Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
For fast speeds e.g. for 6 notes/beat for alegrias 165+bpm. I notice those that do it well have their index finger flexed the whole time and nearly all also have the little finger extended.
I do it with my index straight but only get to 150bpm. I have been experimenting with flexing my index and there is some more speed. Seems the hand is compact more balanced. I may have to relearn this way? Grateful for other thoughts/experience?
Photos below are: Antonio Rey Roman Vicente Ricardo, Tomatito, Luciano Ghosn
First ten seconds of this video gives a good view of Antonio Rey.
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
For fast speeds e.g. for 6 notes/beat for alegrias 165+bpm. [..]
I do it with my index straight but only get to 150bpm.
A bit confused here - so if 6 notes per 'beat', do you mean that you currently do 2 abanicos per click (2 x pmp) at 150 clicks/minute with straight index finger? Or just one abanico per click?
As to the actual question - I wonder if it has something to do with instinctively adjusting to minimize rotational inertia (moment of inertia) around the long axis through the forearm. Presumably minimizing it will make it easier to reverse directions, thus making abanico faster?
6 notes per 'beat', do you mean that you currently do 2 abanicos per click (2 x pmp) at 150 clicks/minute
Yes, 2 x pmp per beat at 150bpm is my maximum speed.
I just has a re-analysis. I am using MA together. I am striking with A more than M. Focusing on M tends to flex the I. This seems to make it easier to go faster, but I'm going to have to work on it because now the strokes are not even in volume or time.
Not fast enough! For baile alegrias at 165+bpm. Also for solea, even though dancers like a slow 70-80bpm, being able to 4 x pmp per beat at 80bpm is useful.
Also sometimes useful to have a fast smooth abanico for closing tarantas, maleguenas for cante.
I prefer PAI at slower speeds but sometimes PMP just has the right feeling. A 2x PMP per beat at 160+bpm seems possible with work. (Compared to a useable and reliable 16th note picado at 160bpm, which still seems like a dream for me and maybe one I will never reach!)
Jose Tanaka's video is clearer. He also has his index flexed and little finger extended the whole time. It seems the flexed index finger is common amongst players with good PMP abanico, I haven't yet found someone not doing it?
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
The main thing is to get the wrist relaxed and moving up and down (as 16th notes) at the tempo you need, such that you can keep it going indefinitely with UP STROKE on the beat. When you do that you need to keep the hand closed pretty much. As you open the hand the thumb sticks out and the pinky too, and the inner fingers (m or ma or a, whatever you like) starts to synchronize with the thumb to create the triplet but the wrist speed stays the same. A good exercise is to move between straight 16ths and the triplets without stopping.
I notice those that do it well have their index finger flexed the whole time and nearly all also have the little finger extended.
that's odd, i never even noticed before, but I let my index just sort of hang and flap around in a "relaxed" sort of way, but I have been experimenting with keeping it flexed the last few days and it feels really different, and I admit I am a bit surprised that the rotation action feels more free, fluid and yes, I think it's a bit faster, so thanks for that!
Printable Version
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread