READ and FAQ - Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge!
Get the Scores for the Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge
Greetings, beloved tonebuddies!
Gear up for an enthralling adventure with the "Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge!" This event is dedicated to celebrating the technical brilliance and expressive depth of Matteo Carcassi's compositions. Join us this month as we embark on a journey through the challenging yet rewarding landscapes of Carcassi's Etudes op.60, a pillar in the classical guitar repertoire.
WHEN 
- Challenge start: Official Kick-Off on March 6th!
- Challenge duration: From March 6th to April 15th.
- Watch Party of selected submissions: April 15th, 11 am PST!
HOW TO BEGIN 
Ready to join the "Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge"? Here’s your starting line:
- Pick Your Etude: Dive into the evocative world of Carcassi by selecting an etude from op.60. Whether it's a piece that tests your technical limits or one that you've longed to perfect, the choice is yours.
- Commit to Practice: Embark on a disciplined practice routine, aiming for consistency. Share your journey with at least two video updates each week on our platform. This commitment will not only enhance your skills but also enable us to experience your progress, fostering a supportive atmosphere in our tonebase community.
- Share Your Practice: Submit a recording that you feel best captures your connection with Carcassi's music. This will inspire and contribute to a rich collection of performances for our community to enjoy and learn from.
The "Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge" is more than just practice; it's an invitation to delve into the essence of Matteo Carcassi's musical genius. Choose an etude that speaks to you and approach this challenge with enthusiasm and curiosity. Let's pay homage to the elegant structures and lyrical melodies of Carcassi, enhancing our skills and community spirit along the way. Get ready to practice, explore, and immerse yourself in the Carcassi Etudes op.60 Challenge!
Grouped by Difficulty
Easy: 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 13, 16, 19
Medium: 1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, 23
Advanced: 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25
Grouped by Technique
Scales: 1, 6, 14, 18
Arpeggio: 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20 + 22(inkl. Left Hand Slurs)
Slurs: 4, 8, 9, 10, 21, 23, 25 (full fretboard arpeggi)
Other: 5 + 17 (Parallel Motion and Shifts), 16 (Melody and Accompaignement), 24 (Shifts)
Grouped by Length
Short: 3, 4, 10
Medium: 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 23
Long: 2, 6, 7, 9, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25
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(A previous link, now removed, had atrocious audio quality; This one is better)
Practice session on Carcassi Étude in A Minor, Op. 60. No. 2. Looking at part of Section A with a focus on the dynamics. This extract starts on an E Major voicing, not E Minor as stated in the video.
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Neil Macmillan Great start, Neil. Love the sound quality.
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Neil Macmillan Well done Neil. I also like a lot the comments you made at the beginning of the video.
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Neil Macmillan You are well on your way Neil. Also enjoyed the comments at the beginning of your video. Looking forward to your updates on this piece.
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Neil Macmillan a great start on this study. Nice recording and sound. I also liked your comments. I agree the dynamics play an important role, as they follow the harmonic structure. And to control this with the tremolo fingers is not such an easy task. Keep going, I’m looking forward to your progress in this etude.
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Neil Macmillan looks like you have a good start on this one Neil! As a small comment I would suggest you to fully wait until you play the last note of the tremolo-chord before you shift to the next chord position to ensure proper note duration and legato. Good work!
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Blaise Laflamme Good comment, thank you. I'll work on that.
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Hello there.
So I begin to practice the no.1 and no.14 last week.
Yesterday I managed (more or less) to play both studyes from begining to the end from the score without a lots of big mistakes and keeping almost the same tempo.
If you have time you can check out the resoults here:
Carcassi op.60, no.1 (first try) = https://youtu.be/lXDRDFhw-po
Carcassi op.60 no.14 (first try) = https://youtu.be/E8xB76WwKA0
Next step for me it would be to able to play both pieces with even more less mistakes or unwanted changes. I'll try to record again next week.
Neil Macmillan great job :D
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Matteo Laurenzi Nicely done for both. Position shifts were handled well and smoothly. Did I hear a young audience member in the background? You have a very full and rich sound.
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Neil Macmillan Thank you so much Neil for the feedback. I'll try my best.
Yes next to me was my 8 months old daughter - Dorotea
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Matteo Laurenzi Dorotea sounded very content. It was likely the soothing sound of your performance.
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Matteo Laurenzi well done, Matteo. Congratulations. Very secure and smooth, technically.
Did you notice that you are speeding up a bit? In both pieces, but in etude no. 1 you seem to reach your natural tempo somewhere halfway. That’s what we often do for a recording or performance, start a bit slower than usual, to be on the safe side.
I really enjoyed this performance. Hope to hear more…
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Matteo Laurenzi and Neil Macmillan for your information. Both of you posted your submissions in the ‘Read and FAQ’ section. Maybe you wonder why others aren’t joining? You will find that there are special sections added every week, for first, second (etc) weeks of the challenge. So we can post our progress from week to week.
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Matteo Laurenzi Well done on both pieces Matteo. I look for to your updates.
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Matteo Laurenzi Great start on both of them Matteo, you'll have them smooth under your fingers in no time! As Joosje noticed and commented about, it would be better to post your progress under the right week, that would make everything easier to follow.
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joosje Thanks for the comment about Week 1 and Week 2, etc. My only defence is that Im fairly new to Tonebase and have not learned all the subtleties yet. I'll post under Week 2 for my next one.
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Blaise Laflamme Thank you again for the help and for the feedback!!!
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joosje Thank you so much for the feedback and for the suggestion!!! For the next week I hope to get more control over my playing tempo :P
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Matteo Laurenzi Already sounds great. I too have been trying to learn etude 14. For me, the challenges are synchronisation between LH and RH fingers, and shifts. I've also had to pay really close attention to RH fingerings, which can get tricky for me as I go up and down the scales. Any thoughts, Matteo.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Thank you very much Nijwm for the feedback!
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I JOINED TO THIS CHALLENGE LAST WEEK, HERE THE FIRST TRIAL OF ONE PARTE ON CARCASSI OP. 60 N° 1 . I KNOW I NEED PRACTICE, BUT SHARE HERE MY PROGRESSES HELP ME TO NOT GIVE UP
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BRINA Welcome to the challenge Brina, you have a great and secure start on this etude! Just take care of the last chord you play and move your 4th finger up to the next fret to ensure the right note.
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BRINA An excellent start on Study No.2 Keep at it and post a longer extract. You're doing a good job of holding down the base as a foundation for the arpeggiated notes. You can experiment with slightly emphasising some notes, e.g. the 2nd String D in Bar 7. Good work!
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BRINA very good start. You know how to play these repetitive open e’s evenly and with good tone production, which is the essence of the study. Let’s go for the continuation and keep us posted. Do you have a bird?
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A nice feature of this challenge has been exposure to the less well-known ètudes in Op. 60. Lots to explore as we move forward.
