Week 2

Attention all tonebuddies! Are you ready to embark on a journey of musical creativity and exploration? Join our Arrangement & Transcription Challenge and discover the joy of reimagining music for the classical guitar!

Over the next four weeks, we’ll celebrate the art of transforming works from other instruments, ensembles, or even genres into stunning guitar performances. From Albéniz and Granados to Piazzolla, Bach, Scarlatti, or even your own favorite songs — everything goes!

🎯 Whether you choose to:

  • Work on a well-known transcription (Albéniz’s Asturias, Granados’s Danza Española, Piazzolla’s Libertango)

  • Create your own arrangement from scratch

  • Compare different versions and share your insights

…this is your chance to dive deep into the creative process and share your journey with the tonebase community.

This challenge is open to all levels — from curious beginners discovering their first transcription to experienced players refining their own arrangements. Let’s celebrate the versatility and expressive power of the guitar together!

📅 Challenge Dates

Start: November 11
End: December 11
👉 Join anytime by introducing your project in the comments below!

💡 How to Participate

  1. Pick your piece – Choose an arrangement or transcription that excites you.

  2. Share your goal – Are you learning, arranging, or refining?

  3. Post your progress – Upload short clips, notes, or reflections as you go.

  4. Engage – Encourage others, ask questions, and exchange arranging tips!

🎥 Watch Party Reminder

The Watch Party on December 11 will feature recorded submissions from this challenge!
So make sure to submit your final performance videos and showcase your creative work!

39 replies

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    • Retired
    • Jack_Stewart
    • 12 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Schumann op. 68.38-9 Winterzeit 1 & 2

    This from a transcription I did the last time we had a Transcription Challenge. It is from Schumann's Album for the Young. I wanted to refine this from the previous posting. I do think this is better but I find it difficult to nail down the performance. I will probably move on to another previous posting. I would like to present a new piece but I am not sure I can actually get something by the end of the challenge.

    I have played these pieces so much the dogs couldn't get away fast enough.

      • Steve_Price
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       These are really nice, Jack. I really enjoy transcribing and wish I had more time to dedicate to it. I seem to always work myself into a corner and get stuck partway through.

      My dogs are more subtle when they make an appearance and tend to just lie next to me and sigh, or attend to some noisy grooming while I'm trying to record.  

      • Reinhard
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

      Perfect timing for "Winterzeit". we just had the first snow. 

       very impressed. You definitly put a lot of work into your arrangements. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Dale. I am surprised that they aren't represented in the guitar literature. There is a beautiful recording of Tilman Hoppstock playing Winterzeit 1 as a duet, but I have never heard a solo guitar of either piece.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks, Eric. I had an anonymous (I think) collection of guitar pieces that included these. The second peice in particular seemed very awkward and there were passages that made no sense to me and certainly were unlike any of the piano recordings I had listened to. I decided to do my own transcriptions from the piano score. The 1st piece was only superficially different from the transcription I had (even though I only referred to the piano score for mine). The 2nd piece was very different in several sections, and I think works much better. 

      Most of the transcriptions I have done tend to be less dense, frequently only 2 distinct voices. The transcriptions I have done are not nearly as challenging as the works by Tarrega or others. I probably tend to dig around in pieces that are less challenging ( these pieces are from Schumann's Album of the Young) and/or less well known. I have some ambition to transcribe some Chopin but that would be several levels of magnitude over what I have attempted before.

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

      Thanks, Steve. I enjoy transcribing pieces (when they work) but it can be really frustrating. 

      Subtlety is not one of my dogs strong suits. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks, Reinhard. You obviously don't live in the SF Bay Area!

      These pieces were considerably less challenging than your wonderful transcription of Rachmaninov's(!) Prelude.

      • joosje
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       very intense. Great transcription.  The Schumann sound and dramatic intensity are present in this guitar version. Really well done. Bravo!

    • Dale_Needles
    • 11 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Here is Section 2 of "Calambre" by Astor Piazzolla, arranged for guitar by Agustin Carlevaro, the older brother of Abel Carlevaro.

      • Steve_Price
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Nice, Dale. Where did you find the transcription of this? I found some of his, but this wasn't one unless it goes by a different name. I did find a transcription of Ausencias by Gary Ryan that was recorded by Borbala Seres and Tariq Harb, and that doesn't seem too hard, so I've been working on that. Well done. 

      • Dale_Needles
      • 10 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Agustin's arrangements are indeed hard to come by. Guitar Solo in San Francisco published his arrangement of Adios Nonino (I emailed you a copy) and Chanterelle out of Germany published a couple of his arrangements. The rest were published out of Uruguay and Argentina. I do not believe he ever published Calambre. I have a copy of his signed manuscript which he sent me in the 1980s. 

      • Steve_Price
      • 9 days ago
      • Reported - view

       That's awesome, Dale. Thanks a bunch. I've really been enjoying listening and reading through some of their work. 

      • joosje
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       very well done, Dale. A real Piazzolla feel so far. Looking forward to the whole piece. Great arrangement.

      • Dale_Needles
      • 4 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks, Joosje. Hopefully I can pull it all together by week four. 

    • JUAN_ALONSO
    • 10 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Hello to all, long time since I don´t post anything ...This challenge its very interesting , I believe I´ll participate with a classic piece transciption : Asturias from Albeniz , in short I´ll post a first record...Greetings

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