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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. HOW TO FIND A GOOD FLAMENCO GUITAR TEACHER 2. THE RIGHT MINDSET FOR LEARNING FLAMENCO 3. HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED? 4. HOW CAN I BREAK THE WALL BETWEEN ME AND THE GUITAR? 5. HOW TO LEARN FLAMENCO SONGS? 6. FLAMENCO STYLES OR 'PALOS' 7. HOW TO LEARN RIGHT-HAND TECHNIQUES? 8. HOW TO LEARN FLAMENCO STRUMMING? 9. WHAT SCALES ARE USED IN FLAMENCO MUSIC? 10. PRACTISING FLAMENCO GUITAR 11. THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN LEARNING FLAMENCO 12. WHAT FLAMENCO ARTISTS SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO? 13. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR NAILS 14 THE PERFECT GUITAR TO LEARN FLAMENCO 15 FLAMENCO TABS AND MUSIC SHEET 16. FLAMENCO GUITAR TUNING CONCLUSION |
..so you want to be that charming guitar guy who mesmerises anyone and everyone with beautiful exotic sounds you couldn't believe come from a piece of wood with a bunch of strings?
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Learning flamenco to a World-class level can be challenging but if the information is handed to you in the right way, it will be a breeze.
The internet offers thousands of options to learn virtually anything. The problem is that most of these resources are rather superficial. And my friend, flamenco is a very profound technique that you couldn't possibly learn 100% through only techniques.
If you fail to learn flamenco the right way, you might be able to technically perform some of the sounds, but you will never be that charming guy.
Welcome to the new age of learning
In the past, the study of flamenco guitar was pretty complicated. You needed to attend lessons with the masters local to you and none of them was really articulate to explain the development of all the different techniques.
After the lesson, all you had is the muscle and aural memory of what happened during the class, which made it very hard to remember and practice accordingly.
Times have changed and the internet is at our command. But tech is not good enough if you don’t have a teacher that can properly explain and adapt the contents to your learning needs. Let's dive in:
1. HOW TO FIND A GOOD FLAMENCO GUITAR TEACHER
Flamenco is typically taught just like any other subject: the teacher presents you some techniques and styles that you need to learn and memorise. This requires you to force your muscles into playing flamenco.
As a result, many people give up, and only the ones who can deal with that pressure will grow.
Very few teachers prepare the students' minds for success. Very few teachers make you comfortable and present you a study programme.
“do you think I can play flamenco guitar?”
Most people I teach ask me this question. My answer is always the same:
“if you do what I say, you will!”
The first thing you need to do is develop the right mindset; rewire your mind so you can face the instrument and get the power necessary to overcome your frustrations.
You’ll always fail and experience frustration, so you need someone who helps you approach those moments and raise back into being as motivated as possible.
The next section is about developing the right mindset for playing flamenco guitar.
2. THE RIGHT MINDSET FOR LEARNING FLAMENCO
There are three main pillars that will ground you for success in your flamenco guitar learning.
Love the guitar and its exotic sounds
Most of us started playing flamenco guitar because we couldn’t resist the mystery and complexities of flamenco guitar. This is something that you must always keep as you demystify the instrument and navigate through its details.
Understand that you aren't just learning music, you are learning a culture
As you learn the music of flamenco, you need to learn how to unfold flamenco. You need to dive in and understand the 'feeling' to then be able to express it.
If you miss this step you will be no different to a robot, even if you spend 10 hours a day practising!
Once you are inside, you need to choose whether to stay or to leave
The chances are that you will stay because you'll have fallen in love with the music and the art of flamenco. It’s not so much about the people around flamenco or being part of a tribe, but about loving the expression of flamenco.
Check out my infographic about flamenco tablaos and associations in Spain
Playing music, understanding a culture and interpreting it
It is very important that you understand that flamenco is more than a musical technique. In fact, you can force yourself to learn and master the technique, but you can’t force yourself to enjoy life, which is a fundamental part of understanding flamenco.
When you play flamenco you use all the anecdotes and experiences that you've had in your life.
I must point out that flamenco is not ‘property’ of the people of Andalusia. You don’t need to be born in Andalusia to be ‘entitled’ to play flamenco.
