Starting Out with Flamenco

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armanard

Posts: 1
Joined: Dec. 13 2015

Starting Out with Flamenco

Hello, people! Just an average guitar enthusiast here. I picked up the guitar as a teenager, learnt a few chords and a few simple riffs, but then not much more. Over the past year or so, I have begun to really like flamenco.

Now I want to learn how to play flamenco, and this time, I'm willing to put substantial effort into it. I am well-accustomed to the sound and feel of a classical guitar, but my technique is elementary at best. I bought Paco Peña's "Toques Flamencos", and I want to learn a few pieces from that book. I know that it might not be the best book for beginners (I read another forum post about this), but I still want to run with it.

Could you point me to some resources---YouTube videos and the like---which I could use as a guide to learn proper technique?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 13 2015 15:11:34

Dudnote

Posts: 1805
Joined: Nov. 13 2007

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

Welcome to the foro Armanard

When I had my first flameno lesson 16 years ago my teacher wryly said "I want you to forget everything you ever learnt about playing guitar". That was Nick Wilkinson, a student of Paco Pena. The point is there is no substitute at the beggining of a good teacher who can teach correct technique and compas. Several of the pros here do lessons online, so if there isn't a good flamenco guitarist near you then that would be a great option. Once you've some basics under your belt then Paco's book is a great resource.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 13 2015 16:39:37

Fisch

Posts: 32
Joined: May 27 2015

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

Rock on Armanard!!

Alternatively, you could check out our YouTube channel. We've just started by explaining some of the terminology, but soon you'll start to see some of the techniques explained & some exercises.

Plus I've got a few interviews with local artists in Sevilla coming up :)

https://www.youtube.com/c/flamencogypsy

Good Luck!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 13 2015 16:56:32

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

i put some stuff up once for beginners once , a while ago , maybe not to your taste , but you could have a look if you wanted ...

copy and paste this , i think

http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=204445&p=3&tmode=1&smode=1

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 13 2015 17:00:43

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to El Kiko)

Currently I'm on a break from flamenco, but when I started playing I discovered it was not as difficult to learn flamenco by yourself without a teacher, as long as you have the dedication and patience to learn. Later on I studied in Jerez a bit with a teacher but only learned some falsetas and basic Jerez stuff.
There's alot of info on this forum(I learned alot from here) and bunch of videos by pros and aficionados to learn from.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 13 2015 19:45:02

rob2966

Posts: 19
Joined: Dec. 7 2015

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

I have also been playing guitar for a while (30 years) but just started learning flamenco a few months ago. I also have the Paco Pena book but I think it is too advanced, especially if you are new to flamenco techniques, etc.

I am working my way through the following book+CD, "Juan Martin - El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra". I think it is a fantastic book for learning flamenco, in addition to the music and exercises, there is a lot of details about flamenco history, where the different styles originated from, etc. The pieces are essentially arranged in order of difficulty, and are quite representative of the styles.

The only drawback, this publication seems to be out of print, so it can be difficult to track down.

Later
Rob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2015 22:31:47

rob2966

Posts: 19
Joined: Dec. 7 2015

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

Also wanted to add that I am taking lessons from someone and this is what they recommended for starting out.

There are other books by Juan Martin but the one I mentioned seems to get the most favourable reviews.

later
Rob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2015 22:34:32

Leñador

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

RE: Starting Out with Flamenco (in reply to armanard)

PP's book is way too advanced for a beginner. You need a solid understanding of compas to pull those songs off.
JM's book is the so far about the best we've got for beginners, there's a couple things I would change but it's as good as it gets in terms of books for absolute beginners. The best guitar teachers i've had were bailaores and cantors that didn't play guitar lol.