Scott Tennant is a founding member of the the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the GRAMMY-winning ensemble composed of alumni of the USC Thornton School of Music, and is himself considered to be one of the world’s top classical guitarists. During his student years at USC (1980-1986), he studied with Pepe Romero, James Smith and was a chosen performer in the USC Segovia Masterclasses of 1981 and 1986. He has authored several books and articles on guitar technique, including the best-seller Pumping Nylon, which has attained a “cult” classic status. It has become a standard text in conservatory and university guitar programs around the world.

Tennant has made numerous recordings as a soloist on the GHA, Delos and GSP labels, and with the LAGQ he has recorded for GHA, Delos, Sony Classical, Windham Hill, Deutsche Grammophon and Telarc labels. Their Telarc release LAGQ Latin was nominated for a Grammy award, and it was their current Telarc title LAGQ’s Guitar Heroes that won a Grammy as the best classical crossover recording of 2005. Tennant is best known for his performances of Spanish music, and his recordings of the music of Joaquín Rodrigo.

Due to a technical glitch, the conversation enters mid-stream as we were talking about the way classical guitar playing levels have changed over the years. We go on to discuss his injury that nearly ended his playing, his recordings, we talk about traveling and balancing a teaching schedule, the state of the recording business these days and much more. Enjoy!

In this mini-lesson, I discuss a few reasons why self-discipline is so important along with some tips on how to be better at it.

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