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:

  1. Sign up through the Forum

  2. Grab your score of the Estudios Sencillos

  3. Introduce yourself below!

  4. Join the prompts and discussion

  5. Share your thoughts, ideas, or a clip of your playing


📅 Live Zoom Calls:


🗓️ Dates: July 28th – August 8th


📫 Sign-Up

 

170 replies

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    • 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
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

      I would never say no to a good Brouwer lesson :-) 

      • BLaflamme
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Hehe, thanks... but I'm over 50! It's weird to read that 😂

      • BLaflamme
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

      That'd be interesting to see how you work that out!

    • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    Hi, everybody! Last minute submission as I was feeling a bit of FOMO lol. Not the best sound quality. I wanted to upload the 1st etude as well. Unfortunately, while editing in Da Vinci, something happened and I lost the video and couldn't find it.

      • Steve_Price
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Very nice, Nijwm. Really good dynamics. 

      I've lost files during one step or another in the editing workflow so I know what you mean, lol. 

      • Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
      • Ariel.1
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

        Hi, Nijwn! nice work! The camera syndrome doesn't show up as much as you must feel it inside. It's good to know that, sometimes. What was very uselful to me at a time was to write down where to breathe. And practise that as much as the notes. Most usually it goes along with the music. You may find the need to breathe in between some motive sometimes and it's good to try and think exactly where. Breathing, is not often included as a content in the teaching process and it's a pitty because it's super important.

      • Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
      • Ariel.1
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       but the fact that you noticed about your breathing is already a very good thing, too!! Sometimes it even goes unnoticed!

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Thank you, Steve. Yeah, losing files is infuriating and frustrating after having done all the hard work of playing the piece, lol.

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Thank you for the feedback and thoughtful advice, Ariel. I'm often an impatient and not a detail-oriented guy, something that's not good for a classical guitarist. As an adult learner and hobbyist, the temptation for me is to finish working on a piece and move on to the next.

      Learning classical guitar is like gymnastics, martial arts, fine art and Zen Buddhism all rolled into one and involves every aspect from posture, fine motor skills development, breathing and meditation and tons of patience, lol.

      • Performer, Teacher @Conservatory M. de Falla and member of Nuntempe Ensamble GQ
      • Ariel.1
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       indeed it actually is! 

      • BLaflamme
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       You said you had the camera syndrome, hmmm... 🤔 That's a very good take IMHO, just take care of bar 7, you omitted the F chord on the third beat, very well controlled and good dynamics! As for breathing that's a problem for us guitarist, we're not used to connect the breath and the music together, and most importantly with music phrases like any wind instrument or signer would do, but we should do it and it makes the music we're doing even more flowing naturally.

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Thank you, Blaise. I do have the camera syndrome. I become too conscious of myself. I usually have to make several recordings before one is usable. That bar 7, that's very well spotted, thanks a lot for that. I'd been playing that wrong all this time. I'll correct it pronto.

      • BLaflamme
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       I kind of have it to (the camera syndrome), basically what I do is to start a recording and play the piece a few times in a row, the good take is rarely the first one (sometimes tho) and it helps forgetting about the context and you kind of get used to it. About the omitted chord, I was not sure if it was a temporary oversight or misreading, but you seemed to play it confidently so I wanted to check, I am glad to have been helpful! 😅

      • Steve_Price
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Honestly, you came across as confident in the video, and there weren't any of the usual mannerisms and tics that show up when someone is really nervous. Again, nice job. 

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 23 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       You're one of the best guitarists and very knowledgeable and informed musicians in the community, Blaise. I'll take solace in the fact that even the best ones can have difficulties in facing the camera, hard as it might be to believe.

      I'll definitely try your approach to recording multiple takes in one recording and select the best one. In fact, I might have tried it on a few occasions. Context is the biggest factor, which you pointed out. 

      About the missed notes/ chords, it's something I need to be careful about. I've been learning to read staff notation from scratch ever since I started classical guitar. It's only been a couple of years that I've learnt to differentiate between the G and the B on the staff lines😄. 

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 23 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       perhaps, I'm good at hiding tension lol! But seriously, it's because of friends like you who are supportive and encouraging that makes it a lot easier. So, thank you 🙏 

      • Ron.3
      • 22 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Great work Nijwm - very well controlled

      • BLaflamme
      • 21 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you for your kind comment and I am more than happy to know that you can find value and application in what I share. About recording, I'm very not the best to get the right take on the first try without being in the mood, to me music is a lot about mood and feelings so I need foreplay... but be careful once it starts! 😅Also I started playing Heavy Metal music by ear and only learned to read music a few years after, that's a process that takes time and practice! Keep the good work!

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 10 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you Ron!

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 10 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Again, thanks a lot for all the encouragement and support, Blaise.

    • magmasystems
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

     And others ... One thing that I would love to see here on Tonebase is some sort of live Zoom where all of the participants in our study group are live. So far, it seems that many of the sessions here are Martin speaking/playing live, and all of us forced to interact through the chat room. So, if one of us wanted to demonstrate a technique to the others in the study group and to Martin for some advice, we just cannot do it.

    Is there any way to turn the study group sessions into something that is interactive?

      • Barney
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Marc - Are you aware that the study group and two zoom calls scheduled?

      • magmasystems
      • 23 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Yep, I saw those and signed up. From all the conferences I have been on at Tonebase, I don't remember any that have been two-way interactive video. Maybe these calls are a new paradigm here? Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

      • Nijwm_Bwiswmuthiary
      • 23 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Yeah, as Barney said, the zoom sessions are much more interactive and we should continue this into the future. We had a couple of them recently on the Bach BWV 999 in case you missed those.

      It's just like any other zoom meeting where everyone's visible on screen and you can ask questions and share ideas. Of course, time can be a limiting factor as it's an hour long event. But it's really enjoyable and informative. Hope to see you there!

      • magmasystems
      • 23 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Great to hear. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Content aside

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