No one owns any knowledge
You still need to travel to Andalusia or at least study the origins of flamenco to truly understand the culture. But even if you do this, you still need to give it your own interpretation, which will be invariably based on your own culture.
For example, myself I am from Spain but I am an outsider to flamenco culture. I have learned it by spending a long time in the cradles of flamenco in Andalusia.
If you were raised in America and you grew up with blues or country music, you will encounter flamenco and you will interpret it from your perspective and create your own style and 'product'. Then you will be honest with yourself, so you'll have achieved the goals of flamenco.
You could well imitate a culture you don’t belong to, but the chances are you'll always be frustrated at some point.
Have a look at these incredible 'flamencos' from Japan to illustrate this point.
For example, myself I am from Spain but I am an outsider to flamenco culture. I have learned it by spending a long time in the cradles of flamenco in Andalusia.
If you were raised in America and you grew up with blues or country music, you will encounter flamenco and you will interpret it from your perspective and create your own style and 'product'. Then you will be honest with yourself, so you'll have achieved the goals of flamenco.
You could well imitate a culture you don’t belong to, but the chances are you'll always be frustrated at some point.
Have a look at these incredible 'flamencos' from Japan to illustrate this point.
Flamenco through your own looking glass
Let me show you what do I mean but understanding flamenco from your own perspective.
Travelling far away from Spain has helped me see certain flamenco techniques from a different perspective. For example, once I was playing a gig in Turkey when I truly ‘understood’ flamenco ‘al cante por bulerias’ (a particular style for sung flamenco).
Let me show you what do I mean but understanding flamenco from your own perspective.
Travelling far away from Spain has helped me see certain flamenco techniques from a different perspective. For example, once I was playing a gig in Turkey when I truly ‘understood’ flamenco ‘al cante por bulerias’ (a particular style for sung flamenco).
Having met different cultures beyond the Western World has helped me understand that flamenco is an artistic expression from a specific people that has developed worldwide in the same way.
This means it has an essence which is not from Andalusia, but from humankind itself.
3. HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED?
You keep motivated by being unmotivated.
With this, I mean that you need to fail and you need to suffer to appreciate the reward of achieving your goals. Then you get motivated.
Beauty helps you get back on track. In moments of being depressed, lost, or drifting, learning a melody you love can help you get out of bed with your feet back on the ground.
In that moment, you will achieve the purest and artistic motivation.
This motivation is different from professional motivation, which you get when you are working on a project or have a financial motivation. The motivation you need to master flamenco guitar is a motivation at the artistic level.
4. HOW CAN I BREAK THE WALL BETWEEN ME AND THE GUITAR?
The guitar is completely unnatural to human beings. It's designed anatomically to fit our bodies, but it's an unnatural instrument. A proof of this is the fact that there are so many injuries associated with playing the guitar, such as tendonitis and nerve compression syndromes.
The complexity of guitar techniques has to do with the evolution of lots of guitarists who have been able to bring out something beautiful from this unnatural instrument. These people have been able to break that wall between the guitar and themselves, and ultimately live the present.
The guitar is a very counterproductive thing in many ways, but…
you are a guitarist when you realise you cannot give up the guitar
We all have a relationship with the art of the guitar. The guitar is grounded on the love for the instrument and the idea that it's not an easy thing to master. If it was easy we would not be so captivated by it.
And if it was about productivity, the winners would be musicians who make millions of dollars playing synthesizer!
Flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo always says that many millionaire artists make a song with 4 chords and they fill a stadium with 40k people. He himself, working 12 hours a day and doing all those virtuous things he does with the guitar can fill up to 10,000 on a lucky day.
Beauty doesn’t care about complexity.
On the bright side, you can still create the illusion of complexity through mysterious sounds even if you play flamenco badly. In contrast, if you play pop badly no one will want to listen to you.
5. HOW TO LEARN FLAMENCO SONGS?
Flamenco does not have ‘songs’. Instead, there are styles, each one with a different complexity and structure. There is probably one style that does have a typical song structure just the way pop or rock have, and that is Rumba.
Rumba example
This means it has an essence which is not from Andalusia, but from humankind itself.
3. HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED?
You keep motivated by being unmotivated.
With this, I mean that you need to fail and you need to suffer to appreciate the reward of achieving your goals. Then you get motivated.
Beauty helps you get back on track. In moments of being depressed, lost, or drifting, learning a melody you love can help you get out of bed with your feet back on the ground.
In that moment, you will achieve the purest and artistic motivation.
This motivation is different from professional motivation, which you get when you are working on a project or have a financial motivation. The motivation you need to master flamenco guitar is a motivation at the artistic level.
4. HOW CAN I BREAK THE WALL BETWEEN ME AND THE GUITAR?
The guitar is completely unnatural to human beings. It's designed anatomically to fit our bodies, but it's an unnatural instrument. A proof of this is the fact that there are so many injuries associated with playing the guitar, such as tendonitis and nerve compression syndromes.
The complexity of guitar techniques has to do with the evolution of lots of guitarists who have been able to bring out something beautiful from this unnatural instrument. These people have been able to break that wall between the guitar and themselves, and ultimately live the present.
The guitar is a very counterproductive thing in many ways, but…
you are a guitarist when you realise you cannot give up the guitar
We all have a relationship with the art of the guitar. The guitar is grounded on the love for the instrument and the idea that it's not an easy thing to master. If it was easy we would not be so captivated by it.
And if it was about productivity, the winners would be musicians who make millions of dollars playing synthesizer!
Flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo always says that many millionaire artists make a song with 4 chords and they fill a stadium with 40k people. He himself, working 12 hours a day and doing all those virtuous things he does with the guitar can fill up to 10,000 on a lucky day.
Beauty doesn’t care about complexity.
On the bright side, you can still create the illusion of complexity through mysterious sounds even if you play flamenco badly. In contrast, if you play pop badly no one will want to listen to you.
5. HOW TO LEARN FLAMENCO SONGS?
Flamenco does not have ‘songs’. Instead, there are styles, each one with a different complexity and structure. There is probably one style that does have a typical song structure just the way pop or rock have, and that is Rumba.
Rumba example
The rest of the styles you need to learn separately. Each style has a specific rhythm structure and melodies. The way you learn flamenco is by studying those styles and integrating them into the way you play.
How flamenco artists learn songs before playing on a stage
Because you play on styles, flamenco musicians improvise along with the singers and the dancers.
Sometimes they meet for the first time in the backstage or even on the stage itself. Everyone knows what they are going to play, and it’s even inappropriate to ask what they are supposed to play or how.
Even more so if they ask with nervousness on their faces!
This is because you simply don’t learn flamenco. Instead, you ‘get’ flamenco. A good teacher helps you ‘get it’ faster.
Flamenco feeling
There are many notable Spanish artists that have taken flamenco to rock or to pop. These artists do introduce pop song structures, but we cannot regard this as 'flamenco', at least not when we are learning.
6. FLAMENCO STYLES OR 'PALOS'
Each flamenco style has a specific rhythm, metre (compás) and melodies.
Back in the day, singers and dancers used to specialise in different styles based on where they lived or what type of dance they could do better. There is still an inertia that many dancers and singers hold when it comes to style versatility.
On the other hand, guitarists need to accommodate to these artists, so it's essential that you know as many styles as possible and you are flexible to play for singers or for dancers.
However, the most popular styles or ‘palos’ are:
Solea
This is the typical metre for Solea
How flamenco artists learn songs before playing on a stage
Because you play on styles, flamenco musicians improvise along with the singers and the dancers.
Sometimes they meet for the first time in the backstage or even on the stage itself. Everyone knows what they are going to play, and it’s even inappropriate to ask what they are supposed to play or how.
Even more so if they ask with nervousness on their faces!
This is because you simply don’t learn flamenco. Instead, you ‘get’ flamenco. A good teacher helps you ‘get it’ faster.
Flamenco feeling
There are many notable Spanish artists that have taken flamenco to rock or to pop. These artists do introduce pop song structures, but we cannot regard this as 'flamenco', at least not when we are learning.
6. FLAMENCO STYLES OR 'PALOS'
Each flamenco style has a specific rhythm, metre (compás) and melodies.
