Customer Reviews

Pumping Nylon: A Classical Guitarist's Technique Handbook

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a must. It trains the right hand and the left hand, and can be of great use to guitarists of any stylistic preference (particularly fingerstylists of course). It has many exercises which, if practised diligently will improve or maintain anyone's technique.

Scott Tennant is a master guitarist and a very fair minded person who presents information in the manner that a coach or advisor would, rather than in a heavy-handed or authoritarian way.

As for the nails controversy, people spend far too much energy focusing on that. Tennant gives some advice and acknowledges that different things can work for different people. It's just guidelines. No less an authority than John Williams is quoted (by Christopher Parkening) as saying "You can't tell a thing about a guitarist by their fingernails". So I guess if it works for you, it works. At any rate, I would never dismiss this book just because some classical guitarists disagree with the fingernail advice.

This book is highly recommended.

I am a self-taught, early intermediate player. Following the warm-up routine made me aware of a couple of weak points in my technique. Just becoming aware of the problems has gone a long way to correcting them. I look forward to spending more time working with the exercises. I am certain that anyone who puts in some diligent work with Pumping Nylon will become a better player. I was surprised at how quickly I improved by following Mr. Tennant's instructions. About his controversial advice on nail shaping: it's an individual thing so you have to do your own experimenting. Even if his ideas on nail shaping (a small section in the book) don't work for you, I'm certain that the rest of the book will help you improve. It is well worth the price. Be aware that this is not a method book and you do need to be able to read standard notation for this edition.

I'm an intermediate classical guitarist, and recently picked this book up to improve my technique and to strengthen my hands. On the first count, I can't really say it's been too successful yet, but then, I've only gone through the first few pages. HOWEVER, on the second count, I can definitely say that the exercises included in this book are *awesome* for developing strength in the left hand, and for gaining independence of the fingers on the left hand. I can really see and feel a difference in the solidity of my fingering after just a few weeks of doing the exercises. But man, oh man, do *not* open this book thinking that it's going to be a cake walk, because it isn't. The exercises are difficult, and they hurt and are frustrating at first. However, if you can stick to them, and are humble enough to accept the fact that your technique might just be weaker than you thought - then you will reap rewards from this book.

The book also contains Giuliani's entire 120 exercises for the right hand - having done these independently myself, I can attest that they are invaluable, and make a fine addition to this book.

i highly recommend this book to any burgeoning classical guitarist. since classical guitar is such an enormously technique based endeavor, it's extremely helpful to have a guide which allows you to lay down a good foundation. going through the exercises, it become clear very quickly where your weakness lie, and what process you need to go to strengthen them.

I've only had this book for about a month, and already it has made a big difference in my playing. Very comprehensive, and very well done!!

It is very concerning to me that someone would find such problems with this book. I am of course referring to the gentleman from Los Alamitos and his thoughts on the book. Please remember that there is a big difference between someone who "plays professionally" and a serious student or concert artist. Students and pros should absolutely have this book in their library.

The technical exercises are thouroughly explained. Mr. Tennant brings a wealth of performance and recording experience into his teaching.

I had always been put off by the title - sounding more appropriate for Rock-style playing and players. It wasn't until I learned more about the author that I decided to get this book.

I had always thought of myself as an advanced-beginner (not quite intermediate), based on having gone through a couple of years of private lessons when I was a teenager and the types of pieces I was able to play. Nearly 30 years removed from those lessons, I was depressed - thinking that I had reached my ultimate playing level.

I've only had the book a week, and am working on the finger independence exercises. It has made me realize that instruction manuals normally consist of graduated pieces without much guidance. These exercises aren't for audiences (i.e. not much to listen to) and I don't think I would have appreciated them as a youngster, but at this point in my life they have rekindled my enthusiam.

The fingernail shaping will always have loud detractors. The truth of the matter is, if you are happy with your current technique stay with it. If you're like me and have experimented with different nail shapes without instruction, the author gives a detailed explanation of his method. I plan to read and re-read that section to see if it makes sense to me before making up my mind.

I titled my review as I did because I feel that there is need for playing pieces as the other instruction books have, and that many people may not be receptive to this type of instruction. That is perfectly normal. However, I think that at some point if the student continues playing, this book will help open the doors to the world beyond beginning-level pieces and continue to be a valued reference regardless of how skilled the student becomes. 100 years from now, this book will be considered a "classic" (and will still be in print).

This is not a book for the absolute beginner--though if you are one you might buy it, read the pages on finger placement and accuracy, then hold on to it while you develop technique. Once you begin to do so this book will help you improve it and identify weaknesses.
For the advanced beginner to intermediate player Scott's book, plus Segovia's Diatonic Major and Minor Scales, provides a strong foundation which will improve your playing much quicker than moving from piece to piece and technique to technique. I've been playing as a serious amateur for about four years, and I saw almost instantaneous improvement. I have an old sports injury which hampers my left hand 3 and 4 fingers; the finger independence exercises have really strengthened them.
Okay, the nail controversy: YMMV. If you're an accomplished player used to rounded and/or longish nails Scott's ideas may not be for you. I took the leap of faith six months ago. It took some adjustment. I play scales on the wound strings every day, I do stone work and woodworking, and I've had much less problems with my nails since the switch because there's less surface area to catch or break.
I got the book since months ago. Wish I'd gotten it four years ago.

Ignore the review by the guy who complained about the book's advice on shaping nails. That guy has an ego problem (see his bio). You are instead better advised to listen to someone like Scott Tennant who has a proven track record for being an awesome guitarist, musician _and_ teacher. (He won or placed highly in several international competitions; he has at least one student who has excelled likewise and speaks highly of him; see Martha Masters.) He makes it clear that individual preferences and needs differ, and that some of his advice may not necessarily work for all guitarists, but that he draws on years of teaching and performance experience. Even if you disagree about the nails (use your brain to decide if his advice works for you), you surely will find something else of value in the relatively inexpensive book. My only complaint might be that there are some ideas or recommendations regarding technique could use a bit further explanation or clarification. A good companion book for this (that I also recommend) is the Charles Duncan book, which goes into more detail along the same lines, but doesn't provide the practical exercises.

This book is very useful for developing strength and control of both hands. It's focus is on goal directed practice of left hand and right hand excercises - so don't buy it if you're looking for a book of music - but DO buy if you want to improve your technique, and you're willing to put regular focussed practice into achieving results. The key to development here is discipline - ie. stick to the exercises in the book and do them regularly - I know this can be a challenge at times, but the rewards are worth it.