Vengo de Minneapolis... falto caravana.

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mjhoerr

Posts: 25
Joined: Jan. 12 2013

Vengo de Minneapolis... falto caravana.

Hello Everyone,

I have been reading threads on this site for little while now and thought that it was time to introduce myself.

I live in Minneapolis, MN and have been playing for about three years now. I began by taking lessons with Michael Hauser here in MN and have been dropping in to play for baile classes at Zorongo Flamenco for a couple of years now. Also, have been taking lessons with Michael's brother Tony to work on theory and sight reading. Just recently started taking lessons with Payo Humberto who has been teaching me cante accompaniment. So currently taking lessons from three different maestros at irregular intervals. I wonder if taking lessons from more than one person at a time is productive but I want to learn it all, ya know?!

My flamenco journey began in 2006 when I went to study abroad in Toledo, Spain for a year. My understanding of Flamenco then was superficial; to me it just created a nice ambiance for pursuing those elusive espanyolas. I wasn't able to discriminate between flamenco pop or flamenco puro, it was all the same to me.

I have always profoundly missed living in Spain. A return trip in 2009 to go stay with a friend in Granada for the summer only intensified this. Having to leave Spain for a second time was extraordinarily difficult for me. In an effort to fill the void and preserve the memories of my friends I turned to Flamenco.

As an afficionado, I started out at out Los Delincüentes and Pata Negra, then became a Paco-Camaron fanboy for a year or so then got really turned on by traditional baile accompaniment. Right now the bee's knees for me is Cante. To me it is the end all and be all. I like listening to solo stuff but if a cantaor doesn't come in eventually I start to get bored. I've been working on understanding cante accompaniment but as soon as the cantaor starts in I have to keep reminding myself that I am supposed to be listening to the guitar. I guess my Spanish has finally gotten to the level where I can start to enjoy and appreciate the finer things.

Anyways, I am glad to have found this foro. You guys seem like a supportive bunch who will be a great resource in my development as a flamenco. To me flamenco=community and is not so much a form of music as a way of life; a way to remain connected to a place I have great affection for and means to pay homage to those who I have had to leave behind.

-Matthew

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2013 20:42:58

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis (in reply to mjhoerr)

Welcome to the Foro, Matthew. I am sure you will enjoy it as fabulous resource, entertainment and place to contribute your expertise and thoughts, in a community that [some more some less -like me] will understand and appreciate you.

If you have any music you want to share, there would be no better introduction...
... but we are willing to wait

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2013 21:11:22

mjhoerr

Posts: 25
Joined: Jan. 12 2013

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis (in reply to mjhoerr)

Sure thing!

I am a English Language teacher and brought my guitar in one day to show some of my students and it turned into an impromptu concert in the school library. My playing was a bit shaky from being put on the spot but I think that it is a fair representation of where my playing is at currently.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2013 21:50:37

FredGuitarraOle

Posts: 898
Joined: Dec. 6 2012
From: Lisboa, Portugal

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis (in reply to mjhoerr)

Olé Matthew! Your students have a cool teacher!

Welcome to the Foro.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2013 23:25:53

Erik van Goch

Posts: 1787
Joined: Jul. 17 2012
From: Netherlands

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis (in reply to mjhoerr)

Welcome to the foro. If taking lessons from more then 1 person at a time is beneficial depends from situation to situation. 1 good teacher and spending some quality time behind your instrument on a (near) daily base seems more productive then hopping from lesson to lesson, forgetting 1 thing with the other and maybe even being confronted with opposite advices/demands. On the other hand it cant hurt to experience different players/teachers/opinions/music over time, but you must safe some time to reflect and to give everything a place....you can't learn everything in one day and really have to build up things step by step.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2013 23:54:49

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis... falto ca... (in reply to mjhoerr)

That's awesome man, your students seem genuinely interested. If I brought my guitar to work people would just be bitter that I can't play any huapango tunes

Bienvenidos desde el cuidad de angeles!

_____________________________

\m/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2013 0:01:43

mjhoerr

Posts: 25
Joined: Jan. 12 2013

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis... falto ca... (in reply to mjhoerr)

I find that younger students tend to be much more open in this regard. They haven't yet been acculturated to prefer one style of music over the other. They simply react to how it makes them feel; if it sounds cool or is novel or interesting then they're all over it. You cant see it on the video because someone edited it but I initially played them something more modern (some chicuelo alegrias) thinking that they would be more receptive to that. But they kind of just sat there politely. When I started in with the tientos you could see the bodies start to squirm, eyes growing wide, smiles spreading. When I decided to call it quits I asked them if they wanted to hear anything else, you know what they had me play? An old school Perrico de Lunar falseta three times over. The rest of the day I felt like the Pied Piper with students following me around exclaiming, "Matthew! Matthew! Where is your guitar?! Come play for us!" A very happy day indeed!

¡Viva la joventud!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2013 0:23:43

mjhoerr

Posts: 25
Joined: Jan. 12 2013

RE: Vengo de Minneapolis... falto ca... (in reply to mjhoerr)

You're right the hardest part is juggling all the different material coming at you from all sides. My solution has been to work the same palo with each so that I am getting depth instead of spreading myself thin.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2013 0:50:46