Leo Brouwer's Estudios Sencillios!

LIVE
martin.3
updated 2 wk ago
153replies

Welcome to our next Study Group — a collaborative, peer-led dive into a beautiful piece of music over the course of two weeks.

This time, we’re diving into the methodical riches of Brouwer’s Estudios Sencillos 1–10!

This is not a course or a class — it’s a space for mutual exploration, discussion, and shared progress. I’ll be learning the piece alongside you (again — it’s been a while!), and I’m excited to discover new things together.

🗓️ What to expect:
Over the next two weeks, we’ll focus on:

🎯 Fingerings and technique
🎯 Methodical background
🎯 Interpretation and expressive choices
🎯 Your own questions and perspectives!

We’ll also meet for two live Zoom sessions to share progress, chat about challenges, and nerd out over all things Brouwer.

✅ How to participate:

Sign up through the Forum
Grab your score of the Estudios Sencillos
Introduce yourself below!
Join the prompts and discussion
Share your thoughts, ideas, or a clip of your playing

📅 Live Zoom Calls:

🗓️ Dates: July 28th – August 8th

📫 Sign-Up

- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
- Ariel.1
- Yesterday
- Reported - view
Here it is, as promessed! I'm really looking forward to reading what you all think about this.

https://guitar-community.tonebase.co/t/q6ykcag/about-the-real-dichotomy-of-the-right-hand-not-tirando-or-apoyando
- BLaflamme
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  Ok, I'll take time to read and answer a bit later...
- magmasystems
- Yesterday
- Reported - view
Saludos, folks. I have been sweltering in this heat wave we have going on here, and have been remiss about contributing to this forum.

I currently have Brouwer 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 20 on my repertoire list. I played #1 a while ago, and I am probably not going to revisit it right now.

I want to try to make a video of #9, but I always get little panic attacks when that camera light goes on. And #9 is definitely an etude that ties the fingers up.

I know that we are just talking about Estudios 1-10 here, but I may also take the liberty of making a video for #20.

Nice playing from the folks who have contributed videos so far. One thing that I do in #2 that is a bit different from what I see here is that I make those F-B-E chords in measure 5 really stand out. I mean, I pull those strings and make it really ugly. It provides a good contrast to the choral sounds in the entire piece.

I don't know if anyone else here besides Jane is doing Brouwer #9, but I have some questions about the length of the bass notes.

-marc
- BLaflamme
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  You already have half of them in your hands, that's great! The camera syndrome, a classic, I usually start the camera and play the piece a few times in a row and then take the best, or the less worst, or just start over! Oh no you break the beautiful choral mood with an heavy metal scream! 😂 I'm interested in #9 of course, probably my preferred one among the first 10, ask your questions!
- magmasystems
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  Ha ha ... not too metal ... just a little crunchy! I always compare it to the dissonant G# in the wonderful choral piece, O Magnum Mysterium by Laudinsen. It happens twice in that piece. At the 2:59 mark and a few bars later. Allegedly, the composer introduced the dissonance to remind people of the pain that Mary went through later in life. I hope that my crunchy chords won't bring you too much discomfort :-)
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ-nuU-hda8
- BLaflamme
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks for the reference, that's a beautiful work!
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  thanks for sharing the choral piece! really nice! Reminded me a little bit of Barber's Adagio. Those seconds always bring a nice colour to harmonies. I don't feel them as dissonances anymore, though. I've been playing with quarter tone tunings between four guitars for long enough to really appreciate the rest of a minor/major second hahaha.
- magmasystems
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  Thanks for taking the time to listen to that piece. In the world of choral music, it has become one of the most popular works out there.
  
  Another great choral work, something that has been arranged for guitar by Edson Lopes, is Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten, written by George Neumark (used by Bach later). It was used at the very end of the film Babette's Feast.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  This is very nice! I follow Edson's work closely. He's got very nice renderings and nice arrangements. Usually I'm not very fond of arrngements myself. He does a good job, though. I often find myself prefering the originals and then i feel like something is missing so I try to keep myself to the repertoire composed for guitar (Bach and other Renaissance and Barroque composers being an exception). Thanks for sharing,... I went up and looked for the original too, which I had never heard!
- Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
  
  Yesterday
  
  Reported - view
  I suffer from the camera syndrome too! The very thought of recording myself gives me stage fright and then, when I actually start recording, my breathing stops or gets heavier and every single note I play sounds uglier than when I just play to enjoy in my solitude ha ha.
- Jane_Anderson
  
  9 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  I'll try to make a video of Brouwer #9 and can share what I've been doing for bass stopping.
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
- Ariel.1
- Yesterday
- Reported - view
I have two questions for everybody about Estudio n°2:

1) Do you keep the "p m i" right hand fingerings that Brouwer wrote or do you switch to "i m a" as does in his version? Do you have some reason for one or the other? Do you mix both depending on the passage? (I myself do the latter)

2) What about vibrato: Do you like vibrato in this piece or prefer steady clean harmonies? Are you comfortable with the way you can vibrate chords or do you feel like you'd like to be able to do more?
- magmasystems
  
  23 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  1. I always use p-m-i. I don't think that I use the a finger anywhere.
  
  2. Starting in measure 9, I keep my 3 on the low G until the end. I try to wiggle my finger a bit to give some vibrato, but I am not sure that the vibrato is detectable by human ears.
- Steve_Price
  
  21 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  I didn't notice Blaise using i m a, but I really like it. Having the thumb free to plant helps my stability, plus I think it lets me balance the voices better. This is especially true for me since I never use a thumbnail (old hand injury).
  
  As far as vibrato, I normally use some at the peak of the piece on the f b e and b e a chords, but it doesn't come through in the video. I figure about 80% of what I want to do with a piece of music comes through in recordings since I'm so focused on getting clean notes.
- BLaflamme
  
  14 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  haha... I thought the camera POV made it clear enough I was using i-m-a for upper voices! 😂 In this kind of scenario I tend to use them as a block, like a one big finger, as it helps with precision for «swinging freely» and sound control, and give the thumb a different sound color to help stacking them.
- Steve_Price
  
  14 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Lol, my poor wife could tell you how I'm not very observant. I really like it and have already updated my score.
- BLaflamme
  
  14 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Haha... I sympathize with her! 😅
- Steve_Price
  
  14 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Lol, 26 years in two weeks. She should be sainted.
- BLaflamme
  
  14 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Oh congrats... that's a long road... we're hitting 36 in December!
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  12 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  36 years of marriage?
- BLaflamme
  
  11 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  We're not married but since we've been together!
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  10 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  well then chapeaux to you, because you don't look a day older than 40!
- Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
  
  Ariel.1
  
  9 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  would you be interested in a video showing how to work on the vibrato on this Estudio? I can do that. Not in these next couple of days, but I can post something on sunday or monday.
- magmasystems
  
  9 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  I would never say no to a good Brouwer lesson :-)
- BLaflamme
  
  9 hrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Hehe, thanks... but I'm over 50! It's weird to read that 😂