The Classical Guitar Journal

The author of this publication, Pavlos Kanellakis, is a guitarist who studied with Elena Papandreou and Oscar Ghiglia, and has won a variety of international guitar competitions, and made a significant number of recordings. He completed PhD studies at the Dublin Conservatory and is teaching at the Musikschule Rohrdoferberg. Switzerland, and at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

With this distinguished pedigree in both performing and pedagogy, Dr Kanellakis has turned his considerable energies towards research into the means of providing guitar students ‘with a solid technical background that will allow them to express themselves as effortlessly as possible’. The result of some twenty years of work has produced The Classical Guitar Journal.

The publication, 136 pages in length, is neatly translated into three languages, Greek, German, and English. The presentation of the printed material is of the utmost clarity, on a pleasant cream paper of excellent quality.

The structure of the book divides into sixteen substantial chapters covering almost every element of left and right hand techniques including major and minor chords, string-crossing arpeggios, slurs, the seven modes, left hand stretching exercises, speed exercises, cross-string trills, playing in octaves, etc., culminating in The Repertoire’s 96 Right Hand Arpeggios. The exercises are set out in enormously impressive detail sufficient to satisfy even the most demanding students or accomplished performers eager to advance their technical abilities yet further.

Pavlos Kanellakis is to be congratulated on a remarkable achievement and his book is worthy to be considered on the high pedagogic level of his predecessors in this field. The environment of publications offering technical enlightenment is now most competitive and stretches from Pujol and Carlevaro through Ragossnig to Byzantine, Chiesa, Hill, Iznaola, Käppel, Kovats, Masters, Offermann, Provost, Masters, Yates, Tennant, etc.

This new book has a fresh and energetic feel to it and is the result of prolonged and profound thought, much labour, and many new insights. I would unhesitatingly recommend this work to all guitarists.

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Graham Wade

An excellent book, a very personal approach to guitar teaching.  I found very interesting that it starts with chords. I also find very important that students get acquainted with harmony as soon as possible. At least that was the way I was introduced to guitar and to music.
I liked also the singing intervals approach.
Finally liked a lot the examples of arpeggios from known pieces from our repertoire. Great
way of making students connect to the exercises.

Congratulations on a great achievement!

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Sergio Assad

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“The Classical Guitar Journal” is an exemplary work in the canon of guitar technique books. It is unique in that it offers a comprehensive course in the study of guitar technique allied with a parallel development of the understanding of music. It is refreshing to find a book that also places emphasis on understanding harmony as well as music in general. The book is flexible enough to be used as a self-contained technique course in degree programmes or as a stand-alone technique book which can be dipped into for both challenge and inspiration. 
I believe that any student who carefully studies this work will benefit tremendously in the development of technique as well as musicality. I commend the work very highly for its effectiveness and originality. I believe that internationally it will become a standard in the literature of guitar technique.

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John Feeley

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Even after the 21st century, the development of guitar music will not stop.  New guitar music using various usages, various innovative techniques is being created around the world. In such a modern age, many of the methods written in the 19th and 20th century are not very useful.  
Pavlos Kanellakis’ “The Classical Guitar Journal” is perfect method for new era performance techniques. In his book, a number of exercises and studies that are truly necessary for musical expression are explained in a logical and easy-to-understand manner.
I strongly recommend this book, not only to guitar learners, but also to all guitar professionals.

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Shin-ichi Fukuda

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Τhe Classical Guitar Journal“  provides aims that all methods ought to be able to share with the guitar students who attempt to follow their dictates. I am sure that guitarists of all levels will discover a most valuable awareness in themselves, once the directions included here will be followed, understood and absorbed by them and they will greatly benefit from the contribution of the Guitar Journal to the didactic quality of the guitar learning available literature.

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Oscar Ghiglia

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What an interesting book! After having studied from, or gone through so many guitar technique books, I was pleasantly surprised to find many interesting types of exercises, some for easy or intermediate level, some even very difficult, thus they can help all levels of guitarists. And what I like the most, is that in many ways, they teach music interpretation and not only how to move our fingers!
Thank you Pavlos Kanellakis, I will include your book in my daily practice!

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Elena Papandreou

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A big applause and congratulations for an excellent edition! A fabulous book! I want to express my compliments for a remarkable contribution to supply professional guitarists with lots of tremendous exercises, a wonderful collection of both basics and advanced skills - such a great lineup of refreshing ways to pursue technique, striving for best command of specific patterns and nowadays’ solutions in terms of fingerings and smart technical routines!

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Thomas Müller-Pering

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