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Can anyone comment on the following books, what they cover and whether it would suite and absolute beginner:
Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon" Christopher Parkening's "Guitar method, Vol 1 & 2 El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra - Juan Martin (I already have this one and would like to know how it compares to the above two)
As overal guitar books, they are pretty good but if your wanting flamenco specific, throw the first two out. Try Flamenco Guitar Method Vol. 1 by Graf-Martinez. It's an excellent beginners book available in both Book/CD and DVD. After you complete that, you can move onto Vol.2
I started learning flamenco with the Juan Martin Books. I have been working with those books for a while with a teacher and they are a great source of information. Many of the people in this forum have learned from them, you can even find videos of Grisha in his early years learning from them. My teacher has also given me exercises from Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon", for dexterity purposes.
I strongly believe that JM's material will give you plenty of information and a great tool to understand the different palos.
As Tom suggested, you can find other good beginnerbooks. You will also find many other opinions and recommendations.
What ever tools you decide to use, be patient and persistent. Flamenco is not something that can be master, is and art that if you give it a chance will become part of you and your journey will be and exiting and rewarding one.
Even if the encuentro stuff coming from Gerardo Nunez contains only compositions for advanced players, 50% of this book are excellent technical exercises perfectly explained. And this book is pretty big...I think its also a very good source for beginners if you leave out the composition part.
AG--the first two books you list are classical oriented whereas the martin series is flamenco oriented. i would throw in dennis koster's keys to flamenco books as well. however, for an absolute beginner i would recommend learning the basics from a teacher who can teach the proper technique so that when you open those books you will be able to do what the author intended. once a bad habit/technique is developed the rule is one will spend twice the time to unlearn it.
Yes, finding a teacher should be priority #1. Nothing is better than having an actual teacher. Books and vids can't correct you. However, if you don't have access to a teacher, there is good material out there. From the Graf-Martinez books I recommended, to the Juan Martin and Dennis Koster material. Encuentro also has a beginner's video from Merengue de Cordoba.
Also, listen to ask much Flamenco as you can. Particularly the traditional stuff. It'll help get the compas in your head once your able to recognize what your listening to. Be patient.
I'd agree with this 100%, a book/video you will find yourself going back to year after year. Full of great stuff. A huge chunk of "How to Sound Flamenco" as well, which is very important.
Jeff
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Even if the encuentro stuff coming from Gerardo Nunez contains only compositions for advanced players, 50% of this book are excellent technical exercises perfectly explained. And this book is pretty big...I think its also a very good source for beginners if you leave out the composition part
if you can't find a teacher.. a VIDEO is much better than a book. Maybe the Oscar Hererro series would be good. A book tells you which notes to play, but a video/teacher can show u how to play it.
Thanks for the advice. What I really wanted to know is if anyone tell me a bit more about Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon" and Christopher Parkening's "Guitar method, Vol 1 & 2 and what it covers. I'm looking for books that will teach me correct technique at this stage. That is with regard to sitting, holding the guitar, left hand, right hand etc. I've looked at the contents on Amazon, but it doesn't go into much detail.
Thanks for the advice. What I really wanted to know is if anyone tell me a bit more about Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon" and Christopher Parkening's "Guitar method, Vol 1 & 2 and what it covers. I'm looking for books that will teach me correct technique at this stage. That is with regard to sitting, holding the guitar, left hand, right hand etc. I've looked at the contents on Amazon, but it doesn't go into much detail.
Pumping nylon is good for most left hand techniques and also nail care, and some right hand technique. The problem is the end results are for achieving a more classcial tone....and sitting postion is also part of the goal. so long as you can keep that in mind it is a good book for just studying technical things. Staccato right hand runs for example apply just fine to flamenco, as to nail shapes and left hand legatos and tremolo (4 note not 5 note). But with arps, he describes "clawing" at the string is bad, but in fact we sort of do that in flamenco for the correct bite, attack, and speed. Pulgar is also quite different in flamenco. He touches on rasgueado but it's a joke compaired to what you should be working on.
I have both the Christopher Parkening method and the Pumping Nylon DVD. Here is my take on it as a beginning guitar student. I've had some classical and folk lessons many years ago but recently discovered flamenco and I'm enjoying it thoroughly.
The first volume of the Parkening books mainly introduced the first position notes of each string of the guitar. There were of course study pieces to make use of those notes. I went through this volume fairly quickly and very enjoyably.
The second volume seemed to be more difficult and involved the study of chords. I can't find my copies right now to tell you the exact contents but I never did bother with trying to go through the second volume.
I should also say that the Parkening books used traditional music notation.
The exercises shown in the Pumping Nylon DVD were just too complicated for my ability at the time and I am sure I still don't have the ability to go through them now.
