quote:

Just ask more precise. I will try to help, than. Its too much writing at the moment to explain a whole alegrias...

quote:

Behzad
This is something interesting that I like to put my 2 cents in. I will explain to you the overall form of a danced Alegrias. But, I also encourage others to do so as well. The reason why I say this is because there is a general structure, but everyone (as in dancers) have something different. And I think that what I say is certainly not the "only" way, its just my personal perception, and I believe everyone else's is different too, and I find that very interesting. Anyways, here is how I think of it:

GENERAL FORM:
-Entrada
-Letra
-Silencio
-Escobilla
-Buleria de Cadiz

Now to get a bit more in depth:

1. Entrada (play some kind of opening falseta and "close it" with a musical llamada)
2. Llamada ("Call" - they can be usually one or two compas long)
3. Salida (singer sings "Tiriti tran tran tran")
4. Cierre(?) (I personally -in a good way- am a bit confused about cierre and llamada, but that's just the lingo I guess. For the rest of this, I will just call them llamadas until someone clarifies)
5. Letra (verse)
6. Coletilla/Estrebillo (I don't know which is the correct term, but it immediately follows the letra, and is technically a part of it. Its usually -but not always- the same lyrics from one letra to another)
7. Some possible footwork.
8. Optional repeat of #4-7, but with a different letra.
9. Build up
10. Llamada (or is it a displante? I get different opinions from everyone. Anyone, please clarify).
11. Silencio (There is a set number of compas in this. There is 6 compas if you are thinking in 12, or 12 if you are thinking in 6. Its got the mood of the solea. Its in the parallel minor of the key of the piece. So if you are playing in E major, then the silencio is usually in E minor. At the end of the piece it slowly modulates back to the major. A good starting one is the one on page 66 of Gerhard Graf-Martinez' book vol.1).
----------------#12 through 13 is optional, otherwise the dancer can go right into the escobilla from here.--------------------
12. Castellana (This is optional. It starts off with the dancer going “&2-3-4-5-6-7&a-8&a-9&a-10”, usually in that rhythmic scheme; the 7 through 10 usually in triplets, but they don’t have to be. Then the Castella estrebillo is sung usually twice. Harmonically, its usually similar to the Salida except that its with words).
13. Closing llamada.
14. Escobilla (The escobilla starts on beat 1!!! Whether you think of the rest of the piece as starting on beat 12 or 1, then escobilla starts on 1. This is important to know for the next part which will be explained next.
15. Build up after getting out of the escobilla (the way you “get out” of the escobilla is watch out for the dancer to switch his/her footwork to beat 12. That is when you stop playing the escobilla music and go into regular compas (more of a bulerias feel).
----------#16-17 is optional, otherwise you go to #18-------------
16. Llamada to close.
17. Optional solo de pie (it’s a palo seco, so just strumming the strings with no chords. Its usually got the feel of a solea por buleria, but sometimes its done in 3’s like a verdiales.
18. Llamada
19. Buleria de Cadiz (it’s a form of bulerias that is in major. The phrase is usually 4 compas long, but is done twice in a row).
--------------#20 is optional, otherwise go to #21-------------------
20. Ida (The dancer goes to one of the front corners of the stage, and dances the ida, usually the same thing as the salida – “tiriti tran”).
21. Build up.
22. Displante (or llamada, whatever you want to call it).

Like I said, this is just my interpretation. Its never done just this way. Its either more simple or more complicated. Sometimes in random parts someone might request something like “okay, do a falseta here”, whatever. And the above should just be one point of reference, otherwise you will come up with your own version.

What else is really important is that you have the music down. As in, you would need: basic compas, a falseta for the intro, salida chords letra with coletilla/estrebillo chords, silencio falseta, the escobilla music (aka “Caracoles falseta”), 1 compas llamada, 2 compas llamada, castellana chords (salida chords will do), Buleria de Cadiz chords.

quote:

Holy shoe! Do I have to learn it all to make accompainment?!

quote:

...after I understood the structure of Alegrias, I had no problem with something like Solea, Solea Por Bulerias, Tientos, Siguiriyas, Guajiras, etc, similar structure idea. Alegrias has the the MOST different sections, so in terms of structure it has the most stuff to memorize.

quote:

Cierre(?) (I personally -in a good way- am a bit confused about cierre and llamada, but that's just the lingo I guess. For the rest of this, I will just call them llamadas until someone clarifies