Pumping Nylon by Scott Tennant Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Pumping Nylon
Book Review: Hits the nail on the head
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: How to produce good sound on the classical guitar
Summary: 5 Stars
Very good and comprehensive instructions for excellent classical guitar tone production. Very useful are the examples for right and left hand training and coordination.The best teaching material I found on this subject.Book Review: Invaluable if you want to improve - not for beginners
Summary: 4 Stars
This is not a beginner book and it is not a learning book. It doesn't show you how to play classical guitar. This is a technique building book and it works extremely well at this task. This book is perfect for you if you have been playing classical guitar regularly and for some time now -If you are trying to grow in your ability past the beginner stage and the early intermediate stage.
This book is something you should get if you have some time to commit to the guitar on a regular basis because the warm-up exercises and the various left/right hand exercises take time. Just doing these exercises will take an hour of your playing time.
If you already have a repertoire and you want to become more technically proficient then this book is perfect. the exercises really do work. If you have the time to commit to this book your playing will improve dramatically. It will help you identify and improve technical points that you are weak at.
Book Review: Left hand exercises and sitting technique
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought the book and DVD package. I would not buy the book alone; and had I known there was not one single song taught, I would not have bought the set. Scott plays Frog Galliard by John Dowland but does not break it down or provide the music to it. I suppose there is enough there to learn it by ear and eye watching him play it, but the music and/or tablature would have been a huge help for me.
There are a lot of good exercises... I suppose. They will build dexterity in your left hand for classical style playing. (how about a song or two) Scott shows you how to sit and how to hold your guitar. He also shows you how to trim your finger nails. If all I did was play guitar, this would be useful stuff. I actually like to do things that require my hands and I cannot keep my nails long and manicure them. So that info is useless to me. Basically, if I had known what the content was I would not have bought it.
Book Review: Many Things Improve With Age
Summary: 5 Stars
As stated by previous Reviewers, Pumping Nylon seems to be focused on increasing muscle control, tendon flexing and stamina. Mr. Tennant has consolidated the works of Abel Carlevaro into a more delightful, logical and efficient manner of developing one's technique. Segovia described Carlevaro as "one of his best students." The Carlevaro works to wish I refer are the 1966 Serie Didactica Para Guitarra (Barry Publishing, Buenos Aires/Montevideo), published in four Cuadernos. No. 2 is for the right hand; Nos. 3 and 4 are for the left hand. Mr. Tennant has reduced these Carlevaro Cuadernos to a minimum number of pages without the loss of effectiveness. While Calveraro did wonders for the didactics of technique Tennant has taken the exercises to new levels of effectiveness. Pumping Nylon is highly recommended for what it was written - helping us all learn how to use our hands to make music come out of a wood box using stronger more flexible tools.