Back in the day, singers and dancers used to specialise in different styles based on where they lived or what type of dance they could do better. There is still an inertia that many dancers and singers hold when it comes to style versatility.
On the other hand, guitarists need to accommodate to these artists, so it's essential that you know as many styles as possible and you are flexible to play for singers or for dancers.
However, the most popular styles or ‘palos’ are:
Solea
This is the typical metre for Solea
,
Tangos
Tangos have a different metre pattern, with the stress always on the first beat.:
Tangos
Tangos have a different metre pattern, with the stress always on the first beat.:
Bulerias
This style has a complicated changing pattern. These is one of the most common metres:
1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12]
or
[1] 2 3 [1] 2 3 [1] 2 3 [1] 2 3
Watch me performing a Bulería with Anoushka Shankar!
This style has a complicated changing pattern. These is one of the most common metres:
1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12]
or
[1] 2 3 [1] 2 3 [1] 2 3 [1] 2 3
Watch me performing a Bulería with Anoushka Shankar!
Alegrias
Typically in major scale and with the following metre:
1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11 [12]
7. HOW TO LEARN FLAMENCO RIGHT-HAND TECHNIQUES?
There are two ways to learn flamenco guitar techniques such as rasgueado, picado, tremolo or alzapua.
Forcing them
Traditional schools of thought teach flamenco the hard way: forcing the learning of technique until you can play perfectly. This is good if you can navigate through the pain, but it you lack even the slightest motivation, you will likely give up.
Applying them
When you learn techniques every week, you will have the tools to compose music after a number of weeks, so you will be able to put pieces together and apply it to a style.
I often show my students how they can compose a beautiful piece of flamenco by putting together the elements and small techniques that they have learned in past lessons.
Technique is important, but when you truly learn and assimilate technique is when you apply it to real songs.
8. HOW TO LEARN RASGUEADO OR FLAMENCO STRUMMING?
There are two types of strumming:
Supported strumming
This is where your thumb on the 6th or 5th string (depending on the chord you are playing) and strike your other fingers into the lower strings.
There are different rasgueados depending on the number of fingers you use (watch video below).
1 finger
3 fingers
4 fingers
Tips
Watch my video about 'supported rasgueados' technique:
There are two ways to learn flamenco guitar techniques such as rasgueado, picado, tremolo or alzapua.
Forcing them
Traditional schools of thought teach flamenco the hard way: forcing the learning of technique until you can play perfectly. This is good if you can navigate through the pain, but it you lack even the slightest motivation, you will likely give up.
Applying them
When you learn techniques every week, you will have the tools to compose music after a number of weeks, so you will be able to put pieces together and apply it to a style.
I often show my students how they can compose a beautiful piece of flamenco by putting together the elements and small techniques that they have learned in past lessons.
Technique is important, but when you truly learn and assimilate technique is when you apply it to real songs.
8. HOW TO LEARN RASGUEADO OR FLAMENCO STRUMMING?
There are two types of strumming:
Supported strumming
This is where your thumb on the 6th or 5th string (depending on the chord you are playing) and strike your other fingers into the lower strings.
There are different rasgueados depending on the number of fingers you use (watch video below).
1 finger
- Shoot the index finger downwards playing all the strings at the same time.
- Take your index finger back up. Play all the strings at the same time.
- Middle finger down
- Index finger down
- Index finger up
3 fingers
- Ring finger down
- Middle finger down
- Index finger down
- Index finger up
4 fingers
- Pinky finger down
- Ring finger down
- Middle finger down
- Index finger down
- Index finger up
Tips
- Each cycle must respond to a black note, whether it is with 1, 2, 3 or 4 fingers
- Make sure to move the fingers from the knuckles
- Play towards the whole as the strings are softer
- The direction of the fingers needs to be slightly diagonal and not straight
Watch my video about 'supported rasgueados' technique:
Free strumming
In this case, you attack the keywords from the air. This is used in the 'abanico' ('fan' in Spanish) techniques.
This is a 50% wrist- and 50% finger- movement. The finger movements need to come from the knuckles to maximise strength and control.
Sequence
Tips
As you go down, it's important not to bring your wrist back up. This is a common mistake that prevents you from gaining speed.
