A Comparative Analysis of the Approaches of Classical and Modern Guitar Methods to Speed

Abstract

This study examines the first significant methods written for the Romantic guitar and the most recent methods for the Modern guitar in terms of their approach to the problem of guitar speed. The issue of guitar speed has been addressed in many methods written for the six-string guitar from various perspectives from the 19th century to the present day and ways of practicing have been suggested. Examining these methods, the study presents different pedagogical and stylistic approaches along with characteristics specific to the periods. Accordingly, Fernando Sor’s Méthode pour la Guitare and Dionisio Aguado’s Nuevo Método Para Guitarra from the Classical Period, and Scott Tennant’s Pumping Nylon: The Classical Guitarist’s Technique Handbook and Hubert Kappel’s The Bible of Classical Guitar Technique are analyzed comparatively from various aspects associated with speed. Techniques involving speed, a key problem in guitar, have been approached differently for methods developed in different periods. Speed can be a challenging factor in almost every musical instrument with many parameters in terms of performance. However, this is more problematic for many students and guitarists performing with classical guitar than with instruments such as piano or violin. The study makes comparisons primarily in terms of fast scale, arpeggio, and chord transitions. The composer-guitarist tradition of the Classical Period has become a virtuoso-guitarist tradition in the Modern Period. The study considers how this has affected approaches to speed. Finally, the study examines the differences between Sor and Aguado’s methods to those of Tennant and Kappel. Understanding the approaches of the methods written throughout different periods of guitar history regarding the issue of speed can provide new perspectives for today’s guitarists.