Reviews are the opinions of the reviewer only and are not necessarily those of PCGS or its newsletter staff or board. We invite comments to be sent to Karl Garrett. Perhaps they will appear in the next newsletter. We also welcome contributions to these columns.

      Reviewed: Kitharologus, The Path to Virtuosity by Ricardo Iznaola. Mel Bay Publications.

      There have been numerous books of exercises aimed at the guitarist who has visions of becoming the next Sharon Isbin. Exercises that pinpoint some aspect of technique can be invaluable. However, most of these books fall short because they lack organization and a good educational structure. They may group various techniques together, and give some hints on how to use them, but what I as a player and teacher have always looked for is a truly comprehensive approach with a detailed examination of just what is needed technically to become a fine guitarist.

      It has been often said that exercises for the guitarist are like lifting weights for the football player. One can go out and throw a football around, play a few games with friends and have fun. But if one wants more, it is usually felt that one must work more. To ask someone who can bench press only 100 pounds to press 150 pounds would be foolish. Yet we as guitarists ask this of ourselves all the time. What we need is a slow, patient approach to building our technique to the point where we can press 200 pounds. Then the 150 pound piece we want to play will be cake. We often talk of the good guitarist as being the relaxed guitarist, but without strength and accuracy, it is virtually impossible to relax. If that left hand is squeezing with all its might, it’s not relaxed.

      Several months ago Eugene Stein, a fellow board member, showed me a book entitled Kitharologus (The Path to Virtuosity) by Ricardo Iznaola. “Sure”, I thought “another technique book that would just take up valuable time, keeping me from playing the pieces I love.” As I leafed through it, I first noticed that it was divided into ten levels of difficulty. Next, that each exercise was organized according to its technical category: various right hand formulae, double notes (3rds, 6ths, etc.), scales, slurs, extensions and contractions, shifts, and harmonics (both natural and artificial), as well as extra helps with developing speed, pizzicato, percussive effects and the use,if you want, of the right hand little finger. Each exercise is preceded by a few words telling its general classification, the specific goals of that exercise, and a few hints as to how it is best played and some traps to watch out for.

      This seemed like a rather daunting book, until I found the complete and detailed daily practice schedules, covering which routines to play each day as we gradually work up through each level. Iznaola has us play exercises that use different muscle groups on different days, with a day’s rest each week. This is the same philosophy with which great athletes train.

      O. K., you start at the beginning, work through each exercise and become a virtuoso? Like most things in life, it’s not that easy. I have a philosophy of not asking my students to do anything that I wouldn’t do. So before trying it out on them, I had to bite the bullet, and see the results for (or should I say on) myself. I have noticed with such books that I often get an immediate rush, feeling a surge of strength and accuracy in my playing. But this usually does not last. The work gets tedious and soon I quit to pursue more thrilling pieces that I don’t really have the technique to play. But not this time. I am digesting this book in bite-sized morsels, and as long as I stay with Iznaola’s plan, I never feel overwhelmed or bored.

      So after a couple of months it was time to put my students to work. I’m finding that most of them are getting fine results with it, and I don’t see the reluctance to use it that I’ve seen with other books. For many, I have lightened up the load they carry because, if the truth be known, it does take quite a while to work through each day’s routine. Iznaola doesn’t miss a trick though. Everything is covered in wonderful detail. Some of the exercises are tried and true ones like slurs, scales, right hand arpeggios, peppered with a few wonderful ideas I haven’t seen in other books. The genius, however, is in the organization. Such careful attention was paid to the groupings and gradual development of the guitarist. Iznaola really knows how we learn and how to coax our technique to its fullest potential. There is truly enough work here for any guitarist no matter how proficient. Oh yes, he doesn’t cover much in the way of barring, but I’ll let you read the forward to find out why.

      Kitharologus is primarily aimed at the young (say college age) person who is ready to work hard to pursue a career playing the guitar. The workouts can be rigorous and time consuming. I think for the older or younger guitarist, breaking the routines into smaller groups or allowing more time between workouts would be in order.

      I feel that if one wants to get the most out of this book, careful use of a metronome is essential, to maintain complete control. Although the book doesn’t explore the use of dynamics, many of the right hand exercises can be used to cajole subtle dynamic gradations that can make our playing so affective. To reap the rewards, one must work hard. There are no quick fixes here. I’m sure that Iznaola would agree that it will take more than this book alone to turn me or my students into true virtuosos, but I’m sure that working carefully with patience and perseverance through Kitharologus will go a long way to fulfilling our dreams.