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Hello everyone! Just got my first flamenco guitar today and I'm super excited to start learning. Problem is i have no idea where to begin.. Coming from southwest Minnesota i don't think anyone around here even knows what flamenco is, it was tough enough to find a good classical teacher (I have been taking classical lessons for 2 months and teaching myself more traditional acoustic fingerstyle for around 4 months). I guess my question is; what is the best way to approach learning flamenco? I figured learning rasgueado would be a good first step so ive been working on a 3-finger method, index, middle, ring down, then index up, and repeat. What other things should i begin with? Better/other ways of rasgueado? Are there any really good method book/DVD series i could buy online?
I truly recommend taking flamenco guitar lessons before buying any books or videos. If there are no teachers in your area, try Skype lessons. I've been taking online lessons with a foro member, Ricardo. The only thing I regret is not starting earlier.
I'll second what MikeC said. I started with books first and it's done nothing but get in my way. Lessons are the best way to go for flamenco. The only thing I would consider is maybe learning basic chords before starting lessons in case you haven't played guitar at all before.
I think a good way to learn (outside of lessons etc) is from people who are learning too - maybe we should set up a Skype group (/support group!) or something where we can share notes as beginners. I was tempted to setup a youtube channel, but not sure how interesting me practicing badly for an hour would be.
Go well together and are both quite new. I'd forgo Juan Martin's other books for now - although they are good for more material, they are complex and quickly drop you in at the deep end.
One important thing I wish someone had told me is to learn compases and falsetas. Don't learn pieces. Or atleast don't learn everything as 30/40/50+ bar pieces but break them down. Mix and match those components. If you see a piece in a book that's long, pick out a nice compas section in it and work on that only. This is probably obvious to some but I wish i'd twigged this early.
One other thing, if you have skype lessons, record them (if the teacher doesn't)! It's invaluable especially with complex rhythm to see it played on repeat.
Hopefully some of that is useful, good luck and have fun!
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