Introducing… MIRCEA GOGONCEA — New tonebase Artist!
Chris, from tonebase, introduces the latest artist to join the roster — Mircea Gogoncea! Read about his inspiring contributions to the global guitar community as well as the 166 competition prizes he has won in his career (😱) Afterwards, check out Mircea’s NEW tonebase lesson, “On Tuning,” where he explains the Equal Temperament system and discusses several methods students can use to make sure they are always in tune (or as close as one can be!)

I first heard about Mircea over 10 years ago when I saw what could possibly be the original viral classical guitar video! In this video, he is 13 years old and performing the Giuliani Concerto in Romania — spectacularly to say the least! For me as an impressionable young guitarist, seeing someone my age on the other side of the planet performing at such a high level made an immense impact.
Since his viral video, Mircea has continued to make an impact on the classical guitar community abroad. As a player, he has won an astonishing 166 total competition prizes (!!!), an accomplishment that has dubbed him one of the winningest classical guitarists in the world. Among these awards include first place finishes in some of the most prestigious competitions including the Havana International Guitar Competition and the Julián Arcas Guitar Competition as well as the audience prize in the Tárrega Competition.
However, Mircea’s impact goes well beyond simply racking up competition trophies. In his young career, he has already managed to have a significant social impact on the classical guitar community.
Many of you may be aware of the inspiring work he has been doing in Africa. For those who are not, around a year ago, Mircea came into contact with a small but flourishing community of classical guitarists in Nigeria. Led by their visionary leader Taiwo Adegoke, the group is almost entirely self-taught and up until recently were playing on “improvised” classical guitars.
After experiencing their passion for the instrument and learning of the limitations they’ve had due to their isolated location, Mircea single-handedly organized the donation of two professional instruments and flew to Lagos to teach the very first guitar masterclass and workshop to all the students.
My words cannot properly describe the impact he has made on this group of guitarists. Luckily for us, Mircea’s 45-minute documentary — filmed and produced by himself — can!
While he continues his global pursuits, Mircea’s new home base will be the city of Los Angeles where he will be pursuing his Doctorate as a Teaching Assistant under the guidance of Grammy Award-Winner Scott Tennant.
This is great news for us at tonebase as LA is a frequent destination meaning many more instructional videos are in the works. Until then, enjoy Part 1 of his first lesson, “On Tuning,” below!


