any flamenco or sitar players here?

Flamenco, as in Spanish origin?

Sitar, as in Indian Classical music?

Ouch!... quite an undertaking. They are completely different instruments and musical systems. Indian music theory is in no way comparable to western. I have an mp3 of Ravel's Bolero played on a sitar, but the closest it gets is the melody.

Or have I missed the boat here?

I'm certainly no expert in either area, but both styles are similar in that they are steeped in tradition. A lot of learning the styles involves learning basic song structures (although "dance" would be the more appropriate term) in flamenco and about the natural temperment that is the basis of Indian classical music, which would in turn lead to the various structures of raga. Once you have a solid grasp of the fundamental structures, then the object becomes creating your own style, using the original structure as a template.

Also, there's a lot of music when it comes to India. More people associate raga and sitar with the Hindustani Music of Northern India, but there's also the Karnatic music of the southern part of the country.

Obviously, there will be the various techniques that give the styles their character to learn, such as the "golpe" (the tap of the guitar body in flamenco) and others that you'll pick up along the way, but the main focus usually ends up on the history.

There are all sorts of books on both. A great place to start is the National Guitar Workshop's "Guitar Atlas Series," which has books on both. Allen Alexander's Flamenco is good and even Mel Bay's "You Can Teach Yourself Flamenco Guitar" provides a good foundation for a beginner, although you'll probably move through it fairly quickly.

Sorry if this is more vague than helpful, or if it's just stuff you already know. Good luck with this, though. It's very interesting music.

Peace

both styles are similar in that they are steeped in tradition.

^^ This.
Also, there's a lot of music when it comes to India. More people associate raga and sitar with the Hindustani Music of Northern India, but there's also the Karnatic music of the southern part of the country.

Not to mention Indian popular music, which I think people don't consider. People who are familiar with Indian music think of Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and now the quite-acomplished Anoushka Shankar (Ravi's daughter), all classicists.

My point... I was working with an Indian man who is an IBM consultant. He did such a thorough job for us, and was such a pleasure to work with I gave him a copy of a Ravi Shankar collection. I said to him "I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you like classical music". He said in return "Thank you very much; but you know I've never really been into classical music, but I look forward to hearing this". Boy, was I embarrassed! :oops: But he was so gracious. So even among the 1 billion people in India, there are at least a few who are not into Indian Classical music.

And there's also a huge school of Indian folk music and devotional music as well.

Peace

I don't know anything about flamenco methods, learning, etc. it is just a comment.

A friend who played the guitar and piano really well (years of experience, conservatory, very get used to listen some 'palos' of flamenco, etc.) needed lessons with a teacher to play flamenco. It is not easy although some people has some natural skills to play it (or dance).

Anyway, good luck and let me know if I could help from my inexperience!

And there's also a huge school of Indian folk music and devotional music as well.

Peace

Yep... If you remember from The Concert for Bangladesh, the sitar and sarod duet Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan played at the beginning, called Bangla Dhun, is based on a Bengali folk tune (dhun means melody or tune). At the beginning of The Concert for George, a prayer, Sarve Shaam, is sung (I think it's in Sanskrit, being a prayer).

Flamenco is a massive area with lots of variations and comprises singing, dancing and clapping as well as guitar - get used to counting to 12 and the pulse being on beats 1, or 8, or 12 depending on which of about 20 different dances you're playing. Get a good singer too - it's the vocal that puts most people off flamenco.

Also, you'll need to practice being able to tap the soundboard with your ring finger at the same time as playing notes with your index finger. That bit's really hard.

Flamenco radio: http://www.rtvandalucia.com/tvcarta/impe/web/enDirecto?canal=ca1

A good book: Flamenco Guitar Method by Gerhard Graf-Martinez - and no, I don't know why one of the leading flamenco books is written by a German

A :-)

the quite-acomplished Anoushka Shankar (Ravi's daughter)

It's amazing how things fall together.
I was watching her play in "A Concert for George" just this past weekend.

Here she is playing alongside Jeff Lynne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLkPxNmYs_A

I reccently got the dvd and cd, even though the concert was in 2002, 1 year to the day George Harrison died. She started playing at about 9 years old, and by the time she was 13 she was performing in public. Music runs in her family... her half sister is Nora Jones (Ravi's daughter by Sue Jones); Ravi was married to Annapurna Devi, sister of Ali Akbar Khan (though no genetic relationship to Anoushka). Annapurna's and Ali Akbar's father was Allaudin Khan, a highly respected and talented sarod player, teacher, and Ravi's and Ali Akbar's teacher. So, she's been immersed in music for generations. And did you watch her conduct Arpan, her father's composition especially for the concert? She's cute too. I just want to squeeze her. :wink:

And did you watch her conduct Arpan, her father's composition especially for the concert? She's cute too. I just want to squeeze her. :wink:

Yeah, I watched the whole thing straight thru (some parts a couple of times). I was impressed that Jeff Lynn and Clapton were able to mesh their guitars so well in with the Indian instruments (and Indian harmonic structure).

I think it takes a lot of talent to do something like that. Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar cut an album called West Meets East, violin and sitar. I have it on LP, boxed away, but I recently got it on cd.

The local store I usaully visit for strings and such has a sitar in the room that is normally filled with acoustic guitars and basses. I've always been tempted to ask them if it's for sale or not and how much for it, but I have a feeling it's nowhere near my price range :lol:

I've seen electric sitars like this:

http://www.rondomusic.com/sitar.html

which looks interesting, but the one in that store looks like a real, authentic sitar.

sitars aren't cheap. i've seen them from $800 used to a few grand and up new. i first got interested in the music when i heard ravi shankar, and my cousin's husband (is that my cousin in law), who's a huge beatles fan and plays the guitar, bought a sitar and is taking lessons from a guru. i got a chance to try it out, and it was fun. it's very intuitive, and the sympathetic strings are cool. i didn't really know what i was doing, and was sort of faking it, but i believe that with knowledge, i could start learning to play some of that stuff on a guitar, possibly with open drone strings or a pedal or so forth that imitates the drone while i played over it. i've also been exposed to indian pop music, and got an earful when i was in nepal, and it's nice, and really has a mood to it after a while, but it's all pretty straightforward stuff.
as for flamenco, i listened to some paco de lucia and that was it. the man is an absolute master and i was blown away, which hasn't happened for me at that level listening to a guitar player since i was a kid.
i'm really interested in the scales and playing techniques involved in both forms. they're both so intense and dramatic and interesting.
i appreciate the help so far and i'd be grateful to hear more suggestions.

that electric sitar looks really cool.