Pumping Nylon(book)?
 

Has anybody ever read the book Pumping Nylon written by Scott Tennant?
Do you like it or not, can you share your opinion please?

Have had it since the 90s. Excellent book. Lot of excercises to increase speed and stamina in there.

I consider myself an intermediate player of classical style, trying to improve my finger picking. I have found the book very helpful, Intermediate to Advanced Repertoire. It provides exercises such as Giuliani's 120 Right-Hand Studies, which I often revisit for review.

You may want to be sure you have the copy which includes tabulature (it says in big letters under the title and has a purple and brown cover).

I just brought the book which is the complete edition.
I haven't read it yet but would like to know if the book provides CORRECT information expecially those classical guitar techniques such as the sitting pose, right/left hand fingering and etc.

I have 2 copies of this book, one is currently 500 miles to the north of my location, and the other I have loaned to a friend. So I can't look at the book to refresh my memory at present. However, I believe the answer to your question regarding hand and body positions may be found in the selected pages and contents here:

https://books.google.com/books/about...d=1Gsrt7Koqu8C

You can also google Scott Tennant to see his impressive credentials and accomplishments. I think the book is required reading for anyone looking for accurate yet reasonable resource material for classical guitar.

Pumping Nylon is very solid information. A couple of other books I like are
Charles Duncan's Art of Classical Guitar Playing and Hubert Käppel's
Bible of Classical Guitar Technique.

Books can't replace a teacher, though.

I agree with Carey. My guitar instructor introduced me to Pumping Iron.

I recently got the version with tab. You know, the 120 exercises are on youtube and are available on the web in guitar pro format as well. I'll use it as a play along/metronome thing. Kind of like GuitarHero for old guys, :D

I prefer Frederick Noads "solo guitar volume #1".

I've got all of Noad's various books and they're great. But his method books are standard education texts. Tennant's book is aimed at increasing dexterity, accuracy, and speed. They're exercises. Noad doesn't focus on that.

As far as student classical methods go, I still love my tattered old Parkening Book 1 from back in the mid-80s when I studied in a program run by Parkening. The book is very simple and direct.

Yep, Parkening Vol I and II will get you a long ways down the path, and pumping nylon has good specific exercises for specific needs.

Hi Carey, I will learn CG from a teacher, so I am not looking for method books, but am looking for a useful one for supplement. For example, sit / hand positions, daily practice exercises.
Since you have read all of the above books, maybe you could tell me your thoughts. Do they cover the same materials? I don't want to acquire too many books. I could be got confused.
Thanks!

I recommend Hubert Kappel's book highly. If I had to choose one book, it would be Kappel's.

Two great books from Segovia regarding improving technique are his Major and Minor Diatonic Scales book, and the Twenty Studies For Guitar by Fernando Sor. Both have long been standard texts in the CG world.

I agree that getting too much info is a bad idea, and it's very important to not
do too much technical work at one time, particularly in the left hand. I do wish
I had been more systematic about technique when I was younger, though,
esp the LH.

Duncan's 'Art of' is more of a "why" book than Tennant or Käppel. He's a good
writer, and explains things about as well as could be done in a book, IMO.
The presentation of the book is dated, and the printing of the last copy
I bought was a bit blurry, but the book provides a good overview of
technique at the service of music, not as an end in itself.

Tennant's Pumping Nylon and Käppel's 'Bible of' cover similar ground,
but Käppel is *really* comprehensive, and I like his explanations and
tidbits quite a lot. They're both good, but I too like the Käppel book
best. YMMV, of course...