Flamenco Guitar Lessons

It can be harder to find Flamenco guitar lessons than classical or standard acoustic guitar ones. This is largely because Flamenco guitar is a specialised way of playing and much less common.

The techniques used in Flamenco are also quite different from those of classical guitar especially where the strumming patterns and right hand techniques are concerned.

With the absence of a suitable teacher to go to most people will turn to the internet or books to find beginner Flamenco guitar lessons they can learn from. This is an approach which will work however it requires a lot of self motivation and students must be careful not to develop bad playing habits which could severely hamper their progress later on.

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Flamenco lessons will certainly teach you many similar techniques to classical guitar plus others which are specific to the genre. The most famous of these are Golpe where you use your fingers to tap on the body of the guitar, either above or below the strings, as you play. The taps are performed to coincide with the accents in the rhythmic meter being employed which will typically run over 12 beats. In order to protect your guitar from being damaged from extended use of Golpe over time, flamenco guitars are fitted with a transparent tap plate called a “Golpeador”.

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Rasgueado is another technique synonymous with Flamenco guitar lessons and is a particular type of strum performed with outward flicks of each finger. The aim is to achieve an evenly spaced roll which is very fast and reminiscent of the dancers feet or castanets. Alzapua is a technique employed by the thumb, it can be used for playing single notes or in a strumming motion across multiple strings. When both are combined quickly it results in a unique sound. Flamenco will also commonly use a Capo, or cijilla in Spanish, which will increase the brilliance of the guitar sound while also changing the key of the piece in order to suit the requirements of a singer.

Tremolo is taught commonly in both classical and Flamenco guitar exercises however the flamenco method does differ from classical guitar in that it’s played with a right hand pattern of p-I-a-m-I. This technique is rather hard to master and can often take many months of dedicated practice to perfect.

Students studying flamenco and flamenco guitar scales will need to have a high level of self motivation in order to succeed in the style. Obviously the earlier you start the better it tends to be but Flamenco guitar can be learned at any age assuming you have the patience and desire to follow all the way through with it. Daily practice is a must and it should form a habit which is consistent day after day without interruption. The value of having a good teacher who can not only play well but also understands how to teach correctly is invaluable and should you be lucky enough to find one near to you, you’ll be the envy of many other people trying to learn Flamenco guitar on their own! The best place to start is often by learning the basic flamenco guitar chords.

When learning any new technique the most important rule to obey is to practice it slowly and perfectly. Being able to ready flamenco guitar TABs fluently is also very important. This will significantly improve the rate at which you’ll improve and master the various techniques required to perform flamenco. Look for multiple learning sources too, in other words, it’s great to combine flamenco guitar lessons with a tutor plus to learn online and from books or DVDs all simultaneously.

Flamenco Guitar Music

When I was growing up I was in the lucky position of having a father that loved flamenco guitar music. Over the years he had collected many vinyl records from some of the greatest flamenco guitarists at the time and at night we would listen to them on the record player.

Even though today I have many pristine and digital recordings on flamenco music on my computer those scratchy, analog, earthy and warm 12" records are still my favorites. The sound would almost have you believe that you were in the same room as the artist. They are not perfect recordings, they are human and this only serves to increase the intimacy of the music.

Flamenco music on guitar is raw, percussive, passionate, firey and full of soul. When you put it together with the cultural aspects of Span - the food, the countryside, the way of life... the wine. You get an irresistible mixture!