Hi out of the Alps

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Hi out of the Alps

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dreolino

Posts: 49
Joined: Feb. 4 2013

Hi out of the Alps

Muy Buenas,

I am Andee and bumped into this forum lately. I already lived in Granada and las Alpujarras for a year in 2011 and sucked in the "aire" and basically had enough to do/was too busy learning the language. Everything was overwhelming and I rarely touched my guitar there. Eventually a year later, I dared to start practicing flamenco guitar. It is really difficult for me as I play complete different styles...anyways. My intention here is to share my path a little bit with you guys and hope for inspiration and motivation. Unfortunately, where I live (which is Vienna atm) there is a flamenco desert which is really frustrating sometimes when I am not able to share my passion for this art. I'm learning basically everything via internet now. It is a pity that I was mentally not ready to start playing back when I used to live in Graná...whatever, hope, at some point to be able to play a strong compás and can express myself in that way and maybe even combine it with my own style. A lot of people here have a really high level. Im loving it.

I uploaded an attempt of a soleá for you guys:

and this is on festival in el albayzín in 2011:

see you guys around

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2013 13:46:48

Argaith

Posts: 481
Joined: May 6 2009
From: Iran (living in London)

RE: Hi out of the Alps (in reply to dreolino)

Hi Andee,

Welcome to the Foro Flamenco.

Your Solea has a nice tone but your compas is not consistent. Compas is the essential element of Flamenco without which you can't really call it Flamenco.

Good luck and keep playing.
A

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2013 14:48:05

Erik van Goch

Posts: 1787
Joined: Jul. 17 2012
From: Netherlands

RE: Hi out of the Alps (in reply to dreolino)

Welcome to the foro and greetings from Holland.

In Soleares you indeed tend to vary your speed according to the amount of time you need to play the notes. In general you tend to slow down when things become more difficult (for instance when lots of notes have to be played in 1 beat) and you speed up again in beats that are more easy to play. That's a common lack of control/awareness most of us suffered in the beginning. Best thing is to make sure you understand exactly which notes belong to which (part of the) beat and to adapt a speed that allows you to play the more difficult parts without slowing down. This means you have to slow down the more easy to play bits to this lower speed as well. You'll probably experience that playing easy to play parts more slowly can be equally difficult as playing the more difficult parts a little faster :-)

Personally when i study new and old material i generally work on small bits and pieces only, selecting a few notes at the time trying to get them better and better focusing on various aspects at the time. My first aim is to understand there context and to play them with a fluent technique, not minding the rhythm yet (i take all the time i need to make sure my fingers/hand/arm move the correct way). Once the correct moves are covered i play it with the correct rhythm/interpretation....first slowly and gradually faster. Once i can play it fast enough i glue it to other parts i also studied separately. If i choose to play a whole compas/piece i select a speed that allows me to include the more difficult parts without fluctuating the rhythm....when playing for real the challenge is to keep a steady rhythm at all time and to know exactly what is going on. If things go wrong (again) i study that little part separately without the pressure of having to play it then and now (again giving full attention to each note taking as much time as i need to play it correctly).

You should abandon that last Am chord. It suggest that soleares is played in the Aminor scale (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,a) wile in reality Soleares is played in F-phrygian (e,f,g,a,b,c,d,e), same notes but different tonal feeling/ending. In general soleares does end on beat 10 on it's basic chord E.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2013 15:50:13

dreolino

Posts: 49
Joined: Feb. 4 2013

RE: Hi out of the Alps (in reply to dreolino)

thanks for the feedback!!

yeah, I'm totally aware that Im completely out of compás but still, I cant help it.
One technical problem I have is, I always get stuck with my nails!

Main goal: Finally understand the compás. Theoretically I get it but when I play, it is kind of impossible to count at the same time. It really needs to get fully in my system that consequently there is no need for counting and everything comes naturally and smooth...

I do the online classes of Adam del Monte and he actually explains everything quite well and detailed. Things just take forever it seems. PATIENCE

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2013 16:58:23

Erik van Goch

Posts: 1787
Joined: Jul. 17 2012
From: Netherlands

RE: Hi out of the Alps (in reply to dreolino)

ORIGINAL: dreolino

quote:

One technical problem I have is, I always get stuck with my nails!

Deal with that first! Possible solutions:

Make them shorter/optimize shape
Optimize the angle/direction of plugging/energy transposal
Optimize the curve of the fingers
Try to play with totally relaxed fingers (the more relaxed, the more flexible to resistance).

Try to figure out what happens when things go wrong and what is different when things go wright. Study single fingers at various speeds (a very low speed is excellent since then the tendency to get stuck is even bigger dude to the lack of speed/mass).