The Secret To Flamenco Guitar Chords

The first flamenco guitar chords you should learn are

Am , G7, E ad E7, C, Dm, F and B7

Just these alone will enable you start putting together some solid flamenco progressions such as Am - Dm - E7 - Am. Even when you take such a simple progression with easy flamenco guitar chords it only takes a little technique with the right hand to make the come alive. It's tons of fun especially if you are a beginner.

Another popular one would be Em - Am - Em - B7. This is very similar to the first example except that its tonal center is in a different key.

Of particular importance is the dominant V chord in the key. What happens here is flamenco music cadences onto the V chord extensively but rather than letting the cadence chord be a place of rest dissonance is deliberately introduced so that the chords internal harmony is in disarray. You feel the fire and the tension of the music at these important points and it's a classic example of how chords can be used to create theater in music.

Probably the most classic flamenco guitar chord of all is the V7b9, for example E7b9. If you were in the key of Am you could have the following chord progression

Am - G7 - F - E7b9

This is a classic flamenco chord cadence and of particular interest is the final V7b9 chord. In most styles of western music this is a safe resting place where the music is at rest however in flamenco the internal harmony of the chord is given a lot of energy (dissonance) which means the music is never allowed to find its place of peace. When you study flamenco guitar lessons from this harmonic perspective it can become a fascinating study into the mechanical aspects of the music. Kind of like examining the machinery at work behind the music.