Spanish Music Mini Challenge 
Hey fellow toneBuddies!! 
We've got an exciting opportunity for all of you guitar aficionados out there! Introducing the Spain Mini Challenge, a celebration of Spanish guitar music that will have us exploring the rich and vibrant sounds of this beautiful country. Inspired by the upcoming recent cross stream by Magdalena Baczewska “A Journey into the world of Spanish Music”, we thought it would be amazing to show them how Spanish music should really sound like, played on the guitar! 
The Challenge:
We invite you to record and upload a video of yourself playing a piece of Spanish guitar music. Share your talent, passion, and skill as we come together to appreciate the diverse and captivating world of Spanish guitar.
How to participate:
Record a video of yourself performing a Spanish guitar piece. Upload your video to your preferred platform (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Share the link to your video in the comments section below. Feel free to add a brief description of the piece you chose and what makes it special to you.
Bonus Points: Share your favorite recording of an iconic Spanish piece of Music!
Interact and engage:
Don't forget to check out the performances of your fellow toneBuddies! Show your support by leaving comments, constructive feedback, and appreciation for their efforts. Let's encourage each other to explore and enjoy the richness of Spanish guitar music.
Reward:
There's no specific prize for this challenge, but it's an opportunity to showcase your talent, receive feedback, and connect with fellow guitar enthusiasts who share a love for Spanish music. Who knows? You might even make some new friends along the way!
Need inspiration?
If you're not familiar with Spanish guitar music, don't worry! There are plenty of fantastic composers to discover, such as Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and Joaquín Rodrigo. Listen to their works or performances by other guitarists to get inspired.
Ready, set, play!
We can't wait to see your incredible performances of Spanish guitar music. Let's show those pianists what Spanish music really sounds like when played on our beloved instrument!
Happy playing, everyone! 
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Angel Barrios - Tonadilla from Arroyos de la Alhambra (April 29 update)
Here it is again after about one hour of practice this morning. I really feel like a fish out of water playing this. It's not super fast, but when there is such a strong, steady rhythm, I always feel very stressed while playing (I always liken it to trying to keep up with a moving train).
I learned a bit more about Angel Barrios. As David wrote above, his father, Antonio Barrios Tamayo (relative of Marco Tamayo?) was a flamenco guitarist. Antonio was a friend of Manuel de Falla, and Angel was a friend of Federico Garcia Lorca. What connections!
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Eric Phillips Very nice piece, and very well payed .....you capture very well the Spanish flavour of this Tonadilla.....Congrats
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JUAN ALONSO Thank you, Juan!
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Torroba's Suite Castellana has always been one of my favorites and I've messed with it on and off over the years but was always chased off of the Danza because 1) I couldn't come to grips with Segovia's fingering which I normally can find some reason for and 2) I couldn't pull off the pizzicato sections without killing the flow. Borbala Seres's workshop on the piece really helped me rethink it. I'm reworking it with different fingerings and minus the pizzicato similar to her approach. I'm going slow and working phrase by phrase but I think I have the fingering about 90% figured out for what will work for me. It's interesting how it sounds like a completely different piece of music when it's not up to speed and not in the strict 3,3/2,2,2 rhythm.
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Steve Price Nice, Steve! That Danza has always confounded me too. Maybe I need to watch Borbala's lesson.
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Steve Price That sounds nice Steve. I've toyed with this piece a few times (especially after having seen Scott Tennant perform it about 25 years ago). I aim at some point to perform the whole suite but I'll leave it to you at the moment. Good job so far
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Derek Actually, it's back to you now, lol. After working on it for a couple of days, the near-constant barre chords and the time it would take in that position to get the shifts right is going to be too hard on my left hand. I have enough issues with it without pushing it. The better part of valor is discretion as they say. Luckily, there's a lot of Torroba I love so I'll have plenty to work on.
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Steve Price This is such a great piece, and you are on are way with the 3rd movement. Where did you find Borbala's lesson on this piece?
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Barney Thanks, Barney. The barres are a little much for me so I'm moving on for now, but Seres's lesson is at the link below and I can't recommend it enough. Aside from learning about the piece, it's probably the lesson I've gotten the most from on Tonebase.
https://app.tonebase.co/guitar/live/player/borballa-seres-phrasing-articulation-character
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Steve Price Thanks Steve! I attended that workshop with Seres, but forgot she used Suite Castellana as her example. I Appreciate the reminder!
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Steve Price Nice one Steve! I'm not familiar with this work. Thanks for bringing it up!
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Steve Price Thanks for the offer Steve - I've got Suite Castellana on the back burner for now. At one time I could sort of play the Danza albeit quite slowly but I struggle with Fandanguillo - nearly got it recently but found it too much of a struggle and gave up. I've just started to have another attempt to have a go at one of Torroba's other pieces 'Aires de la Mancha'. It's a set of 5 pieces. I've learnt the last two pieces and I was hoping to post them for this challenge but they aren't good enough to record yet. Maybe next week I'll be able to post them!
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Derek Aires de la Mancha is a great set and I remember really liking that last one. Kind of surprised I don't hear any of it more. I'll be glad to hear your take when you get it where you want for this challenge or some other.
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MILOVAN JELIC
I've always enjoyed playing this work as it falls under your fingers quite comfortably. I'm not a fast player and often veer towards the more stately and lyrical works so this piece shows me at my most extrovert although I still play it with more caution than most others.
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MILOVAN JELIC Very nice Milovan
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MILOVAN JELIC Sounds great, Milovan! Glad you joined in!
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MILOVAN JELIC Great job on this Milovan! I think it was a great speed. I enjoyed it! Nice outfit as well.
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Here's my first attempt for this challenge. A Habanera by the 20th Century Majorcan guitarist Bartolome Calatayud. I think I'm in Cala Bona, Majorca :-)
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Derek That was perfect, Derek! Great rhythm, articulation, rubato, and sweetness to the melody. The only thing that would make that better is if we really were sitting on that beach listening to you play (maybe with some good food and wine as well)!
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Derek Very nice, Derek. I've seen some of his music in anthologies, but I don't think I've heard much of it. Very cool.
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Derek great piece and great performance!. I would like to remark that the habanera is a nice example of the Cuban influence in the Spanish popular music, far of what might be considered thypical Spanish music. Well done!
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Eric Phillips Thanks Eric. it's a few years since I sat on that beach - unfortunately without my guitar!
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Santi Thanks Santi. You're right about the Cuban influence - many of the most famous Spanish pieces (e.g. Carmen, La Paloma) use it.
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Steve Price Thanks Steve
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Derek It’s been a few years for me as well. Fifty-three years, to be exact. (Can your guess my age?)
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