🎯 The Etude Challenge: Study Pieces, Serious Progress - Week 1
Attention tonebuddies! It's time to embrace the music that was literally designed to make you a better guitarist. Welcome to The Etude Challenge — four weeks dedicated to the art of the etude!
Etudes occupy a unique place in the classical guitar repertoire. They're technical workouts disguised as beautiful music — pieces that sharpen your skills while rewarding you with something genuinely worth performing. From the elegant simplicity of Carcassi and Sor to the rhythmic brilliance of Brouwer's Etudes Simples, the virtuosic fire of Villa-Lobos's 12 Études, and everything in between — there's an etude out there for every player at every level.
This challenge is your chance to pick one (or more!), commit to it, and share your journey with the community.
🎯 Whether you choose to:
- Tackle a classic — Sor Op. 35, Carcassi Op. 60, Giuliani Op. 48
- Go for something bold — Villa-Lobos, Barrios, or Coste
- Explore the modern side — Brouwer, Carlevaro, or Bogdanovic
- Revisit an old friend — Polish a piece you learned before and bring it to a new level
…this is your moment to dig in and grow. This challenge is open to all levels — whether you're working through your very first Sor etude or preparing a Villa-Lobos for the stage, you belong here.
📅 Challenge Dates
Start: February 23
End: March 20
💡 How to Participate
- Pick your etude – Choose one that excites you and challenges you. Not sure where to start? Ask the community for suggestions!
- Share your goal – Tell us what you're working on and what you want to achieve (clean run-through, memorization, performance tempo, etc.)
- Post your progress – Upload short clips, practice notes, or reflections as you go. We want to see the process, not just the polish.
- Engage – Listen to what others are working on, leave encouragement, and trade practice tips!
63 replies
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Before the challenge started I wanted to do Sor Op 29 No 24, as a follow up for Op 29 No 23. But then I saw video and I decided not to do it... but today I said why not! So here what I first prepared, and I will keep going this weekend.
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Here is another old post of a little study Carlevaro wrote for his students that he included in his Cuaderno No. 3 book. From the Island of Sao Miguel in the Azores.
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Sor Op 29 No 24 - B section (measures 23-42)
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Sor Op 29 No 23. Best take so far. The study explains that it is meant for the right hand thumb, but the left hand has been the real problem for me! Stretches and bars are really hard for my hand. I am left with no energy for the bars I attempted on my previous posts.
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Hello all, I thought I would enter this Etude Challenge by learning a etude I've never played or seen before, so I browsed Mel Bay Giuliani's Complete Studies and found Op. 98 No. 4.
An interesting study, written in A major 6/8 time with Allegretto tempo. It requires control of double stops, single string damping, double string damping and in some instances 5 string damping.
I rotated it into my daily practice and have been using some of the new practice techniques I've learned.
Rather then playing the whole piece all the way through at snails pace I decided to tear the piece down into smaller pieces which represent what I think will be trouble spots when played at tempo, I then isolate and get these under my fingers first, prior to re-assembling.
My goal is to skip as much of the "play through the whole piece at slow tempo, repeat, repeat", and isolate the trouble spots into small parts of the piece and get at or close to tempo as quickly as possible.
The video is definitely "not" academy award material, its just showing what and how I am approaching this new piece. Feel free to fast forward. Hopefully with each new video I will have more of the piece under my fingers.
