Ritmo as important as falsetas

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CarloJuan

Posts: 169
Joined: Sep. 19 2010
From: Philippines

Ritmo as important as falsetas

I know that flamenco guitarists need to have a huge repertoire of available falsetas in hand for any palo but such the thought arises to me that having the same amount of varying ritmos is important as well.

I've been practicing some falsetas in bulerias and i honestly get bored with the usual A at the 12th beat and Bb on the 3rd beat then back to A at the 10th. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO VARIATE COMPAS!!

I know this is basic and essential but how do you variate the simple compas of the bulerias, alegrias, solea, or any palo in the family of 12ths? Sometimes the falseta is awesome enough to hear and enjoy but the ritmo that comes before or after it (llmada?), if played by the performer with aire, is what it takes more enough to make the "ooohs" and "aaahs" that make the whole flamenco listening experience so worthwhile and addicting.

My dear fellow comrades, do you have any suggestion as to how have an inventory of varying "ritmos" for each palo? Do you have a book suggestion? Or do i have to cifra my way to it and gain it through experience?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 9:47:45

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

play, play, play, listen, listen, listen, play, play, play...
it's even better when you play for a dance class too...you need to be very comfortable with the palo to be able to vary the rhythm...you can listen to and try to imitate variations, but after a while it'll just come naturally...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 9:56:16

kozz

Posts: 1766
Joined: Feb. 26 2009
From: Eindhoven NL

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

quote:

My dear fellow comrades, do you have any suggestion as to how have an inventory of varying "ritmos" for each palo? Do you have a book suggestion? Or do i have to cifra my way to it and gain it through experience?

Amigo,
if you go to Jason McGuire's website he has some compas-sets, where he only plays compas in different variations, for different palos.
Its a good way to start!
In the end its much fun only to play compas but every time a litte variation.

http://www.flamenco-lessons.com/

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 9:57:26

KMMI77

Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

I would recommend picking out little bits of rhythm that you find inspiring and trying to work them out with your ear. In the beginning you usually end up with something that is close but not quite right, as even when you work out all ofthe correct strokes , it can take ages until you can hear and play it in a cool way.

For me,I found that listening to Manuel Molina accompanying Loley helped broaden my understanding of bulerias rhythm in the beginning. He plays very laid back with a cool feel making it possible to hear his strokes and variations well.

You can also practice accompanying your own and others fasetas. Play along with a recording and practice listening for the accents in a falseta. Try to bring them out with rhythm accompaniment. I find that this also helps in identifying problems in my falseta playing, as when your rhythm playing improves so does the way you can hear and play the falseta.

The key is to look for pulsation in your rhythm. Take the standard a to b flat that you are sick of and try to re invent the way your playing it. It's only boring because the bounce is not there. Listen to every stroke, especially the up strokes with your first finger and your accent of the 3 for example. Are they all in the right place?

Playing really slowly and listening intently is the best way i have found to improve rhythm playing. You have to slow right down and make conscious changes to improve not only your technique, but your ear and understanding of the rhythm itself.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 10:50:00

NormanKliman

Posts: 1143
Joined: Sep. 1 2007

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

CarloJuan, I agree that rhythm is just as important, and I agree with what everyone else has said. Part of your playing time, over the week for example, should be spent picking up details from other players, and as KMMI77 said, you have to look carefully at what your fingers are doing.

It's important to look at the compás as a series of three-beat units. For bulerías you could count three actual beats (1-2-3) or the foot taps (12-2-4). If you learn a series of ideas for the different segments of the compás, you won't get bored as quickly and your rhythm will sound fresh as a result. Also, you should try to use a variety of right-hand techniques for the short ideas (if all of your endings are picado or whatever, it's going to sound repetitive). A lot can be done with just your index finger and golpes.

Here are some short ideas and rasgueados for bulerías.

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Be here now.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 11:15:55

Munin

Posts: 595
Joined: Sep. 30 2008
From: Hong Kong

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

I'm still very "rigid" when it comes to alegrias and soleares, but in bulerias this natural ability to vary the rhythm just came with time for me. That was also the point when I stopped internally counting and could just directly feel the rhythm. After a while you just get a feeling for what's right. Listening to a lot of music helps too, of course.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 11:39:04

fevictor

Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

One thing that helped me a lot was learning palmas. Throw on different bulerias by different artists and dedicate time each day to just listen closely to the rhythm and the remates, and clap along doing palmas. You can start to play within the rhythm doing palmas once the rhythm comes naturally to you, then this can be applied to your playing also.

Another thing that works well are compass loops. Play into a compass loop and just flow with the rhythm. If you make a mistake just pick it back up again. I recommend a six beat rhythm for bulerias. But be careful with this; Ricardo made a good point regarding compass loops: Dont solely practice with a compass loop because you will come to depend on one to play correctly. Use it as a beneficial tool, but also practice just with a metronome or foot tapping so that the rhythm just comes naturally.

I know exactly what you mean, and these are just some ideas that have helped me quite a bit.

Vic

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2010 20:45:16

CarloJuan

Posts: 169
Joined: Sep. 19 2010
From: Philippines

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

I've found out that some tend to do less but do "more" with the music. In relation to what KMMI77 said, Manuel Molina has solid compas. You could feel it, he doesn't need to impose it to you because you're just so attracted to the simplicity, straightforwardness of his aire. Just the same as doing a painting. Artists have to learn how to not over-do a painting and learn when to know if a painting is finished, lest it be overdone and spoiled.

I just hope and wish i could learn how to create and play those subtle ritmo nuances that are so essential in playing flamenco

Gracias

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 21 2010 12:23:36

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Ritmo as important as falsetas (in reply to CarloJuan)

Developing rhythmic strumming comes from accompaniment. Both cante and baile accompanyment have their own standards and methods, and both help train what you will need to make clever "personalized" strumming patterns. That is why accompanyiment is emphasized by solo players when asked what does it take to be a great flamenco player.

So starting off accompanying a dance class is where everything begins.

Ricardo

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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 23 2010 20:08:44