Teaching Flamenco Guitar

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Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

Teaching Flamenco Guitar

I have a question to all those who are teaching Flamenco Guitar to students:

When can you say that you are ready to teach Flamenco Guitar to a beginner in a responsible-minded way?

The reason why i ask is following:

Few days ago i played a little bit for some friends and there was a boy who asked me if i also teach?
i said: no!
And also i had requests for teaching few times some time ago.

Well, i have the feeling that i am not good enough to teach anything and that it would be irresponsible to do that just to get some money.
On the other hand, i was thinking that for a absolute beginner maybe i have enough knowledge to teach them at least the basics , compas, the techniques, and for playing some easy pieces from different palos, etc.

Would you please tell me about your experiences? About your first student, etc.?
And when you felt that you are ready to teach ?
And any other info and opinion about this subject?

Also i would like to know which Method do you use to teach the Flamenco Guitar to a beginner ? Where do you start and how do you proceed ?

Thanks

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 23 2007 11:07:18

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

We all make mistakes but it looks like you've noticed that. So you'll probably do less harm than most. Amazon have a great price on the combined Book/DVD package of the Gerhard Graf Martinez method book1, that will save you a lot of work if your pupil can see this,and the pieces are easy.
You'll only get confident about teaching through practice, then you'll find you'r own way. Maybe get some lessons to see what you think of how other's teach and to steal ideas too.

Good luck.

David.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 23 2007 21:33:36

RK II

Posts: 8
Joined: Nov. 20 2005
From: N.C.............!

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

You can do it !!!!!!!!

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To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!
Conan

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 2:04:43

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

If the guy came to you, he obviously likes what YOU do.

I used to say no all the time because after hearing and seeing what i have seen how in the world could i teach, untill i needed the money.. but if you think like that and are too respectfull youl never do anything.

the very foundation of flamenco outside Spain was based on most of the time underqulified teachers but the standard slowly raises but consider the alternative if everyone was so respectfull.

there would be no flamenco or interest.

teaching to the best of your abilities is all one can ask for.

u could wait a lifetime if you are waiting for that " I am ready" feeling.

so do what you can and do it to the best of your abilities if the student is not happy then its up to him to find someone else.

Imo

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 2:27:44

XXX

Posts: 4400
Joined: Apr. 14 2005

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

Is it right to teach, if you cannot play a piece by PdL, VA, Tomatito, or any other "big"? That is always my concern.
But it also depends on what your student wants to learn. To many people here in Germany and elsewhere, flamenco for them is = rumba.

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Фламенко

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 7:59:49

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to XXX)

quote:

Is it right to teach, if you cannot play a piece by PdL, VA, Tomatito, or any other "big"? That is always my concern

there would be no flamenco outside Spain if everyone felled that way, therefore you wouldnt even now have to concern yourself with this question

you are able to do what you do now, and look deeper into flamenco because at some point in time some underqulified guitarist in your country tought, yeah mibe i shouldnt but il teach anyway.

that cant be all that bad

as long as the technique and compas is correct , the rest is after the individual

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 8:11:56

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

flamenco is not "pieces", you can teach technique and falsetas and the basic style of
playing a palo. no nead to play a ton of tunes by pdl,vicente,gerardo etc.

I dont teach flamenco beacuse it seems so difficult for everybody.
I´ve had advanced music students playing classical very well that couldnt even pull off a trad solea with intro and 1 falseta.

Rock players seem to adapt easyer.

I would realy like to teach one "hardcore" flamenco player. i think it would be realy fun.

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 8:17:44

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

It's more important that the young guy gets a chance to learn rather than no chance. Even if it's just to get him started and feeling a bit more enthused so that he can decide to take things further.
I wasted a lot of my time with no teacher trying to get along by myself.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 11:42:50

Ricardo

Posts: 14839
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

Teaching is a great way to LEARN yourself. After you start, you will discover why, and notice your own playing improve. I remember when I first started learning, and all I could play was power chords for Iron man and Crazy train, but it did not stop me from "teaching" that to my friends that had guitars.

Remember though, if a student seems to be already BETTER than you in certain ways, encourage him to try out other teachers too, if any are available.

Ricardo

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 15:00:55

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

Thanks all for your posts!

