flamenco schools in Spain

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doublek

Posts: 124
Joined: Mar. 13 2006

flamenco schools in Spain

Dears,

I am planning by next year to go to Spain to study flamenco guitar for one year and i made some researches on the internet ,I found a lot of schools in Spain but i need support from people who passed through this phase before and have a good experience about it ,i am looking forward to begin from scratch till i reach a professional level (bare in mind that i have- not bad knowledge about playing flamenco guitar ) but i want to begin right from scratch ,my question is i want to know which school is the best (i mean some one passed through this experience) and also if you have info about lodging it will be helpful ,i dont have any problem to go any place in Spain but i am looking for a place to get committed to as a student bare in mind that i am in early 30s is there any problem about age there?. thank you every bodyand wish you all a happy eastern :)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2011 12:51:41

dionysius

Posts: 13
Joined: Sep. 13 2008
From: Eugene, Oregon

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to doublek)

doublek,

I spent a few months at Carmen de las Cuevas in Granada, learned a lot, and enjoyed it. I also researched extensively, and couldn't find any intermediate cursos or rent cheaper. I remember Madrid y Barcelona being pretty expensive. That said, I also found local flamencos who taught community / local classes in Prado del Rey (near Jerez), and they only charged me something like 20 euros for a month of classes, which was palos, cajon, and guitar. So there are always local options if you know where to look:)

I had studied on my own for a while via books, but felt as though I hit a wall and needed a teacher (which I did). I would recommend getting basic technique and compas down before spending the $$$ on classes. I think you'll get a lot more out of guitar courses if you have a basic working knowledge of flamenco and palos going in. I knew an older gent who started from scratch like you describe, and he spent all his time developing basic picado, arpeggios, rasgueo, etc. I don't recommend growing your nails concurrently with paying for classes:) IMHO starting from scratch like this is a waste of a ton of money, but I'm also a cheap bastard, and didn't have anywhere near enough cash money to spend a year in Spain.

Cheers, Jordan

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2011 21:11:28

Adam

Posts: 1156
Joined: Dec. 6 2006
From: Hamilton, ON

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to doublek)

I did 5 weeks at Carmen de las Cuevas and also enjoyed it a lot. The other big one I know of is Cristina Heeren in Sevilla. I'd prefer Carmen de las Cuevas because I can't get enough of Granada, but that might just be my personal taste. It's more flexible than Cristina Heeren (Carmen de las Cuevas goes per week, while Cristina Heeren does academic year and summer courses), which may or may not matter depending on your schedule. From what I've heard they're both pretty similar in that you're in small group classes learning falsetas, technique, and a bit of accompaniment.

As for accomodoation, Cristina Heeren will help you find an apartment but doesn't offer any, while Carmen de las Cuevas has its own apartments you can stay in. The main accomodation is in the Albaicín pretty far up, which is fun (it's very old and authentic Andalucía) but can get old after a couple of weeks of schlepping 15 minutes uphill to get home after long nights on the town

They do have a couple of pisos on the Paseo de los Tristes which I think is a great location. My room there had a small balcony looking up to the Alhambra, very nice.

Another option, possibly if you're a little more adventurous, would be to skip schools entirely and get an apartment somewhere - Granada, Sevilla, Jerez, Cádiz, whatever - and immerse yourself in the flamenco scene, learning from teachers and on the street. Either way you may well want to spend a couple of weeks in Granada doing the Carmen de las Cuevas beginners course, which as far as I could tell from my friends who did it will give you a decent foundation in the technique and some simple material in palos.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2011 0:28:22

bursche

Posts: 1182
Joined: Jul. 19 2007
From: Frankfurt, Germany

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to Adam)

quote:

Another option, possibly if you're a little more adventurous, would be to skip schools entirely and get an apartment somewhere - Granada, Sevilla, Jerez, Cádiz, whatever - and immerse yourself in the flamenco scene, learning from teachers and on the street.

The one and only way!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2011 19:17:39

Munin

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

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to doublek)

It probably depends on your Spanish ability but I personally think the best approach is to go to a school like Carmen for 2-4 weeks to get a feel for the place, make some friends and meet flamencos easily, find some good private teachers and then go out and do your own thing. I did it that way and I think without the school in the beginning, it's easy to feel a little lost at first, especially if your Spanish isn't up to snuff yet. But your mileage may vary.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2011 14:41:18

doublek

Posts: 124
Joined: Mar. 13 2006

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to doublek)

Dears,

Thank you all for your response ,i really believe that all your opinions are right specially that i am not good Spanish speaker which means that i will need support ,so i believe i will go first to discover how it works in Carmen 1st then i will decide what will be the next step.Happy Eastern Amigos

Best Regards,
Doublek

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 23 2011 7:43:30

Paul Magnussen

Posts: 1805
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)

RE: flamenco schools in Spain (in reply to doublek)

Perhaps I should mention the summer course in Córdoba: Paco Peña isn’t doing it any more, but I think they now have Paco Serrano. He used to teach privately as well and perhaps he still does, tell me if you’re interested and I’ll ask him.

I gave up going to the course because my girlfriend couldn’t stand the heat, which in July is murderous; now we visit our friends in Córdoba in Spring or Autumn.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 23 2011 16:27:09