When you practice, don't apply too much force. This will ensure the strings ring cleanly.
Watch my video about 'abanico' technique:
In this case, you attack the keywords from the air. This is used in the 'abanico' ('fan' in Spanish) techniques.
This is a 50% wrist- and 50% finger- movement. The finger movements need to come from the knuckles to maximise strength and control.
Sequence
- Thumb up - whole wrist up
- Ring down - index finger is still up and your wrist goes half way down
- Index down - your wrist goes all the way down
Tips
As you go down, it's important not to bring your wrist back up. This is a common mistake that prevents you from gaining speed.
When you practice, don't apply too much force. This will ensure the strings ring cleanly.
Watch my video about 'abanico' technique:
How to apply rasgueado or flamenco strumming?
There aren’t many rasgueado types but there are many rhythms.
You need to structure the techniques part by part otherwise you may get lost.
9. WHAT SCALES ARE USED IN FLAMENCO MUSIC?
There are two main harmonic modes used in flamenco:
Phrygian scale
There aren’t many rasgueado types but there are many rhythms.
You need to structure the techniques part by part otherwise you may get lost.
9. WHAT SCALES ARE USED IN FLAMENCO MUSIC?
There are two main harmonic modes used in flamenco:
Phrygian scale
When you hear a melody and you think it has a ‘flamenco feel’, the chances are this melody is in Phrygian mode.
Some flamenco styles that are typically in Phrygian mode are Solea, Tangos and Bulerias.
Major scale
Major scale
The most common flamenco style in major scale is ‘Alegrías’ (‘joys’ in Spanish).
A note about modulation in flamenco
Modulation, which is changing the key during a piece, is increasingly used in flamenco guitar. Not particularly in sung flamenco except in Solea, where they sometimes apply modulation but they come back to where they started.
In solo guitar though, modulation is practiced frequently. Vicente Amigo has songs with up to 8 modulations.
For example in this one you can see some examples of modulation.
A note about modulation in flamenco
Modulation, which is changing the key during a piece, is increasingly used in flamenco guitar. Not particularly in sung flamenco except in Solea, where they sometimes apply modulation but they come back to where they started.
In solo guitar though, modulation is practiced frequently. Vicente Amigo has songs with up to 8 modulations.
For example in this one you can see some examples of modulation.
Because each flamenco style is typically in a different key, in flamenco we don't use the word ‘modulation’, you simply go ‘from bulerias to alegrías...’.
10. PRACTISING FLAMENCO GUITAR
Warming up your muscles
It’s important to warm up your whole body before playing flamenco guitar. Apart from your finger tendons, which are very important to avoid tendonitis and other muscular problems, you should stretch:
There is a popular association with flamenco and a rock’n’roll way of life, but the truth is that many flamenco artists are increasingly embracing healthy lifestyles. I know many flamenco guitarists who are yoga specialist and eat vegetarian diets.
Warm-up exercises
Everytime you play, you first need to get acquainted with the strings and the techniques.
Beginners always think it isn't important to do these exercises, but it’s fundamental to get your fingers used to the strings. It’s like a car, you need to lubricate your engine for it to run smoothly.
A beginner flamenco student always wants to make a melody from the very start, but be patient!
Practice strumming and picado with only your right hand.
11. THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN LEARNING FLAMENCO GUITAR
You go too fast
In our ordinary life, we are used to normal movements such as walking, grabbing objects, sitting, or switching buttons. But we are not used to performing micro-movements.
To play flamenco guitar, we can't use the same mental process we use to perform everyday movements. When we put those micro-movements together like pieces of lego, we then have what we call a rhythm.
But getting to the point where you turn those micro movements into a coherent rhythm requires many movements in your mind. In order to do this well you need to go very slow.
...and I mean, VERY, slow.
When you start playing flamenco and getting better as a guitarist, it’s only too easy to try to play Paco De Lucia songs. In fact...
...Paco De Lucia is the last thing you should be trying.
Most people are prone to doing things quickly so they can show themselves they can do it as fast as possible.
To fight this you need to be aware of this impulse and have the maturity to persevere and be patient to improve your skills gradually.
