Leo Brouwer's Estudios Sencillios!
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
421 replies
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Brouwer's etude No.6.
This is my favourite Brouwer etude. It's so beautiful harmonically and a great exercise for RH arpeggio. Not sure if I did it any justice. I think my articulation could be sharper and clearer. Chord change to the 6th string is a challenge, especially with all the string squeaks. The recording also came out too boomy and there are nail clicks on the arpeggios (I need to trim them shorter perhaps). Anyway, it continues to be a work in progress just like the other pieces in my list :)
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If anyone wants a MuseScore 3 version of Etude #20, let me know. I like practicing No. 20 by playing along to the MuseScore playback. I can use the Play window to slow down the tempo, and also use the looping feature to practice a tricky section.
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Question on Estudio No. 6.
In measure 7, do you play the E with the 1 finger and the C# with the 2 finger? Or do you play the E with the 2 finger and the C# with the 1 finger?
I am constantly switching between the two methods, and I am curious as to what the most common way to play this is.-
I think you mean meassure 9? I come from meassure 5 and 7 with 2 in 4th / 4 in 3rd and 3 in 2nd so I try to keep that to avoid the finger 2 switching back and forth. In meassure 9 I do finger 2 for the E and 1 for the C# as you say and then move forward keeping 2 and 4 and sliding 1 backwards.
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I am watching the video that Rene did here on Tonebase, and he plays around with different fingerings. I am going over all of my fingerings again to make sure that they are optimal for me.
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that's always the most useful thing. I have a colleague here in Buenos Aires that sticks a couple of transparent sheets above the score and writes down as many fingerings as they come to mind before choosing.
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I have already changed my fingering starting at measure 3, thanks to the conversation here.
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Good idea trying out some options to see what feels best. Going into m5, I settled on using 2 as guide finger to F#, 4 on C, 3 on D#, then sliding the same formation to m7, then in m9 the 4 stays on B, 1 goes on E and 2 on C#. Looking at my score now (Eschig), that is what is indicated there.
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Your way is the way that I always played it, but now, revisiting it, the new fingering relieves me of that awkward (to me) pinky movement.
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Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying the discussions here, and this is one of the things that I was hoping to get out of Tonebase. Looks like we have some great momentum thanks to Uncle Leo. (Hello!)
