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Browsing through some of the many You Tube flamenco videos around these days, I noticed that many of the players curl their thumb and 'hook' the nail on the bass string when executing rasgueados. Is this standard procedure these days?
I've been out of touch with the art for a number of years, but learned to play flamenco( basic soleares, alegrias, fandangos de H) in Madrid back in the late 1950's, and do not remember ever being told to 'hook' my thumbnail when playing rasgueados. Is this something new, or just another rasgueado variation that I never saw back then?
I've always played rasgueados with the extended thumb either resting on the guitar face or sometimes on the bass string, but never hooked the nail on the string? Am I missing something here? Maybe I need a few lessons in 'modern' rasgueado terchniques. . .
Posts: 14845
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: 'Hooking' the thumbnail in rasgu... (in reply to britguy)
quote:
ORIGINAL: britguy
Browsing through some of the many You Tube flamenco videos around these days, I noticed that many of the players curl their thumb and 'hook' the nail on the bass string when executing rasgueados. Is this standard procedure these days?
I've been out of touch with the art for a number of years, but learned to play flamenco( basic soleares, alegrias, fandangos de H) in Madrid back in the late 1950's, and do not remember ever being told to 'hook' my thumbnail when playing rasgueados. Is this something new, or just another rasgueado variation that I never saw back then?
I've always played rasgueados with the extended thumb either resting on the guitar face or sometimes on the bass string, but never hooked the nail on the string? Am I missing something here? Maybe I need a few lessons in 'modern' rasgueado terchniques. . .
It is an age old practice, even I heard Ramon Montoya do it. The idea is bending the thumb pulls the hand up so the fingers can flick off and "snap" into the bass strings. Originally it is not meant for all or even most rasguedo, at least based on recordings I have heard. Continuous strokes can be heard using this technique for siguiriyas llamadas for example. Other times it is just index snap opposite a ring golpe. For sure the eamii continuous as you describe where the thumb rests on the 6th but straight or on the soundboard was heard more often for certain passages, but both ways of doing it are equally old I would say.
Nowadays there is a trend to to more marked and clear separated strokes with rasgueado and the bent thumb flick will be used for things like Solea, Alegria Tangos etc....but not totally at the loss of the old technique. It is a miss conception that this technique should be used for ALL rasgueado, and that it is MODERN to do it at all. A good example is "la Barrosa" by PDL. Though it is a modern piece, a mix of colorful rasgueados are used.
Notice at :23 the thumb is straight so he can make a bright brushing sound against the trebles with melody on top. Then at :26 he bends the thumb to shoot into the D string for a more dark sound.
notice Melchor do it right at :42, bent thumb snapping the basses. he is very OLD SCHOOL player, this ain't modern style technique.
RE: 'Hooking' the thumbnail in rasgu... (in reply to Ricardo)
Muy muchas gracias, Ricardo:
I guess I just did not get around very much in Spain when I was young ( no car, poor train services - all with Guardias Civiles with loaded rifles - onboard, this was the Franco Regime), and we had no videos, etc. In those days most of our learning came from trying to play along with scratchy old 78's, worn to hell by constant replaying of difficult passages.
I especially appreciated the video of Melchor de Marchena, who was one of my favourite players in the '50s. I had an old 78 of him accompanying La Nina ( de Los Pienes) on Seguiriyas. I remember he played some striking falsetas, most of which I could not hope to copy, but tried anyway. Unfortunately, my old 78's all got broken eventually. But I have saved the video link you sent, and will watch it frequently.
Thanks for your time and expertise. You are a valuable asset to this Forum. . .
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