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Few questions about flamenco guitar
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ZaidRockso
Posts: 64
Joined: Dec. 20 2013
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Few questions about flamenco guitar
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Right so i'm relatively new to flamenco, trying to read and learn as much about it. Ok so my first question is regarding compas , is Compas 100% Strict? I mean i'm trying to learn compas one by one so i get an understanding, rather than mixing up between all of them , and i'm looking into Alegrias now, So the compas is 1 2 THREE 4 5 SIX 7 EIGHT 9 TEN 11 TWELVE . Is this strict? I mean does the thre 3 6 8 10 12 have to stand out / be accented? Will the 1 2 4 5 7 9 11 never be accented ? I sometimes listen to alegrias pieces and i can a 1 being emphasized or a 7 and a 9 being emphasized, and at time i can't even pinpoint the 3 6 8 10 12 because i don't hear any accents, either they're even, or silent. Now falsetas within an alegrias composition, Do these also have to obey the compas , where it accents and where it doesn't? Thanks i realize my question is broad, but i think this is a good place to ask!
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Date May 2 2014 19:53:59
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mark indigo
Posts: 3626
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
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RE: Few questions about flamenco guitar (in reply to ZaidRockso)
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sometimes those things you read about compás give a false impression. If you take the accented compás you quote [1 2 THREE 4 5 SIX 7 EIGHT 9 TEN 11 TWELVE ] and try to impose that on everything you hear you can get very confused! Yes you will hear that accent pattern a lot, but not all the time, and sometimes you will hear other versions. There are other variations that all fit into that 12 beat cycle but accent the compás in different ways. A common one is to accent the 7 instead of the 6 Also eg. in llamadas often 1, 2, 3 is marked very strongly, and then 7, 8 and 10 or 7, 8, 9, 10. In falsetas often you hear every 3rd beat accented - but it can be 1, 4, 7, 10 (especially in tremolo falsetas) or it can be 3, 6, 9, 12. So yeah you need to "understand" what you are listening to, but you need to listen to a lot of stuff so you have something to try to understand (if that makes any sense)! I saw a plaque on the wall in a Peña I visited that said "Saber como escuchar es un arte" - so true!
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Date May 2 2014 21:19:35
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mark indigo
Posts: 3626
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
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RE: Few questions about flamenco guitar (in reply to ZaidRockso)
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quote:
Any flamenco guitarist says compas is the most important thing, and if i can't understand it, can't count it when i listen to a piece, how am i going to progress As time goes on I think more and more often that "understanding" and counting are over-rated. When I play for dance classes the dance students that always ask what beat they have to come in on, or ask where the 1 is, or whatever, are also the ones who don't listen, or can't hear it for themselves (they want to understand first and maybe listen after, not listen first). Same in guitar workshops, guys not listening to the teacher demonstrating the falseta 'cos they are too busy asking for someone to write the falseta down for them.... I'm not saying don't try to understand things, or disregard counting completely, or don't use any other tools or materials in learning, but don't forget the traditional way of learning flamenco and the importance of listening. Another thing. The artists we listen to mostly grew up with this musical culture. It is more than just a style of music, it is a culture. And that takes a lot of listening, watching, and as much immersion as possible to catch up with! But hey, I assume you got the rest of your life?
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Date May 2 2014 21:26:15
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Mark2
Posts: 1930
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
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RE: Few questions about flamenco guitar (in reply to ZaidRockso)
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Compas is strict in that it's always there. It's sort of like a train rolling down the tracks. You jump on, stay on, and your good. Lose it and it's like falling off the train. Accents are different. You don't have to hit the main accents all the time-it would be extremely boring if you did, both in falsetas and rhythm. But as a newbie, you don't want to be randomly trying out new accents. You want to focus on simple standard ways of expressing the compas, and simple falsetas until those patterns become part of your DNA. Then you'll start to hear other ways of doing it. You'll start to hear when a player, singer, or dancer does something that's a little different, and you'll appreciate it for the cool variation it is. In flamenco, it's way more important to be spot on in the rhythm, than it is to play super clean. Better to fluff a note than to play it clean but fluff the rhythm. Compas is going on all the time. It's already there. You just have to learn to hear it, then play it, then play with it. Great flamencos toy with the rhythm like a cat toys with a mouse. they decide to accent 4 maybe in this part, then 7 1/2. the listeners hear him sorta going out, but then he plays a phrase that clears everything up, and it's like a resolution. But that's all for later. Learn it solid, then you can slowly vary the way you accent a particular phrase or rhythm. quote:
ORIGINAL: ZaidRockso Right so i'm relatively new to flamenco, trying to read and learn as much about it. Ok so my first question is regarding compas , is Compas 100% Strict? I mean i'm trying to learn compas one by one so i get an understanding, rather than mixing up between all of them , and i'm looking into Alegrias now, So the compas is 1 2 THREE 4 5 SIX 7 EIGHT 9 TEN 11 TWELVE . Is this strict? I mean does the thre 3 6 8 10 12 have to stand out / be accented? Will the 1 2 4 5 7 9 11 never be accented ? I sometimes listen to alegrias pieces and i can a 1 being emphasized or a 7 and a 9 being emphasized, and at time i can't even pinpoint the 3 6 8 10 12 because i don't hear any accents, either they're even, or silent. Now falsetas within an alegrias composition, Do these also have to obey the compas , where it accents and where it doesn't? Thanks i realize my question is broad, but i think this is a good place to ask!
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date May 2 2014 23:53:36
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