I started flamenco guitar in a group class with students who were already quite accomplished in other styles of guitar. It's been a steep learning curve for me but I've enjoyed every minute of it. We do not use any books. The teacher gives us handouts with the music written in tablature. I found this to be a quicker way to start making music on the guitar. I also have a private flamenco guitar teacher to help me with the details.
It is interesting to read the reviews of some of the flamenco method books. Some will have comments that these are intended for those with previous guitar experience even though they are "beginner" flamenco guitar books.
After this long preamble, what I am trying to say is that the term "beginner flamenco guitar player" is relative. An "absolute beginner" can mean beginner in any kind of guitar or just in flamenco technique. If you are the former, then the first volume of the Parkening method may be a useful and enjoyable way to just learn the notes of the guitar. It just won't be flamenco :->.
I am unable to comment on any of the flamenco method books as I've never actually looked at them.
Pumping nylon is good for most left hand techniques
Sounds good
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problem is the end results are for achieving a more classcial tone
Ahhh I wouldnt want that ......
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so long as you can keep that in mind it is a good book for just studying technical things
Ah ha ... but is that good ??/ no ........yes ....????
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Staccato right hand runs for example apply just fine to flamenco
Now thats good ..at last ..........
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[But with arps, he describes "clawing" at the string is bad, but in fact we sort of do that in flamenco
So ...not good for flamenco ,,,,,,,or maybe yes .........yes I will go with yes..... its good ....
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Pulgar is also quite different in flamenco
Damn it ....so No ..not good , avoid at all costs ,,,,,,,,??? But there must be some something good that you are recommending in the end ....?
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He touches on rasgueado but it's a joke compaired to what you should be working on.
Ahhh ha ... OK I think I got it now ..........it's NO
AG asked ..can anyone recommend some flamenco books .......... and as our expert you have completely destroyed a book by pointing out all its failures and yet this is the book you recommennd ? as an expert.......
I recommend that you can play and compose , but stay away from reccommending books ........
I recommend that you can play and compose , but stay away from reccommending books ........
No man. If you notice I ignored all along the request to recommend ANY books....what was asked was if someone could give specifics ABOUT two books in question. I deliberatly ignored saying anything about Parkening cuz I dont' have it nor recommend a classical method book. I never recommened pumping nylon for flamenco, but it actually DOES have a couple of things that apply to flamenco technique....as I mentioned the related issues were NAILS!!!!!!!!!!
Let me say it again, he explains very well what flamenco players should do with NAIL SHAPE!!!!!! Next his left hand techniques apply just fine for flamenco players. That is two big POSITIVES regarding the book. The third very important issue is the staccato scales, as would apply to flamenco PICADO....his advice in this regard is totally sound and related to flamenco. Regardless if you are beginner or advanced already, this book can help you get on the right path regarding those 3 issues. The fourth positive is the tremolo which he approaches also stacato which will again force the player of flamenco to get a more secure plant when doing what we call "three finger picado" and such, but it is really just tremolo technique ami ami ami repeating on one string regardless if you change notes. The fact flamencos do an extra note for actual flamenco falestas (piami instead of pami as Scott demos) is a small difference and his ideas again are sound and apply.
He also talks about different forms of planting the Right hand fingers as applied to free stroke which includes arpegio....this also applies with the important distinction the the SOUND we try to achieve with arps is different for flamenco although the basic technique is the same. That is 5 major points that allow this book to be of some use to flamenco students. The negatives are the general direction toward a classical sound (sitting postion, wrist/arm orientation, the music examples are classical, the clawing at the strings thing I mention which ties in to the wrist and arm postion, and the rasgueados are not really what should be studied).
hope that is more clear. I want to take time to point out now that note reading type graduating exercises for classical guitar method are not good choices for flamenco beginners. I assumed that is what Parkenings method is, as are most methods for classical. Scott Tenants book is NOT a method book, rather it is focused on technique issues only. The music examples tend to be more advanced classical works, the musical exercises tend to be non musical chromatic things meant to focus on the fingers themelves.
maybe 'estudio tecnico de la Guitarra Flamenca' by Manuel Granados is a better 'technical' book than 'pumping nylon' for the flamenco style [ both are good to have as a resource]...not sure how much of the material falls into the beginners realm, some of it does... but has a lot of exercises and studies designed for flamenco technique...personally found it very useful for drilling technique...books.google.com.au/books/about/ESTUDIO_TECNICO_DE_LA_GUITARRA_FLAMENCA.html?id=MbZmPQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">http://books.google.com.au/books/about/ESTUDIO_TECNICO_DE_LA_GUITARRA_FLAMENCA.html?id=MbZmPQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
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