Flamenco Guitar : Gipsy kings

There are many differences between classical guitar and flamenco.

Classical Guitar is Classical music played on a guitar - check out some of the mp3 work here:

http://www.delcamp.net/forum/en/index.php

Flamenco is a way of life, and includes music, dance and singing - check out the mp3 and video content here

http://www.foroflamenco.com/foroflamenco_home.asp

Bossa Nova - South American dance music - also uses nylon string guitars played with a plectrum. Soz - no links

Best,

A :-)

Thanks alan.Do you play such kind of music on your classical guitar ?

I wish - I'm a long way from being any good at Flamenco music. My straight Classical's not too shabby though - check out my website for some pieces up to Grade 4 standard.

Best,

A :-)

I have actually heard some of your pieces and they sound impressive.

Also i am already a member of Mr. Delcamp's forum and it is a very good one.(Esp the video and the mp3 section.I wish i could read the sheet music :oops:)

I just registered at that flamenco forum and was actually surprised that they have a full forum dedicated to that style.

Also ...is it essential to learn classical style before one can attempt for flamenco ?And as a side note - Is flamenco really tough considering the blazing speed ?

Just curious as i am always ...:D ,

Rahul

I totally agree with Alan: Flamenco is a whole different ballgame in the world of guitar. From what I understand it originated with the gypsies in Spain (hence the name Gypsy Kings). Whereas classical guitarists use the normal upward fingerpicking, a flamenco player uses a technique of downward flicking motion with the fingers called rasguedos. They also use an interesting set of rhythmic cycles (a metronome/beat of sorts) call compas. Another way that it differs significantly from other western music is in the fact that there are not a lot of songs. There are a limited number of basic flamenco ideas (bulieras, alegrias, etc), but to make up for this there is a lot of improvisation. The traditional flamenco guitarist is mostly a rhythm guitarist; he/she plays rhythm for a singer and dancers (good flamenco dancing is amazing!). But recently, there has been a trend towards solo flamenco guitar playing with such artists as Ronald Radford (one of my favorites). Of course, I'm a traditional rock-guitarist who just happens to have a higher-than-average interest in flamenco. I can't play it worth a darn, but I love listening to it. So take this information as you will, I'm not guarenteeing that it's 100% correct, but I hope it's helpful/useful/entertaining. Here's a great webpage with some good (and I'm sure much more reliable) information:

http://users.aol.com/BuleriaChk/private/compas/compasa.html#start

Enjoy!

Also ...is it essential to learn classical style before one can attempt for flamenco ?And as a side note - Is flamenco really tough considering the blazing speed ?

Rahul

The answer to the first question is no - it's really good to study both but there are different disciplines in the two styles which makes playing each independent upon the other.

Is flamenco really tough? Is the solo to Freebird really tough? Or Stairway to Heaven? All musical work is tough before you play it. Once you've worked at something for a while it becomes familiar, and therefore "easier". Take yourself over to the Guitar Principles dot com website sometime, and read Jamie Andreas's article about how climbing the mountain (I forget its proper title). Jamie contributes here, too, but his own site has some eye-opening stuff.

Flamenco is based on a 12 beat pattern, emphasising beats 1, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12; and it seems to always start with an anacrusis on the 12th beat (from what I've studied). The rhythmic bit that jansonrunguitar mentioned is the "compas" and the "soleas" is the improvisatory bit in between. What he didn't mention is perhaps the most obvious part - when playing for dancers (and flamenco in particular) there are three important rules to follow - keep the rhythm, keep the rhythm and keep the rhythm.

Best,

Thoughtful Al :-)

Thanks for all the advices.I am off to learn some classical ...maybe starting from the opus 1 would be good.

Also i am trying to tap my foot whenever i am attempting to strum fast.I have been playing only since 10 months so sometimes it seems that i am attempting for too much , but even learning a bit from every style can help in the overall musical personality ! :D

Rahul

Also i am trying to tap my foot whenever i am attempting to strum fast.I have been playing only since 10 months...

Give it up - tapping your foot to the rhythm whilst you're playing will come naturally eventually. For now, yell one-two-three-four if you must, but I'd recommend just counting under your breath. You could use a real drummer, if you can get one to turn up to rehearsal , or a sample loop, but counting under your breath makes for one less movement you've got to sync whilst you're learning to play.

Best,

A :-)

Hey one more Q - Is starting with the Opus 1 by fernando sor a good way to attempt classical ?

Maybe, maybe not - Opus 1 is somebody's first published work and you might find it's an opera (it's not, on this occasion, but you see the point).

Sor's Andante, Opus 31 Nr 1, is a very good starting point, as is a lot of his work. Also check out Ferdinando Carulli (Waltz, Opus 121 Nr 1 especially), and Mauro Giuliani. Most of these guys wrote their own studies to give to their guitar students. Don't ignore the Segovia Studies, which are 20 Fernando Sor studies selected by the great man for their learning properties, they'll teach you a great deal.

If you can find a teacher, have some lessons on right-hand technique.

If you can read music, try the Iceland Guitar School at

http://www.eythorsson.com

they have a couple of thousand pages of freely downloadable sheet music including lots that are suitable for beginners.

Best,

A :-)

That's the problem...i don't know how to read music so i download tabs with the sheet music to understand.

I have started canon in D maj right now and its coming slowly but i can see the results right then.I know its going to take some time but i have a feeling of completing it.

Wish me good luck (actually you alway do ...Best :wink: )

Rahul

(By the way how do you do the classical guitar exercies...are they necessary for warm up before playing ?)

As for reading music it is really easy to learn to read it. Reading it well is a totally differnt thing but at very least turning standard notation into tab can be learned in an hour and done for almost any song in 20 minutes.

You should always warm up before playing. I do some scales, some arpeggios and some barre chords, a few simple melodies maybe.

If you're downloading sheet music with Tabs, then the job of learning to read music is almost half done for you - the answer is right there on the page. All you need to learn after that is the note names (abcdefg) and some theory. In fact, I think you could learn all of that through David's lessons here.

Best,

A :-)

Sheet music helps.Once i am done with understanding the tab , then the up and downs in the standard notation helps a lot.

I know the names on the staff and some rhythms and i am trying to incorporate it in the guitar.

By the way...Canon is really coming up slowly :oops: