Flamenco Lessons
March 31st, 2009 by john
In my ongoing effort to spread myself ever thinner, I’ve embarked on learning yet another guitar style: Flamenco!
I’ve actually been interested in Flamenco since I was a kid and my dad taught me some part of Malagueña which I continue to bastardize to this day. I figured it was time to stop faking it and learn what this mysterious music was all about, so two weeks ago I began weekly instruction with a guy named Kevin McDowell who lives right here in Santa Cruz.
As expected, learning a new style feels like starting over. The technique, the rhythm, and the feel are all different. One of the most basic strokes, the golpa, where the index finger strums downward while the middle finger taps body, I find almost impossible to execute. Yet in a sense the music is very simple. Almost all of the songs are in either E or Am, and the chords tend to move between the two with occasional diversions to G and F. Interestingly, the single-note “melodies” are mostly in E lydian (which has a minor 3rd) but are then usually followed immediately by an E major, thus mixing up the minor and major 3rds, which I’ve been a big fan of for many years (mostly in acid jazz).
What’s interesting about the rhythm is that in Flamenco, a quintuplet is not just an academic curiosity, it’s a prominent part of the music, usually in the form of a rasgueado. I found a great description of the mechanics behind the rasgueado here.
Anyway, I’ll probably be updating the blog more now that I’m learning new stuff. Stay tuned!
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Good luck with the Flamenco stuff. It’s one of the hardest things to play authentically. I once saw a flamenco player playing in a busy shopping street in Madrid, and everybody stopped and gathered round to watch and listen. Fantastic stuff.
Flamenco guitar music has exploded all over the world with a wide range of Flamenco guitarists, from traditionalists to fusion/jazz/flamenco exponents.
I prefer the balance between the traditional and the modern, a-la Paco de Lucia, of course.
I’ve been doing my own thing, of course influenced by Paco, since 1994.
For some samples of my work you can go to my website at:
http://www.Valramosflamenco.com.
I hope you enjoy it!
VAL RAMOS
Hey John, good to hear you’re digging into flamenco. it’s a steep hill to climb, but super cool. Most of the “flamenco” that people in the U.S. are exposed to isn’t that authentic, more of a pop/rumba/nueva flamenco. You might dig this collection of videos for some inspiration:
http://inneroptics.net/journal/flamenco-and-classical-guitar/
post a comment on there if you have any favorites of your own. best of luck!
I have seen real flamenco in Spain – it’s unforgettable
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