Spanish Guitar Songs

Spanish guitar songs are part of the folklore of Spain and date back hundreds of years. The styles, meters and accents used in many of the flamenco forms all have their roots in these early beginnings. Normal, everyday working people would sing songs and they were handed down as part of tradition from one generation to the next. The earliest from of Spanish guitar song is known as Palo Secos which was a simply story telling musical form and unaccompanied by any music. This is actually quite common for many early songs, one has only to think of ancient Ireland and Sean Nos musical form where the exact same is true.

Many of the early flamenco songs were sung in the Andalucían gypsy language and are known as Palos, there are over 50 of them in total. It must be noted that the main force behind flamenco is lyrical and very often flamenco is entirely open the interpretation of the performer. The songs typically talk about tales of lost love, pain and heart ache as well as lighter topics which are more festive. An exact breakdown of the styles of Spanish guitar songs is difficult as so many interpretations exist with the context of each style.

Flamenco at its heart is basically rooted in improvisation.

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The singer will often sing a different version of lyrics every time and freely combine them, there is a basic framework but much the same as we understand jazz music, the performer is free to create their own sense of passionate flamenco expression within that structure. You’ll often here how a Spanish guitar song is ‘in the style of’ to indicate that its structure is set within that well known framework but nothing more than that can be assumed without actually hearing it. It's an important to have this in mind when learning all your Spanish guitar lessons.

The Best Spanish Guitar Songs

There are actually quite a few categories of Spanish songs and as you become more and more familiar with flamenco music you’ll gradually become more and more used to how they are defined. Popular examples include Bulerías, Tientos, Soleares and Farruca. In each case a set structure is present however it is down to the performer to impose their own passion and flare for flamenco upon the framework. One of the ways in which great flamenco soloists are identified is through their ability to innovate within the song forms while still remaining true to the pure heart of flamenco and its traditions.

As a student it’s good to remember that all things can be simplified or made more complicated. It’s all about finding a level which is going to be within the reach of your technical abilities so you can express yourself. One of the biggest mistakes students can make is to struggle to play things which are simply beyond them at this point in time. It’s far better to simplify the complexity of what is there while still protecting its central core of emotional feeling. This is how we get authentic sounding Spanish guitar songs while still making them within the reach of beginners or students of flamenco guitar.

As your technical facility improves on guitar you’ll be able to attempt more complex arrangements of the same songs. It’s all about keeping an even learning curve and never over extending yourself to the point where it becomes unrealistic to be able to perform the song given you current level on Spanish guitar.