Taking part
Follow the weekly sequence below. When this challenge runs with the community, check its announcement in the Member Challenge Forums for dates, signup details, live sessions and feedback arrangements. The resources on this page can be reused for each run.
Duets Member Challenge
Instructions
This challenge is all about playing music with a partner — welcome to the Duets Challenge! Throughout the month you will be working on a piece of music from your grade out of the Academy’s Graded Duets for Classical Guitar book. (You do not need the book to participate — all of the duets from the book can be found in the Duets Repertoire Library.)
For this challenge you may choose what piece you would like to work on. Whereas in other challenges we have asked you to work at your grade level, for this challenge you may want to consider working below your level unless you feel confident about working on your current grade in an ensemble setting. The goal here is to make the added challenge of working with a duet partner more manageable.
If you need a partner, use the current challenge forum to connect with other members. Check the announcement for any partner-matching arrangements.
Repertoire
Choose a piece from the Graded Duets Repertoire Library. If you would like to use a piece outside the suggested repertoire, check the current run’s guidance before choosing.
Weekly practice plan
- Week 1: Choose your duet, agree how you will work together, and share an initial audio or video recording.
- Week 2: Refine your parts and share an update.
- Week 3: Focus on playing together and share your progress.
- Week 4: Prepare and share your final recording.
Use the current announcement for submission deadlines and any office hours or wrap-up session.
If you are new to the Duets Member Challenges, here are a couple of resources to help you with surmounting the technological hurdles:
How to Edit Guitar Duets in Windows
One of our members graciously provided a couple of tutorials on editing video and audio for duets across distance. Go here to check out the Windows tutorial.
How to Edit Guitar Duets in iMovie
If you happen to be on a Mac device using iMovie, you’ll want to check out this tutorial.