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Hi, I have recently taken up playing flamenco guitar and so joined this forum. I am trying to incorporate golpe taps into my playing and find it a little tricky tapping and striking the strings at the same time. Has anyone else found this and if so do they know the best way of practicing this please ? So far, I have only been able to tap by slightly bending my right wrist, but doesn't this mean that the tap will arrive just slightly after striking the strings ? and I wondered what effect that would have on timing? many thanks davidj
Yes, I think it is perfectly normal to find this tricky at first. A bit like rubbing your stomach and patting your head.
Practice the technique outside of any music you are working on - no chord changes, compas, or anything else to add futher complexity.
Just finger an Emajor chord and strum downwards with your I finger in a steady rhythm - 1-2-3-4, adding the golpe on every fourth beat. Do this as slowly as you need to - speed is not important here as you are just trying to internalise that unnatural combination of downward strum with I whilst A taps on the soundboard.
One more thing - do you have a flamenco guitar? Golpe on a classical guitar is a little harder as the bridge is significantly higher, making the job of the A finger more difficult (ie there is a bigger gap between the strings and the guitar top, so A has further to travel).
Golpes are not usually done after the stroke (sometimes it will happen but it's not something aimed for). If you're having trouble, perhaps you need to adjust how you are positioning your right hand, particularly the ring finger and little finger (as often noted in tab and notation: a - anular, s or x or e or o - small finger). They should be relaxed and hanging, not curled into the hand. The positioning of your arm and how you are holding the guitar are also factors.
Here's a quick check: when you are holding your guitar and your right hand is set to play, is your thumb and fingers extending down to the strings (requiring your wrist to be straight and located higher than your bass E string) or are they curved a bit and extending into the strings and sound board (with your wrist more over the strings)?
Also check how far the palm of your right hand is from the strings/sound board. If your are holding it too flat and close, you will have a tough time tapping because you'll have to pull your anular finger up and away to clear the strings to hit the sound board. Last item is your guitar set up. how high are your strings over the sound board between the sound hole and the bridge. This more than anything else, effects the ease of tapping the sound board. I won't say there is a correct height as it is personal preference and style but if you are using a classical guitar with a classical bridge, and therefore a more "standard classical" string height (typically much higher than flamenco), it will be much tougher to learn golpes.
Many thanks for the replies to my query from Miguel de Maria, Jon Boyes, Jamey and Escribano !
Your advice is interesting and I will use it! Thank you for your welcome.
My guitar is a classical one, a Yamaha with a reasonable action, but I do take note that ideally I would be better off with a genuine flamenco guitar to play flamenco. I am certainly toying with the idea of getting one, but I am not so far very informed about the different makes and how to choose one in my budget. I had thought about going to Spain and buying one in the near future, but I am getting the impression that they are very expensive - would they be any less expensive in Spain than UK, please ?
Yes, I would recommend a student Bernal model. I have one and I am a fan but there are others (do a search on this forum for suggestions). It would be cheaper in Southern Spain but maybe not enough to justify the flight alone - may be take some lessons at he same time (about 20 Euros an hour).
You could hook up with Anders in Granada or Jonathan or Sean in Cadiz to help you decide on a guitar. They are members here so you might send them an email.
It makes a difference to how quickly you advance. I started on a Yamaha classical and it's action is HUGE compared to a flamenco set-up. The flamenco has less depth to the body as well, which it makes it more playable to my mind.
A Bernal student should cost about £450 in the UK, maybe less in Spain. What is your budget?
Anyway, David, talk to Anders. He knows the score when it comes to guitars produced in Andalucia (and presumably the rest of Spain). He's a straight shooter and will give you an informed opinion. He's a builder and a player in Andalucia (near Granada I think) so you should feel confident that he's giving you sound advice. Heck, he may even have a guitar for you or possibly know of one to get for you.
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