Maybe i will start to teach for free or let say for a bottle of wine and then see what happens.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 24 2007 21:14:42

Wannabee

Posts: 131
Joined: Jan. 13 2007

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

Hmm. If the kid is a total beginner, what harm can a few basic lessons do?

Which is worse, a teacher who admits that he is only learning himself, or a teacher who pretends to know it all?

I started out with the latter, and eventhough I didn't get the best advice from my teacher, I did learn a few things.

He taught me using the old Juan Grecos book and when I asked him how things should sound, he told me to figure it out on my own. Some of the stuff he did show me was wrong both rythmically and and technically speaking. But he did get me started, that was over 20 years ago....and I am still just learning.

I think you have a huge advantage over the guy I just described in that you have this forum to help you when questions arise. I wish I had someone even interested in learning a rumba or two.

Best of luck.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 25 2007 3:04:36

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

you can learn very well for a teacher that is a student himself.
I can show a student Alzapua and how to do it even though i cant play it as fast as Gerardo.

Im sure most serious guitarists/musicians can tell any student what to practice to becom a virtuoso,(technicaly) but most of us never put in that much time. or didnt have that much time or didnt understand just how MUCH time.

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 25 2007 7:20:59

Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

It's perhaps like an excellent tennis coach who has never won wimbledon himself.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 25 2007 9:56:41

XXX

Posts: 4400
Joined: Apr. 14 2005

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Georg)

quote:

ORIGINAL: GuxDiBux

It's perhaps like an excellent tennis coach who has never won wimbledon himself.

Interesting comparison. Or like presidents counselor, who never were presidents?

Maybe it would be good to say/write "only beginners". On the other hand, if you write that, people think, because they usually know nothing about flamenco, that you cant play. So i would mention things like "teaching in basic techniques and palos", then they start thinking: what is a palo?

And i would charge the hell out of them, coz when i started flamenco nobody showed me LOL. Joke. But it IS a bit depressing. As a student its hard to find a flamenco teacher. As a teacher its also not easy to find many students, compared to Rock, Classical. Either way, flamenco is an outsider music

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Фламенко

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 25 2007 10:09:13

Pais

Posts: 3
Joined: Jan. 14 2007

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to XXX)

Myself I was very frustrated when I couldn't find a teacher. If I've had met someone like you, who can teach me the basics, I would have been very happy.

Rightnow I've found a good teacher. One disadventage is that I have to travel 3 ours for one lesson

But I don't care - it's worth it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 25 2007 16:27:05

Adam

Posts: 1156
Joined: Dec. 6 2006
From: Hamilton, ON

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

Indeed, as so many have said, they seem to like what you do so you can teach them that much - and besides, you as a teacher has to be better than no teacher! :) Finding a good teacher outside of Spain (and a few major cities like NYC, Boston, etc.) is difficult enough as it is - I was lucky to find just one in the entire state of Connecticut - so consider your potential students lucky :)

EDIT: Also, many might not agree but I really think JM's Solos Flamencos are very good for a beginner who's got a basic grasp on the essential technique (pulgar picking, rasgueado, picado, are useful to start). After a year of classical lessons that gave me the basic technique (thank God my teacher acquiesced to my flamenco demands and taught me basic rasgueado!) and then a year or so without playing, I started playing with the Solos Flamencos book and really improved my playing before finding my current teacher a few months later. Definitely recommended, especially with a teacher to help out, because the beginning pieces are both fun and fairly easy, and will help keep a student's interest and passion going--the level system really makes you set goals you want to strive for, critical to inspiring discipline in practice IMO.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 26 2007 6:21:28

XXX

Posts: 4400
Joined: Apr. 14 2005

RE: Teaching Flamenco Guitar (in reply to Arash)

For methods i would recommend to check out MANUEL GRANADOS. This is the best method regarding the selection of falsetas imo, because there are things from every skill in there, plus the falsetas are really nice. Also lots of exercises, BUT for someone who hasnt all the techniques down, i would say a DVD is better, like Gerardo Nunez Encuentro, or if it should be easier, Moraito Encuentro. If you can play all from Nunez DVD, you can almost play like Nunez

There is so much good material to learn, i cant imagine how bad the circumstances were in the 80s or later before.

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Фламенко

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 26 2007 9:04:16