arpeggios is not stopped, some of them are ok (when there's no position shifts) and others are stopped and somehow you tend to make an accent on those which put the focus there.

    • Dale_Needles
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    So here is Section 3 of Piazzolla's Tango, Calambre, arranged by Agustin Carlevaro.  Hopefully, I can pull it all together for posting in Week Four of the Challenge. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Wow, that is really interesting, Dale. It has a very jazzy harmonic  and rhythmic feel to it. When I first heard it I had to read your intro again  tomato sure it wasn't a jazz standard. I don't think I had heard Piazzola with such a jazz feel. I am really looking forward to hearing it all together.

      • Dale_Needles
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

      Thanks, working on trying to pull it all together to make it feel all connected.

Content aside

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