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Solo, yes... Cante, not so sure!
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orsonw
Posts: 1934
Joined: Jul. 4 2009
From: London
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 RE: Solo, yes... Cante, not so sure! (in reply to IraqiOud)
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quote:
So what I wanted to talk about is in regards to the cante part of Flamenco. For some reason I just don't seem to be able to accept the concept of learning something I don't understand, and since I don't speak Spanish I just can't get myself engaged into the singing part as much as the solo part. By that I mean not only learning how to accompany singers, but also to actually enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoy listening to solo guitar.
My first experience of flamenco was hearing a recording of a solea cante that really moved me. So I know the voice and guitar engaged me emotionally without understanding anything about flamenco or understanding the words. But I have found that cante is something I have grown to appreciate further the more I have explored it.
If you just enjoy the guitar that's fine, later you may or may not want to get deeper into flamenco and that has to involve cante. Flamenco is an art to be enjoyed, if it moves one. But we're not at school it's not compulsory to like cante.
Even native Andalusian aficionados can't always make out the words in a performance. And of course the 'Ays', which can have great impact are just noise. But if it's just language stopping you try these threads, there are translations:
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=290314&mpage=1&p=&tmode=1&smode=1&key=
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=98835&appid=&p=&mpage=1&key=cante%2Cappreciation&tmode=&smode=&s=#98835
Or if there is some cante that you like, post it on the foro, others here may be able to find the letra and translate it for you. Like this thread:
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=267652&mpage=1&p=&tmode=1&smode=1&key=quarter
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Date Apr. 3 2016 9:07:04
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Leñador
Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles
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RE: Solo, yes... Cante, not so sure! (in reply to IraqiOud)
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I also speak Spanish fairly well and have a tough time understanding the letras but for me at least it's a lot less about what's being said and much more how they are saying it. I listen to tons of Fados music and don't understand that either. I just don't feel like the actual words are necessary for enjoying something, just getting the feeling of it is good enough. In fact I've had a few instances where I really like something, look up the words and think "hmm, kinda weird lyrics.". But it's fine, it's all about the feeling and the meaning not so much.
That being said, yes, I did not like cante when I started, not exactly sure how it happened, a trip to Spain helped but now I hardly listen to solo guitar. I just want more cante in my ears. Like Davrom said, keep exploring, find someone's voice you like and latch on. I actually liked Camaron the least when I started and now I'm kind of obsessed with him. Your tastes will change, just keep listening.
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Date Apr. 3 2016 11:33:45
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Ricardo
Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: Solo, yes... Cante, not so sure! (in reply to IraqiOud)
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As a kid I loved singing and jumping on my bed. Later when I got into serious guitar music, I really disliked rock and pop singing. I dove deep into the world of instrumental music, including jazz and classical. For a LOOOONG time that was my feeling. Then I rediscovered singing via the Beatles and others. I got into flamenco at that same time, so I was both into very deep cerebral long instrumental pieces, AND discovering cante, got the point of it right away (musically) and though I didn't understand lyrics, was already solidifying my tastes in singers styles. Not much has changed since then, just my deeper understanding, and in regards to cante I must admit I gravitate to the older singers since a long time now. Rito y Geografia is an excellent source for learning more about it all.
Ricardo
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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
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Date Apr. 3 2016 17:23:14
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estebanana
Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009
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RE: Solo, yes... Cante, not so sure! (in reply to IraqiOud)
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You think the lyrics of Led Zep, Foreigner, Garth Brooks or most Blue Grass
is high literature? 
Many letras are in older forms of colloquial Spanish, they might not be said that way today, but they a context and this is usually rooted in Andaluz culture. So when you pick up on cultural markers or go to Spain and get into the head space of the South, you begin to see why the poetry of the letras works.
Letras are are not usually narratives, usually they are poetry fragments sewn together by the singer for an effect of mood rather than saying something specific. Listening to letras or reading them is like looking through an album of snap shots the singer wants you to see. Some paint landscapes, and other tell of personal stories, others about the character of people in a certain town, etc. It's poetry and in the day it came from, some letras are very old, they may have double meanings, letras can stand as metaphors. They are generally "curated" or selected in real time by the singer according to how the mood of the letra suits them in the moment. That selection and delivery is part of how a performance effects listeners emotionally if they are catching words.
Some singers are also more clear than others, if you have trouble understanding the Spanish or the letra due to the tongue twisting and syllable stretching games often a good entry point into hearing more is Antonio Maireina. Macanita is not too crazy to understand either, many good singers who are on the more clear side.
Letras are older idiomatic poetry forms, non narrative, that present small pictures or ideas and singers weave them together. They are not as corny as a lot of opera, because opera travels a lineal path of narrative and letras are grouped more abstractly and don not have to be related by story line.
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https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com
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Date Apr. 6 2016 4:30:01
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