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I think a lot of communication mix ups here are really between these two... On this Forum we have beginners to experienced Concert Hall performers. From folk who want to dabble with the stuff, to folk who would like to give everything up and go to Andalucia and live amongst the Flamencos for the rest of their lives. People young...people old...people with little time to put in...people with mucho time to put in. I think that's why we will never have any true common ground here, but at the same time we share the same common love of what we hear and try to discuss, analyze and learn. That's the core purpose of the Forum IMO.
I would say that a "Flamenco Guitarist" is simply someone who is capable of accompanying singers and dancers. This will involve a lot of discipline with regard to the rhythm and phrasing and possibly, with a lot of extra work on technique, will enable the player to play solo guitar to levels only limited by themselves.
The "Guitarist who plays Flamenco", is probably somebody who is or has been involved in other guitar music, has been intrigued by the Flamenco guitar sound and would like to get a handle on in to include in their repertoire. This will involve a lot of extra work, if they are to play the more rhythmically complex forms of Flamenco with a decent amount of authenticity, although sticking mainly to "Toque Libre" forms can bypass that to an extent.
As to how you learn Flamenco... From the bottom up? Or from jumping in somewhere in the middle and trying to slowly reach in both directions, both to a higher technique and reaching downwards to a more core understanding of what you are actually playing?
Maybe that decision is best left to the individual. How much time they are prepared to give up in life to achieve those goals. How deeply they want to get involved.
These are Life issues and run much deeper than just technique, what kind of guitar you have, whether you hate your job or not and want to escape to Spain, or whether you are already a happy professional or semi-professional player of various styles, Jazz, Latino, etc, who would just like to add some good Flamenco solos to their repertoire, without getting really bogged down in the heavy stuff!
Or maybe sombody like me, who is at an age that it is laughable to have any ambition in guitar, but enjoys just strumming a few chords on a nice sounding guitar and trying to work out how those bloody ba*tards do it!!
It's all good IMO.
There is a lot of fun and interest for everyone in Flamenco, regardless of your involvement or commitment.
RE: Flamenco Guitarist or Guitarist ... (in reply to Ron.M)
"These are Life issues and run much deeper than just technique, what kind of guitar you have, whether you hate your job or not and want to escape to Spain"
¡Ole mi arma! Ron. We seem to have the same view. I can´t play these falsetas but I love Andalucia, wine, women, song and alegría. Sometimes a friend, who happens to be a cantaor, will ask me to play for him and nobody minds if I am not Paco Cepero. Neither do I!
Posts: 211
Joined: Jun. 14 2006
From: Quebec City, Canada
RE: Flamenco Guitarist or Guitarist ... (in reply to Ron.M)
I can barely even consider myself a guitarist... I love guitar, always did, but never tried to really learn it. I could play some real basic beginner stuff when I was 10, and somewhat quit playing until I hit 20.
It's been a year so far, playing now and then, learning only songs and no technique. A friend of mine, a rock guitarist, told me he wanted to learn the flamenco style and had sent me some Paco De Lucia mp3s... I was totally hooked. I loved the sounds, I loved the style. I wanted to learn it... and I came across this forum, looking for valuable information, reviews on methods, etc.
I recieved my Graf-Martinez methods a month ago, and I've been progressing a lot. I wake up in the morning and all I want is to pick my guitar up and play that last exercise I couldn't nail down the day before. I see progress everyday and it's giving me great confidence. I lack the music theory background, but I enjoy it a lot and I'll definatly try to become as good as I can, trying to push my own limit everyday.
RE: Flamenco Guitarist or Guitarist ... (in reply to Ron.M)
Well I have played for dancers in recitals and Dance class in New Mexico, and one Flamenco show. But I don't listen and don't know **** about Flamenco, so I don't know what that makes me.
Maybe just a wannabe.
hahahha, worked on Flamenco tremolo for 4 hours tonight.
yep wannabe..
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May we find God through Flamenco instead of Angels and Demons
RE: Flamenco Guitarist or Guitarist ... (in reply to Ron.M)
Yep, another wannabee here. I'm studying on sound, feel and compas because I will never be a virtuoso. It would have revealed earlier with all those years of playing electric and classical.
Since I discovered this forum I'm only studying flamenco though.
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