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!

89 replies

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    • Barney
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Here is a transcription of Spanish Dance #2 by Granados, originally for piano.   It has generally been played as a guitar Duo, but there have been a few solo arrangements out there.

      • Amateur with too little time and bingeplayer with sore arms and fingers
      • Lars_KjollerHansen
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       So you had a Granados piece coming from your sleeve 😉.I have never heard this piece before but you play and present it excellent .. as usual. It hurts me to see you still have problems with your left hand.

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Lars!  I appreciate your kind words.  You inspired me to submit this one, even though it still needs work.

      The 12 Spanish Dances are great and I enjoy listening to the legendary Spanish pianist Alicia De La Roccha play them.  

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       You clearly have an affinity for Granados. It seems flow from your soul. I notice you are still playing with a brace on your left wrist. I hope it is healing up.  

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks very much Dale!  

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 8 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       This is amazing, Barney. I do recognize it, but probably not from the guitar literature. It is really beautiful and you do a spectacular job with your performance. Excellent phrasing and tonal colors.

      • Barney
      • 8 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks Jack!  You're very kind.

      I remember sitting  next to my little sister at (9 yrs old) on her piano bench learning this piece. I wanted someday to play it (somehow) on the guitar.

    • matt.1
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Here's my week 4 submissions. Still working on the Dedicatoria. It feels pretty good, but I still have the occasional pause as I try to remember where it's going. It's always that last 10% that takes forever to get the piece where you want it. Overall I'm pretty happy with the progress this month.

    I'm also submitting a Weiss Fantasie transcribed by Karl Sheit. I've been working on this one for a long time so it is definitely further along.

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Nice playing on both pieces, Matt!  I understand about that "last 10%".  Even in some relatively easy pieces, sometimes there is a phrase that is much more challenging than the rest.

      I really enjoyed your interpretation of the Weiss.  Beautiful!

      • matt.1
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes, almost all of my songs remain in the 90% done stage for the rest of their lives. 😄

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

      Me too , Matt!

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       The Granados is really coming along.  Also, I really enjoyed the Weiss.  

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • 8 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Great job om both these pieces, Matt. You have really refined your performance of the Dedictoria. It to sounding really good. Your Weiss Fantasia is beautiful. I played this piece several years ago and really love it. I am currently working on Weiss' Chaconne and hope (unrealistically I'm afraid) of getting some of it recorded today.

      Ah yes, the last 10% - it's like downloading new software. 

      Your performance has inspired me to try to revive it - something I have always intended to do. Unfortunately, if I don't play a piece every day it tends to drop off. 

    • Sam_Greenblatt
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    I'm trying some ragtime for this challenge. This is "The Easy Winners", a Scott Joplin favorite. To get the jaunty rhythm I am looking for, I found I needed to up the tempo considerably which of course makes the fingerpicking that much more challenging. Still not quite happy with it, but I think there are some good things emerging.

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Sounds great, Sam!  Nice groove.  I always liked the Joplin tunes.  The arrangement is terrific.  May I ask what edition did you use?

      Thanks for posting this; really enjoyed it.

      • Sam_Greenblatt
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       - thanks! It’s from a book called “Fingerpicking Joplin” by Spencer Doidge. I picked it up at least 25 years ago, I doubt it’s in print still

      • matt.1
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Awesome! Sounds great! I love the rhythm. I think this tempo sounds really good.

      • joosje
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       this is really nice. Great rhythm. Happy fingers….

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Very nice!  I like the tempo and you really make it flow.  In a way, Joplin reminds me a little of Piazzolla in how he is able to blend folklore sounding music with jazz and classical elements.  A very fun piece and a joy to listen to.

      • Randy_Wimer
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Cool! And certainly challenging especially at that tempo. You play it really well - makes me want to dig out the Joplin arrangements by John Knowles I have buried somewhere. 

      • Retired
      • Jack_Stewart
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       This is great, Sam. Reminds me of the early 70's Stefan Grossman and Eric Schoenberg (the time period when I first heard Joplin on guitar). This arrangement seems to be  more 'fleshed out' than Grossman's or Schonerg's if memory serves me well (ha! like that is possible!). I am inspired to look thru my collection of finger-style music to see if I have any Joplin lying around. Thanks for this. Your performance is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Joplin.

      • Sam_Greenblatt
      • 15 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you! These are great arrangements, although there is a better arrangement of "The Entertainer" from elsewhere that I have played for some time. The collection includes an insanely difficult "Elite Syncopations" which is on my list of items for next year to memorise and play. I am not familiar with the Grossman/Schoenberg versions...

    • joosje
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Sometimes you are just a bit too ambitious. No problem, I keep learning. Some pieces take more than can be done in the time frame  of a TB challenge. I wanted to record the piece in one take. And did it…. still a lot of work ahead. Tomorrow I’ll be traveling, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make a new recording in time. But working on this one was rewarding enough. 

      • Dale_Needles
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Very nice and what a great sound!

      • Barney
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       This is coming along great, Joosje!  I love the way you balance and maintain legato for the moving bass and melody lines.  I agree a piece like this takes way longer than the Challenge time frame , and your progress and sound are amazing.

      • Randy_Wimer
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       A piece like this in 4 weeks is asking a lot. I think you're at a really good place with it. It would be fun to hear you play it again after you've had a chance to live with it for a couple of months. I have the music to this somewhere and I recall giving it a cursory read through and putting it in the "maybe one day" pile. Nicely done.

Content aside

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