In fact, the great guitarists of the World were already very developed in perseverance and patience when they started out. Vicente Amigo is a guitarist that has been famed for being a very perseverant guitarist since childhood.
10. PRACTISING FLAMENCO GUITAR
Warming up your muscles
It’s important to warm up your whole body before playing flamenco guitar. Apart from your finger tendons, which are very important to avoid tendonitis and other muscular problems, you should stretch:
- Your wrists
- Your traps
- Your back
- Your core
There is a popular association with flamenco and a rock’n’roll way of life, but the truth is that many flamenco artists are increasingly embracing healthy lifestyles. I know many flamenco guitarists who are yoga specialist and eat vegetarian diets.
Warm-up exercises
Everytime you play, you first need to get acquainted with the strings and the techniques.
Beginners always think it isn't important to do these exercises, but it’s fundamental to get your fingers used to the strings. It’s like a car, you need to lubricate your engine for it to run smoothly.
A beginner flamenco student always wants to make a melody from the very start, but be patient!
Practice strumming and picado with only your right hand.
11. THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN LEARNING FLAMENCO GUITAR
You go too fast
In our ordinary life, we are used to normal movements such as walking, grabbing objects, sitting, or switching buttons. But we are not used to performing micro-movements.
To play flamenco guitar, we can't use the same mental process we use to perform everyday movements. When we put those micro-movements together like pieces of lego, we then have what we call a rhythm.
But getting to the point where you turn those micro movements into a coherent rhythm requires many movements in your mind. In order to do this well you need to go very slow.
...and I mean, VERY, slow.
When you start playing flamenco and getting better as a guitarist, it’s only too easy to try to play Paco De Lucia songs. In fact...
...Paco De Lucia is the last thing you should be trying.
Most people are prone to doing things quickly so they can show themselves they can do it as fast as possible.
To fight this you need to be aware of this impulse and have the maturity to persevere and be patient to improve your skills gradually.
In fact, the great guitarists of the World were already very developed in perseverance and patience when they started out. Vicente Amigo is a guitarist that has been famed for being a very perseverant guitarist since childhood.
There is a point where you need to get very clear with your music and use it as a base. There are a minimum of things which you can play blind-folded. For that you need to play within your level.
You lose focus
The guitar is a very versatile instrument used in a myriad of genres. This encourages some people to play a wide variety of music types, such as blues, jazz and pop, in addition to flamenco.
This causes people to bounce from one genre to another.
Myself I would love at some point to learn blues guitar. But when I do that, I will dedicate myself exclusively to playing blues. In flamenco, playing for sung flamenco is totally different to playing for the dancers. Then, if you play solo it’s even more different. Each style, each situation is a World in itself.
There is no other way of growing than the utmost focus in your target genre.
12. WHAT FLAMENCO ARTISTS SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO?
This will depend on what artists you have already listened to. These are the artists that have made you fall in love with flamenco!
From there, my recommendation is that you rewind and listen to the classics all the way to your reference artists.
For example if you have listened to Paco de Lucia, you need to go back to the classics and listen through to Paco. In Paco de Lucia’s case, he has a massive classic influence while being a turning point in flamenco music.
The main 3 classic flamenco guitarists are:
Sabicas
You lose focus
The guitar is a very versatile instrument used in a myriad of genres. This encourages some people to play a wide variety of music types, such as blues, jazz and pop, in addition to flamenco.
This causes people to bounce from one genre to another.
Myself I would love at some point to learn blues guitar. But when I do that, I will dedicate myself exclusively to playing blues. In flamenco, playing for sung flamenco is totally different to playing for the dancers. Then, if you play solo it’s even more different. Each style, each situation is a World in itself.
There is no other way of growing than the utmost focus in your target genre.
12. WHAT FLAMENCO ARTISTS SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO?
This will depend on what artists you have already listened to. These are the artists that have made you fall in love with flamenco!
From there, my recommendation is that you rewind and listen to the classics all the way to your reference artists.
For example if you have listened to Paco de Lucia, you need to go back to the classics and listen through to Paco. In Paco de Lucia’s case, he has a massive classic influence while being a turning point in flamenco music.
