Pumping Nylon: Easy to Early Intermediate Repertoire: Guitar CD

This CD transforms the technical work of Pumping Nylon from exercise into music. Rather than treating technique in isolation, Tennant curates pieces that demand arpeggios, tremolo, and scale velocity within contexts where those techniques actually matter musically. The mix of contemporary compositions with canonical etudes means students aren't just applying skills to familiar names; they're discovering that rigorous technique work opens doors to a genuinely varied repertoire.

Listening to this CD feels like watching someone solve musical puzzles. Each piece unfolds with clarity; the arpeggios shimmer without mudding, the tremolo sings without strain, and the runs sit comfortably within the player's technical grasp. There's satisfaction in recognizing how a tremolo exercise becomes musical poetry when woven into an actual composition.

Students working through Pumping Nylon who need musical outlets for the techniques they're developing, and teachers seeking repertoire at the easy to early intermediate level that actually develops the skills the method promises. Classical guitarists building foundations in right-hand control and left-hand dexterity will find pieces that reward careful, patient practice.

• Listen through without stopping before working on sections. Tennant's recording reveals how passages should breathe and where the musical shape actually lives beneath the technical demands.
• Isolate one technical element per practice session rather than trying to master everything simultaneously. If tremolo is the focus, let the other voices settle in naturally before refining hand independence.
• Reference the Pumping Nylon exercises that correspond to each piece. The exercises prepare specific technical challenges; knowing which ones apply transforms practice from guesswork into targeted work.

Assign pieces alongside Pumping Nylon units to show students that the technical demands they're meeting in the practice room have real musical purpose. For student recitals, these works bridge the gap between etudes and full-length concert pieces, offering meaningful performance opportunities for developing guitarists. Include selections when demonstrating right-hand technique development across your program; students hear firsthand how professional execution sounds.

• Arpeggiation across all string sets
• Tremolo control and evenness
• Scale velocity and finger independence
• Right-hand touch and tone production
• Coordination between hands in technical passages
• Interpretation of classical guitar idioms
• Sustained accuracy at moderate tempo