Week 4

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!

11 replies

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    • Amateur with too little time and bingeplayer with sore arms and fingers
    • Lars_KjollerHansen
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    Christmas time is coming. Time for a short visit on the forum-
    Tomorrow  going with my son and grandchildren on X-mas visit at my old mother on the island in the Baltic Sea and then no guitar

    Silent night . I bought the sheet music from Michael Chapdelaine years ago. But never played it before the last couple of weeks. (Previous Time issues and you don’t play it in the summer do you.   At 65+ I have started to learn tremolo.. Maybe next X-mas goal ..or  wish!. 😀The stretches in the G major section I may be too old for.

    Danza Andaluza. Martin called for it. STill needs significant polish but I am getting there. My first goals was to do the first line acceptableOk every time first time . I have decided that this should be  piece I always should have ready… when ready

    I wish you all  a merry Christmas .. or happy holidays and not least a good guitar new year

    Lars

      • BLaflamme
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       That's a beautiful arrangement from Michael Chapdelaine, never heard it before and the Danza is already sounding good, great performance! Merry Christmas time!

      • Barney
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Beautiful performance on Granados Spanish Dance No. 5!  That's the Llobet version, right?  You know I like this composer, so thanks for posting it!

      I did not know that Michael did an arrangement of Silent night.  It reminds us to work tremolo and it's a nice version. Enjoy the holiday season with your family!!

      • joosje
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       very beautiful playing, Lars. All these nice transpositions and then your tremolo , a truly exiting version of Silent night! And a great Granados. (Llobet version as  correctly ? noticed). Well done, Lars. Enjoy the Holiday season. 🎄🎼🎁

      • Amateur with too little time and bingeplayer with sore arms and fingers
      • Lars_KjollerHansen
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

      . Thank you so much for listening and your kind words. Danza Andaluza It is no 5 , there are 12 I think. but I only know this.

      Yes. It is mostly based on the Llobet version, but some from Jan Depreter TB lesson (Julian Bream version) and one little trick from Pepe Romero Bar 11 second beat. That harmonic on 6 string do not work for me and in my opinion not for anyone else I have heard. I do think I haste and skip half a beat there  among some other mistakes in the recording stress though. My favorite performance of the piece is with Stefano Grondona. Is was the first version I heard but still my favorite. He plays the Llobet version straight BTW Lukasz  Kuropaczewski in his lesson on Llobet Spanish folk songs emphasizes Grondona as a master on these Llobet transcriptions

    • Eric
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    Scarlatti K77 B section 12/4

    Naturally, the B section is trickier than the A section. In particular, I struggle with the ornaments. When I hear this on the harpsichord or the piano, the ornaments are very dramatic and a real highlight of the music. On the guitar, with my very limited right hand technique, they just sound flat and boring.

      • joosje
      • 21 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       great. You play it very expressively. Ornamenting this kind of music is complicated for us, guitarists.  Of course, harpsichord ornaments are best as cross string trills, whereas more melodic passages could be slurred. It’s always our choice and depending on fingerings, or better, adapting fingerings to musical choice.  Never a random action. 

    • Randy_Wimer
    • 11 hrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Here's my arrangement of Chick Corea's Spain. If anyone is interested in the music let me know and I'll post a link to it on my website. I have a ways to go in the performance but things are getting so busy I thought I better get it posted before the time got away from me. 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbxlDHyr26U

      • Barney
      • 11 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       I really like your Jazzy arrangement and its licks.  
      Those arpeggios sound great.  Thanks for posting it here, Randy!

      • Randy_Wimer
      • 9 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Here's a link to the Free Stuff page - the music to Spain is at the bottom of the list. https://wimerguitar.com/free-stuff

      • Randy_Wimer
      • 9 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Barney.

Content aside

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