The main 3 classic flamenco guitarists are:
Sabicas
Niño Ricardo
Ramon Montoya
An important thing to bear in mind is that these classics didn't lead to Paco, because...
...Paco would have existed anyway...
When it comes to modern guitarists, you need to consider the context, as technique evolves.
It’s like football: a 10-year-old kid today does not play the same way as a 10-year-old kid 30 years ago. The same applies to flamenco., as techniques and tools become more sophisticated.
13. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR NAILS FOR FLAMENCO
A good nail polish with vitamins is going to condition your nails and prevent them from breaking. I recommend only natural remedies. Do not hesitate to ask fellow guitarist how they are taking care of their own nails.
Try always to avoid aggressive products for the nails like porcelain or gel. These products make your nails become like cardboard. Then when you remove it your nail is worn out and you need to wait for it to grow again.
When it comes to filing them, they always need to be almost completely straight with a soft angle on the side.
For classical guitar you might want to have longer nails, but because flamenco is very fast and percussive, your nails would break if they were too long.
14 THE RIGHT GUITAR TO LEARN FLAMENCO GUITAR
...Paco would have existed anyway...
When it comes to modern guitarists, you need to consider the context, as technique evolves.
It’s like football: a 10-year-old kid today does not play the same way as a 10-year-old kid 30 years ago. The same applies to flamenco., as techniques and tools become more sophisticated.
13. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR NAILS FOR FLAMENCO
A good nail polish with vitamins is going to condition your nails and prevent them from breaking. I recommend only natural remedies. Do not hesitate to ask fellow guitarist how they are taking care of their own nails.
Try always to avoid aggressive products for the nails like porcelain or gel. These products make your nails become like cardboard. Then when you remove it your nail is worn out and you need to wait for it to grow again.
When it comes to filing them, they always need to be almost completely straight with a soft angle on the side.
For classical guitar you might want to have longer nails, but because flamenco is very fast and percussive, your nails would break if they were too long.
14 THE RIGHT GUITAR TO LEARN FLAMENCO GUITAR
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Your perfect guitar will depend on what type of flamenco artist you prefer. In general, there are two fundamental elements in a good flamenco guitar:
You should be able to try out different guitars and choose the one you feel most comfortable with. Read my flamenco guitar buying guide for more information about choosing the perfect guitar. |
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15 FLAMENCO TABS AND MUSIC SHEET
In general, music sheet and tabs are not used in flamenco guitar. Flamenco styles need to ‘smell’.
The problem is that music on a paper does not ‘smell’. They can indicate you a piece but it does not define the phrasing, the ‘falsetas’ (licks), the closing points of the licks, the variations, the introductions or the closing of the piece..
Those are elements that you can only learn by studying the flamenco styles.
Once you understand styles properly you can use music sheet to further improve your skill and understanding.
Remember, the first point of contact with flamenco must be:
- Natural
- Intuitive
If you are from Huelva, you might have grown up with ‘fandangos de Huelva’, whereas if you are from Jerez de la Frontera, you might have an ‘intuition’ for ‘bulerías’. This explains why music sheet and notation is redundant in the evolution of flamenco music.
Related: Why you are wrong learning flamenco guitar through tabs
16. FLAMENCO GUITAR TUNING
Paradoxically, there are many professional flamenco guitarists that play out of tune. They simply don't have the habit of tuning their guitar.
As you can expect, the aggressive attack of the flamenco guitar makes it prone to quickly go out of tune.
I always tune my guitar very well to make sure I'm always prepared. This is something once a classical guitarist taught me through harmonics.
A flamenco guitar has a lot of variability. There are two important things to consider about tuning your flamenco guitar:
- When you change the style or ‘palo’, you need to tune specifically to play that palo always.
- The tuner is in your head. That device you call the tuner is an adjuster. Ultimately, the tuning needs to feel right for you.
CONCLUSION
Flamenco guitar is not just a musical instrument and flamenco is not just music.
When you learn flamenco guitar you also learn a cultural expression with universal human values that are understood and interpreted Worldwide.
If you really want to make flamenco part of your life, you need a good teacher that coaches to you always keep motivated, and you need the right mindset.
You need to marry with the beauty of flamenco, this is what is going to keep you going in the long run. The rest is technique and practice!
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