Week 3

LIVE
martin.3
9 days ago
80replies

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

Pick your piece – Choose an arrangement or transcription that excites you.
Share your goal – Are you learning, arranging, or refining?
Post your progress – Upload short clips, notes, or reflections as you go.
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!

- Eric
- 8 days ago
- Reported - view
Yradier - La Paloma
- Steve_Price
  
  8 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  This is excellent, Eric. I love how distinct the separate parts are. A great transcription and so well-played.
  
  On a side note, whenever I hear this, I remember it was being played by the band at the start of the party scene in Godfather II, shortly before Michael confronts Fredo. A friend of mine told me that, and now they are forever associated.
- Retired
  
  Jack_Stewart
  
  8 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  I really like the more assertive version of this recording over your previous one, Eric. this is an excellent recording.
- Retired
  
  Jack_Stewart
  
  8 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Ah yes, The Godfather II
  
  I thought I recognized it from the movies. I was thinking maybe Charlie Chaplin. Just a little off.🙄 Though I can imagine Chaplin doing a wonderful dance to this piece.
- Eric
  
  8 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks, Steve. I have seen that movie many, many times, but I never noticed that La Paloma was playing in that scene. Naturally, I had to go check it out for myself, and you are absolutely correct (not that I doubted you at all). The big band arrangement in the movie knocks the socks off of this very simple arrangement!
- Steve_Price
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  It depends on the setting. I'm more likely to be at seaside cantina than a black tie party, so I'll take your version, lol.
- Derek
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  That's great Eric. I like the little flourish in the repeat of the 3rd section. I shall try that myself! It must be about 50 years since I saw the Godfather so I can't comment on that :-)
- matt.1
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Very inspiring Eric! Your playing and interpretation are fantastic, but the sound quality of the recording is also great! What is your setup?
- Eric
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks, Matt. My setup could not be much simpler. I have a Samson Go Mic that I bought for $40 at Walmart. I plug it into the USB port on my laptop and record with the video camera on the laptop. I did add a bit a reverb to the sound with Audacity, which can be installed for free.
- joosje
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  excellent is the word to describe this submission. Everything works so well in this transcription, mostly thanks to your subtle and refined playing. 👏 👏 👏
- Eric
  
  5 days ago
  
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  Thank you, Joosje, you are very kind! I hope we get to hear you play something for this challenge.
- matt.1
  
  5 days ago
  
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  Wow! It sounds great! You've really got a fantastic tone. I bet it's incredible in person.
- BLaflamme
  
  11 hrs ago
  
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  Fantastic Eric! Your performance flows graciously both musically and technically, bravo! 👌💪
- Reinhard
- 8 days ago
- Reported - view
Finally I finished the major part of arranging rachmaninov´s prelude in c# minor. Unfortunately my own arrangement is way too difficult for me 😄 considering that the challenge will end soon. I upload the video just to give you an idea about the arrangement and for documentation of my progress.

Arranging consumed a lot of time so I had not much time to practice. However the process was already very rewarding. Trying hundreds of different possibilities in the agitato section taught me a lot more than I usually learn from a new piece.
- Retired
  
  Jack_Stewart
  
  8 days ago
  
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  Wow! What a beast! That is quite an accomplishment to transcribe, Reinhart. You have a good start on performing this work. I look forward to hearing your progress.
- Steve_Price
  
  7 days ago
  
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  This is really impressive, Reinhard. That could end up being quite the showpiece. Congratulations.
- Derek
  
  7 days ago
  
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  That sounds pretty (extremely!) difficult Reinhard but you seem to be on the way. Like Jack I'd like to see your progress on this.
- joosje
  
  5 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  great achievement so far. Looking very difficult. You really did a great job arranging this for guitar and it seems to work out for guitar, but very demanding.
- Randy_Wimer
  
  3 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Well done! You chose a challenging piece both in arranging and performance. Rachmaninov's compositions are so idiosyncratic to the piano that wrestling them onto the fretboard is daunting. Again, nicely handled.
- Dale_Needles
  
  2 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Congrats, quite a big undertaking and very well done.
- BLaflamme
  
  11 hrs ago
  
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  ok... we've reach another level for this challenge with this... that's a very interesting project you're working on, I hope you'll get another version before the end of the challenge, so far it looks pretty hard for the right hand! 🤯
- Steve_Price
- 7 days ago
- Reported - view
Here's a complete take of the Dowland Prelude and another piece I've been working on, a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, K34/L7. I didn't play the repeats, and I'm still trying to figure out ornaments, since I've played very little music that called for them. Any feedback is appreciated.
- Eric
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Wow, I love that Scarlatti! It makes me want to dig into his sonatas more, as this is certainly very playable on guitar. Are you using Apke's transcription?
  
  I'd consider playing it just a touch quicker (despite the larghetto tempo marking). Also, I think it needs a little more emphasis on the 1 of each measure, and less on the 2 and 3. The phrases seem to be four measures long, so I would bring that out more, reaching a high point in the middle of each phrase, and then tapering off at the end of each phrase.
  
  As for the ornaments, I have no great knowledge or advice. I always err on the side of playing simpler ornaments (or skipping them altogether) so that the melodic line is clearer. Nothing is worse to me than an "ornament" that actually obscures the music instead of decorating it.
  
  Maybe will be able to give you better advice about ornaments, as he plays them very effectively.
- Steve_Price
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks a lot, Eric. I really appreciate the tip about the 4 measure phrases. I never picked up on that, but it will be really helpful to look at it that way.
  
  Yes, this is Apke's with a couple of left-hand tweaks, the only note change being that I only play the E on the first beat of mm 4 and play it an octave higher. I really don't like the low E and B being at the start of the measure since it feels very premature. Most of the transcriptions of this have dropped D tuning, which I agree sounds better, but I try to stick to standard as much as possible.
- Steve_Price
  
  7 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  I listened to a bunch of harpsichord and piano recordings of this, and they were all much quicker, some a little too extreme for my taste, but I do think I'll bump it up. Definitely gives it a little different character.