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
Pick your piece – Choose an arrangement or transcription that excites you.
Share your goal – Are you learning, arranging, or refining?
Post your progress – Upload short clips, notes, or reflections as you go.
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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The first part of John Dowland's Prelude, P98, from the "Margaret Board Lute Book." I've only recently begun to appreciate Renaissance music, and this is one of my favorites. After this, he includes some great runs, so that will take more time to get down.
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Here's my week 2 of Dedicatoria. I'm still in the survival mode phase, all of my attention is just trying to remember where it goes and make it to the end without any train wrecks. It's coming along though.
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La Paloma
Here is a fun one I thought might work well for this challenge. The song was written by Sebastian Yradier in the mid-nineteenth century. I was able to find several transcriptions of it, but I really think Tarrega’s works best, which is what I am playing here, although with a few minor embellishments in the style of Pepe Romero.
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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.