Pujol composed some of the best studies for guitar and yet they are rarely used. It may be partly because his five-volume method is so enormous that much gets missed (although he wrote numerous studies outside the method as well). Therefore, I thought it would be useful to compile a list of Pujol’s 20 best studies, in imitation of Segovia’s famous compilation of 20 Sor studies. I should note that Pujol’s studies differ in scope to Sor’s — they run the gamut from short pedagogical pieces to full-blown concert works.

I’ve listed them in approximate order of difficulty. As Pujol’s publications are still copyrighted I can’t share the scores, but I believe everything here is still in print. Most of these studies can be found in either Escuela Razonada or Frederic Zigante’s edition of selected compositions by Pujol. There are some free PDFs online of Pujol’s works — they come from an excellent thesis on Pujol’s compositions. However, neither the fingerings nor Pujol’s written instructions are included. For most of the studies in Escuela Razonada, Pujol gave specific instructions for how to approach them and these are essential reading.

1. Estudio III (Escuela Razonada, Book II) – three-voice chorale in B major. Excellent practice for balancing chords and managing left-hand shifts. [No recording]
2. Estudio XXX ‘Alalá’ (Escuela Razonada, Book III) – an arrangement of an old Gallician folk song. Alternating right-hand pattern between pma and i. YouTube
3. Estudio XXXII ‘Nocturno’ (Escuela Razonada, Book III)– For practising right-hand co-ordination between the thumb and the fingers. Once mastered, it has a magical quality. YouTube
4. Estudio IX (Escuela Razonada, Book II) – Bar chords galore! This is one of Pujol’s most beautiful studies. YouTube
5. Estudio XXXI ‘Zorztico‘ (Escuela Razonada, Book III) – repeated four note chords. It is particularly good practice for bringing out the melody with annular finger. YouTube
6. Estudio XIX (Escuela Razonada, Book III) – a great ima workout with some whole-tone juiciness. YouTube
7. Estudio LI ‘El cant del ocells’ (Escuela Razonada, Book IV) – an arrangement of the Catalan Christmas carol ‘Song of the Birds’. Like many of Llobet’s Catalan folksong arragnement, Pujol puts the melody in the inner voice, accompanied by bird-like ornamental passages on the top strings. It is a gorgeous piece. YouTube
8. Estudio romántico ‘Homenaje a Frédéric Chopin‘ (Estudio de grado superior no. 6) – A right-hand amim arpeggio study with a great melody. YouTube
9. Canto de otoño (Estudio melódico) – to practise making melodies sing. The middle section also serves as a good pim arpeggio study. YouTube
10. Cap i cúa – a unique study. The challenge here is not so much playing as reading it: once you get to the end, you then have to read it backwards! No recording, alas. I might record it at some point…
11. Estudio XXXVII ‘Bolero’ (Escuela Razonada, Book III) – Slurs everywhere! And a cracking ear-worm. I love Pujol’s final instruction: ‘…it requires warm-bloodedness and a feeling of intense noble grace for its performance.’ YouTube
12. Estudio XLI (Escuela Razonada, Book IV) – this is a rather clever re-imagining/reduction of Chopin’s Prelude No. 19 to three-note chords jumping all over the fretboard. YouTube
13. Estudio LII ‘Copla de Seguidilla‘ (Escuela Razonada, Book IV) – Pujol refers to this as ‘a study in expression and character’. It is very free in its structure and can be superbly evocative. Pujol gives precise instructions for how to play it. YouTube
14. La Libélula (Estudio) – inspired by a time that Pujol and his wife saw a dragonfly eating a butterfly. A miniature gem, full of delight and invention. YouTube
15. Étude 1 [published 1929, not part of Escuela Razonada] – quick call-and-response between two voices. YouTube
16. Estudio clásico ‘Homenaje a Domenico Scarlatti‘ (Estudio de grado superior no. 7) – I’ll put my neck out and say I think this is as good as Scarlatti’s own sonatas. And it’s a superb workout for both hands. YouTube
17. Ondinas (Estudio No. 7 [published 1921, not part of Escuela Razonada]) – fast left-hand changes with another one of Pujol’s remarkably catchy motifs. YouTube
18. El Abejorro – probably Pujol’s most-played study. Uses close intervals and a rapid right-hand pattern to imitate a bumblebee. YouTube
19. Paisaje – a tremolo study that is based on an unpublished motif by Tárrega. The harmonies are gorgeous. YouTube
20. Estudio LIV-LXX Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Aguado (Escuela Razonada, Book IV) – the final solo study of Pujol’s method, a monumental 30 minute (!) theme and variations that serves as a sort of synopsis of techniques. Much of Pujol’s method is influenced by Aguado, and so to end with this is a fitting tribute. The best are the final two variations. The first (LXIX) is brimming with delicious, close dissonances, and the second (LXX) is a fugue that serves as an excellent introduction to the fugue for guitarists. Taken as a whole, the theme and variations are certainly tricky, but the fugue is so carefully written that it fits well under the fingers and is within the reach of many intermediate players. YouTube