With regard to Scott Tennant, many classical guitarists have already become familiar with his approach to technique through his highly effective "Pumping Nylon" manual and repertoire series. Unquestionably one of the most to-the-point methods ever published for the guitar, they have helped many to make more rapid progress by focusing on root issues in technical development. While there is no doubt that Mr. Tennant has an exquisite musicianship and a great depth of feeling in his playing, it is his levelheaded approach to clearly organized practicing and problem solving that left a strong impact on me at the class.
The first performers for the afternoon were the "New Rosewood Quartet" playing Teleman's Sonata in Four Movements. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear what kind of advice a member of the world's premiere guitar quartet (LAGQ) would offer to an amateur, though clearly very dedicated, ensemble. In looking specifically at some passages of the piece. Tennant suggested to be very precise in articulating main motives exactly the same as it passes from one member to the next, being sure to also make careful gradations in volume and tone. This led to the proposing of a method of practicing scales as a group where these techniques can be honed- member 1 playing do, member 2 playing re, 3 playing mi, etc., while being aware of matching tone and dynamics.
Second up was Lloyd Myers performing the Grand Overture by Mauro Giuliani. A nice choice considering that Mr. Tennant has recorded this piece and knows it quite well. It was an exciting performance and the technical demands of the piece, which are great, seemed to be but a small hindrance to Myers. What surprised many in attendance, including Tennant, was how he could play it so well with such an unorthodox sitting position (which, while seeming very relaxed, also did not appear to be the most favorable for tackling such a hard piece). We discovered that Tennant, when practicing at home, tends to play in Flamenco style with the lower bout of the guitar resting on the right leg while the upper bout hovers five inches or so above the left leg. He therefore did not take issue with his sitting position but dealt mostly with how to practice with such a work, suggesting that musicians should always time their practice schedules carefully, using some form of timer with a buzzer to keep us on track and to not play anything endlessly and mindlessly over and over. Aside from that, some elements of arpeggio practice were discussed with the method of pre-placing right hand fingers and working very slowly emphasized.
Last to perform was Jason Williams playing Study No. 18 by the contemporary Italian composer-guitarist Angelo Gilardino. The piece had an A-B-A form, with 'A' having a restless and agitated mood utilizing a fast, repeated figure involving slurs and cross-string scales that traversed the fretboard and B providing a moody and lyrical contrast. Williams' playing was focused and clear, capturing the frantic and claustrophobic nature of the piece, which was written in homage to Manuel de Falla. Tennant's main criticism of the performance was that it required more volume in spots and also suggested some methods of left hand preparation to bring out the motive in the piece.
Overall, I felt that this class was something of a Pumping Nylon in action. I am definitely a big fan of Scott Tennant's ideas concerning technique and his ability to effectively organize and deal with the physical difficulties of playing the classical guitar. He is a very encouraging teacher and seems to enjoy helping a student discover the root issues of trouble spots in their playing. It is once those difficulties are overcome that we may gain access to the muse that propels a performer to artful expression. In the conclusion to his method, Tennant wrote two helpful points that can help all guitarists in the practice room: 1) Always practice with a purpose, and 2) Whenever we play a note on the guitar we have two choices: to improve or go downhill.
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