The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method – Volume 2 – Classical Guitar Technique and Repertoire | Advanced Skills Including Tremolo, Harmonics, Vibrato, and Slurs | 32 Classical Pieces

Volume II is designated for guitarists entering the intermediate level. I've many guitar methods book but Parkening is my preferred; it contains some unique features which were insufficient or lacking in my other method books; as tone production with emphasize on tone color. Most books mention just briefly that one can change tone color by playing over the sound hole for dolce effect or close to the bridge (ponticello) for a metallic sound. Actually between those two extremes there are endless possibilities of expressions which Parkening clearly explains and demonstrates through pictures and diagrams as the engagement between string flash and nail; variety angles of string plucking; using different positions for the same pitch; diverse vibrato techniques, ornamentation ,just to name part of this vast arsenal. All those variegated sounds color enables richness of expressivity. Another unique feature is in-depth interpretation of the musical piece at hand, which helps one to understand the background and the musical construction of the composition. This section gives also performance suggestions and tips to overcome technical difficulties relating to the specific musical piece. Bottom line one ends up not just a better performer, but also a better a better understanding of music with the ability to analyze to an improved extant.

I DO feel like I'm learning the art of classical guitar, and I would buy this book (and series) again. It's a challenge, daily practice is essential (no surprise), but there's a lot of good music here if you take the time to learn it. You don't need a world class guitar to follow Mr P. Choose the option with audio support for reference, it's WELL worth the few extra bucks.

Succinct presentation - no belaboring. No lesson goes on for more than two pages, including music theory! Easy to read; I finished 'reading' in less than week; playing it is another matter! I've since re-read it several times, highlighting, marking and cross-referencing etc. Parkening believes in interspersing lessons with attractive study pieces - to encourage ... and it works - well ... a most attractive and fulfilling way to learn. Parkening does not seem to hold back any subtlety; he conveys the fine points, required to produce varied and attractive guitar sounds - to get the most out of the instrument. If only these volumes existed when I was younger, life might have gone in different directions. Nothing but praise for the Parkening approaches to introducing the classical guitar to newcomers. Fabulous value; you won't regret a penny of it.

This book takes classical guitarists to the next level. It has lots of repertoire while still offering good instruction. If you can read music and have a good understanding of guitar, you can do well with this. I would recommend completing book 1 before working through book 2.

Great quality Great lessons Great overall and I vastly prefer this binding over volume 1

I love his books. The songs are very playable. The explanations are clear and useful. There are a lot of interesting historical and philosophical comments sprinkled in to add interest and character to the book. This book is a mix of scales, etudes, and pieces so that it could be used alone (without other books) to make enough progress so that if you learn the songs well, you can entertain yourself and your friends with quite a few pieces.

I wore my first copy out. It finally disappeared. I have an empty nest now. After taking two yrs of music classes in college (also played flute since age 8) I chose to purchase this book again. Now I have the time and this book is a great place to start (or in my case, restart.) It is chalk full of information and I love the pieces that are used to integrate my newly developing skills.

This is an excellent second book for classical guitar; the method builds slowly on what has gone before and provides a wealth of information on technique as well as a wide variety of pieces to practice. Only regret is that my Book 2 did not come with the CD (which I believe it should have) - but I bought a used copy, so mea culpa!

I am enjoying using this book for classical guitar interesting lovely sounding pieces to play

Prepared with care and understanding of the student's needs.

je conseil vivement cette méthode extrêmement bien faite, tant au niveau pédagogique, qu'au niveau du choix des études et morceaux ici tout sonne super bien et jolie depuis le début. cette méthode est SUPER !

阿部さんや溝渕さんのカルカッシ教則本とは構成が大きく異なる教則本です。カルカッシ教則本に物足りなさを感じている方にお勧めです。Vol.1と2両方揃えるのがいいでしょう。技術のみではなく音楽に対する姿勢も教えられたように感じます。カルカッシ教則本との違いに、ギター音楽への意識を新たにしました。 （追加）この教則本は英語です。日本で使われている単語（例えば、「アルアイレ」や「アポヤンド」）は英語では「free stroke」と「rest stroke」など）と違うので注意が必要ですが、内容から判断できます。共通の単語（アルぺジオなど）もたくさんあります。

Great method