Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Hey I was wondering if anyone wanted to pick one of the artistically inconsequential figures who have been unaccountably promoted by Mel Bay publishing and discuss them in a way which suggests to the uninitiated that buying one of their books might not be a tiresome digression from achieving a working concept of contemporary flamenco practice.
I would but I don't think I have the same grasp of the English language that you do so I'm not even sure what the questions is.... .....friggin los angeles school district failed me again.........
Funny question, but answering it would be pointless. Your comments about Mel Bay apply to any of the early method books put out in this series--not just those pertaining to Flamenco.
I bought and really enjoyed Steve Kaufmans recent book and DVD twofer "Complete Flatpicking Guitar" published by Mel Bay. Loads of great stuff in that book.
Funny question, but answering it would be pointless. Your comments about Mel Bay apply to any of the early method books put out in this series--not just those pertaining to Flamenco.
I think that when it pertains to music, method books always leave something to be desired. It's nearly impossible to verbalize the minutia that goes into organizing sounds into a coherent message. Especially when we're talking about such a highly stylized form as flamenco.
As far as Mel Bay, they published several books of sheet music that I'm pretty happy with.
I would but I don't think I have the same grasp of the English language that you do so I'm not even sure what the questions is.... .....friggin los angeles school district failed me again.........
funny.
Actually, it makes me think about what someone that writes a question like that does for a living. Either a lawyer or someone who writes user manual for Korean products.
Hey I was wondering if anyone wanted to pick one of the artistically inconsequential figures who have been unaccountably promoted by Mel Bay publishing and discuss them in a way which suggests to the uninitiated that buying one of their books might not be a tiresome digression from achieving a working concept of contemporary flamenco practice.
D.
Juan Serrano...not artistically "inconsequential" in history, but I think he is semi retired.
These kind of books are no sub for serious one on one study with a maestro...but I have seen students use his "method" in a classical way and come out with something. It depends more on the student than the book or teacher in the end. Comparing his playing to other method guys, he has decent compas (ie a steady tempo that other teachers lack, and this needs to be an important focus for students right from the start).
For "the real thing" in terms of books and scores, get hands on Alain Faucher's scores. YOu have to decipher his method for notating rhythms and such, but once you get it, it is quite accurate and because they are note for note transcripts of the maestros, you can be assured you are getting the proper "working concept or contemporary flamenco practice". Method books tend to water things down and make learning seem more "appealing" rather then jump into what students that really want to get somewhere need to do.