Week 2: Finding Momentum: Small Steps, Big Progress 
End of the Year Challenge: "Finish Strong!" 
As the year comes to a close, it's the perfect time to look back on your guitar journey, celebrate your progress, and set the stage for a powerful finish! Whether you've been steadily refining a piece all year, revisiting past favorites, or holding onto that "one day" project, now’s the time to bring it to life. Let’s wrap up this year with a final push, together!
Challenge Theme: Complete, Conquer, and Celebrate!
Goal:
Choose one guitar piece or project that has been on your list this year. This might be a piece you’ve been working on in lessons, something you’ve always wanted to learn but never started, or a performance you’d like to polish. Dedicate the final weeks of the year to bringing it to completion—whatever "finished" means for you!
Challenge Options:
Complete a Piece: If you’ve been working on a piece throughout the year, let’s aim to bring it to the finish line. Focus on refining tricky sections, memorizing it, or even recording it as a performance!
Start & Finish a New Piece: Is there a piece that’s been sitting on your "someday" list? Dive in! Start fresh, put in dedicated practice time, and see how far you can get by the end of the year.
Polish for Performance: Got a piece you can already play but want to perfect? Use this time to iron out the details and maybe even perform it for friends, family, or the tonebase community!
Challenge Guidelines:
Set Your Goals: Decide on the piece or project and set a few concrete goals (e.g., "play smoothly at tempo," "record a full video," or "memorize all sections").
Share Your Journey: Post your progress, questions, and reflections with the community! Let us know what you're working on, why you chose it, and any hurdles you’re overcoming.
Celebrate the Wins: At the end of the challenge, share your "finished" version! Whether it’s a recording, a progress update, or simply sharing your reflections, let’s celebrate together.
Dates:
This challenge runs from now until December 30th. Finish the year with a sense of accomplishment and the motivation to take on new pieces in the coming year!
Why Join?
This isn’t just about completing a piece; it’s about proving to yourself what you can achieve with focus and support. Join us for a fun, collaborative way to end the year on a high note. 
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I am preparing to play a short set of 3 pieces for our local open mic in December
1. Ah, Robyn, Gentyl Robyn
from King Henry VIII Songbook (1518)
By William Cornysh, Jr. (1465-1523)
By Thierry Tisserand
3. Beautiful Promise
By Hirokazu Sato
Here are progress recordings of the first two pieces.
I have a lot of family obligations for the next 10 days and won't be playing much guitar. Work will continue on these, as well as my third piece the first week of December.
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Martha Kreipke You're totally right, recording provides a way to improve ourselves in an autonomous and simple way, this is a tool I wish I had 30 years ago!
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Martha Kreipke These are wonderful pieces, Martha. You have a really good start on these pieces. Looking forward to your next posts on your repertoire for your concert.
I refreshed my memory of Ah, Robin (such a beautiful piece) with a YT search and found a beautiful version by a solo female singer using a loop pedal.
I really liked the Tisserand piece. I am only vaguely aware of him but will look into more of his works. I also really liked your dramatic flourish at the end of the piece.
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Jack Stewart Thank you for sharing the video usng the loop pedal. What a great lesson for understanding and hearing voices in a score!
I really enjoy playing music by Tisserand. I just ordered a fourth book of his music. I appreciate that he writes for a wide range of technical ability. Even his easiest pieces have a lot of audience appeal.
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Martha Kreipke well done, Martha. You really control these pieces and I like your tone and the nice flowing rhythm.
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Martha Kreipke Really nice pieces and you're progressing great. I especially like the first piece. The harmony sounds so lush, warm and beautiful and they're sounding great by your playing. Look forward to more.
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joosje Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Thank you. I am glad that the harmony is coming through in the recording. It is a beautiful vocal piece. Here is the recording that inspired my playing.
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Regondi Etude 1 A section (mm 1-16)
I guess this fits under the "something you’ve always wanted to learn but never started" description in the goal for this challenge. I have always listened with admiration to others playing Regondi, but I never dared to try to play him myself, as his music seems so difficult. Well, here goes. For now, I have tackled just the A section. The tempo is still quite slow still.
I'm told this is about the easiest piece he wrote. Someday, I'd love to be able to play Etude 6, but that just seems too far beyond me (particularly the B section in Bb major).
By the way, I am a bit surprised that TB has no lessons on Regondi's etudes. If I am mistaken about that, please let me know. If I am not mistaken, this is my vote that these etudes get added to the list of possible future videos ( martin ).
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Eric Phillips This is already sounding and flowing great Eric... I think by the end of the challenge... euh... probably next week
... you'll have another beautiful piece added to your repertoire! -
Blaise Laflamme Oh, I think this one might take me to the end of the challenge, if not beyond. The really hard parts are yet to come.
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Eric Phillips I'm looking forward to hear that!
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Eric Phillips very promising start. Looking forward to the continuation. The end is a bit tricky, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you.
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Eric Phillips Already off to a great start. Sounds really great as always.
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Eric Phillips As usual, a very nice piece and already well performed.
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Eric Phillips This is very impressive, Eric, especially for an initial recording. I have Regondi's 10 etudes but I have never considered taking them on. They seem pretty daunting. Looking forward to your progress.
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joosje I think practically every measure is tricky, but you're right, the fireworks at the end are particularly challenging.
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Jack Stewart "Daunting" is the right word! "Intimidating" works too!
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Just lovely Blaise Laflamme! I love the momentum you keep up. It does look like a lot of fun to play.
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Palmer thank you Palmer, it is!
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Martha Kreipke Beautiful playing and pieces I've never heard before.
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Palmer Thank you. For me it is always fun to hear pieces for the first time. That is one of the strengths of these opportunities for sharing.
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Eric Phillips I love this piece and the way you play it. Regondi is def in my future.
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Palmer The music is incredible. I only wish he had written a few beginner or intermediate level pieces.
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Regondi - Etude 1 (Nov 26)
Well, I can (sort of) play through the whole piece now. As this recording shows, I am still just getting it into my fingers. It is exhausting to play it straight through. I have played much longer pieces, but this just has so many notes and so much going on. I'll keep chipping away slowly!
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Eric Phillips very beautiful, Eric. Mostly you to keep the pulse very nicely. The B part is a bit slower, though. But still very musically played overall.. and with great sound in the leading voice. Let the accompanying voice lead the tempo and it will be more even. The ending is quite difficult- in the sense of virtuoso, and you are doing a great job there. Keep going!
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