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It does take some time to build up to bulerías. Javier Molina said in an interview in the 1950s that, of all the toques, he thought that sevillanas was the easiest and bulerías the hardest. Obviously, he said that long before Paco came along and complicated things for all of us!!!
If you remember back to when you felt that you still couldn't play soleá or whatever, I'll bet that the difference is not that you now know more falsetas, but that you can maintain a simple rhythm pattern in a few different ways, using slight variations to keep things fresh. The problem with bulerías is that those little details go by in a flash, because of the tempo, and you have to learn twice as many to get the same results.
I'd say that, if your hands normally get too tired after just a minute or so, you've still got work to do in developing your hand strength. That will come with time. If that's not a problem, and your falsetas aren't too difficult (as Ramzi pointed out), maybe you need to spend a few months working on rasgueados. Again, if you do rasgueados a few different ways, that helps to keep things fresh.
It also helps to identify the different classic parts of a bulería that make it a bulería, and make sure that you have a few ways to handle each of those "categories." Hope you know what I'm trying to say.
And one more thing: Not all falsetas fit the same aire. You can make little changes in the aire in order to make certain falsetas fit better, but, because of the tempo, some falsetas are incompatible.
when is irrelevant. make a plan for when. you determine when. be realistic, make it happen and plan your progress.
that is when. when you take ownership of your skills and your shortcomings and execute a strategy to improve is when you will be able to play a fast buleria.
is this getting lost in translation ?...its pretty clear to anybody the guy is kidding, beeing playfull...it takes someone who knows the answer and is humble to be able to poke fun at something like that
nobody in the world would ask that seriously..OBVIOUSLY...i think its extremly humble joke that you guys missunderstood or got lost in translation
you have to take the red pill. this is what all the pros do. they just dont want their secret to be exposed.
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What, you still cant do it???
These answers were the ones I was hoping for!!!!
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its pretty clear to anybody the guy is kidding, beeing playfull...it takes someone who knows the answer and is humble to be able to poke fun at something like that
thanks flo you're right!!
I was just listening to an awesome Tomatito bulerias and had those "I wanna play like him" thoughts and just decided to ask this with my tongue firmly in my cheek, originally I had a string of different Smilies after it but deleted them for some reason.
thanks norman too for actually taking time to write a decent post with some helpful advice as usual!!
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That is an utterly proposterous question.
you're right! that's why I was hoping for some utterly proposterous answers!!
This may or may not be of use to you I am still on my journey with bulerias like everyone else. i have found so far the single most important thing apart from the obvious (good compas/technique/aire/ the right attitude, the right amount of aggression, when to put emotion in, etc etc) is to make sure your upstrokes are as strong or stronger than your downstrokes. I find now i really just tease the downstrokes and play the upstrokes much more aggressivly...play the downstrokes almost passively like you dont care about them. I have found this goes a long way to creating the right aire.
i have found so far the single most important thing apart from the obvious (good compas/technique/aire/ the right attitude, the right amount of aggression, when to put emotion in, etc etc) is to make sure your upstrokes are as strong or stronger than your downstrokes. I find now i really just tease the downstrokes and play the upstrokes much more aggressivly...play the downstrokes almost passively like you dont care about them.
If the upstrokes are on the offbeats this would add a syncopated feeling--good advice, Dom.
you must travel to tibet. not by air, but you must walk and crawl with all the creatures of the earth you meet along the way. Then you must climb the sacred mountain of the picado monks on your knees, backwards, three times daily until you have callouses the size of apricots.
then, you must spend ten years in total silence contemplating a single bunch of rotting bananas.
after that, you must spend another ten years trying to figure out how to become a being made entirely of fire. after that, another ten trying to move objects with your mind while being entirely invisible.
Then and only then will you be ready to even begin to play a masterful bulerias.
except you'll be made entirely of invisible fire, so people wont know its you playing lol
make sure your upstrokes are as strong or stronger than your downstrokes
Hi Dominic,
Sounds like good advice to me.
Especially when muting, I play a lot with an index upstroke before and after a downstroke, so it sounds like "que toma, que toma, que toma..." (downstroke falls on syllable "to-"). I think Ricardo posted something about that a month or two ago.
I wouldn't normally say that to a non-pro who's a nice guy like you are, but you kind of set me up. And you've been playing for a while. And, I've uploaded some pretty crappy bulerías in recent months, annnnd I'll be re-recording and re-posting a longer Christmas bulería before the holidays (same one as last year but better). Sooooo, let's see it!
Yeah. I was expecting a video request. I've pushed enough guys to post videos....
I'll do it. Just so difficult to find the right time with young kids. I play in the evening when they are sleeping. Oh maybe I'll take the guitar to work
Yeah. I was expecting a video request. I've pushed enough guys to post videos....
I'll do it. Just so difficult to find the right time with young kids. I play in the evening when they are sleeping. Oh maybe I'll take the guitar to work
The most remarkable part of this video is that they leave you alone! 😆
Mine seem to have this weird knack of immediately harassing me, climbing on me, causing a ruckus as soon as I start playing when they are around in the day... I can sit for an hr staying at my phone and they are utterly happy doing their things....I break out the guitar and blamo! They are on me! 😤
11 years ago that vid? guess they aint so small now
Not too early to get them started, get a couple cheap plywood ukes for them to bang around, think of it as a test, can you play under pressure ;)
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
Just like prepping for a gig with a bunch of yahoos in the bar running around in the middle of your set ;)
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
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