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Hola, I have been studying flamenco guitar for almost 4 years. I remember my tutor at the time saying... "You must learn a buleria... if you can master that you can master anything." Good advice, I'm sure, but I feel I may be spending too much time trying to master this very complex rhythm. Was just curious to hear your views, was my tutor right, or is there a compas that is generally accepted as a " learners" piece? Thus far I have studied the rhythms of sevilliana, tientos, soliare and of course buleria.
"A buleria"? meaning a complete piece, no. But nothing wrong with learning the basic compas and a few simple falsetas in the beginning. My feeling is rhythm can be just as hard to pick up with something slow as fast. I start off students strumming solea escobilla style, at tempo. Just about everyone can do that if they can change chords fast enough. Bulerias is not much different rhythmically speaking, so totally approachable to beginners IMO. But should you be learning Jucal first? NO.
Being in a similar boat, I just purchased the Flamenco Guitar Vol II DVD/Book by Gerhard Graf Martinez. It has a whole bunch of Compas, and Falsetta stuff for Bulerias. THANKS Jon Boyes for suggesting it.
Tom Whiteley has a website, which has some good stuff as well. Look all the way at the bottom of the page, there are some zip files you can download.
Or, if I say differently... how do your students progress with falsetas? specifically if possible,thanks
Matic
Well, you are asking me to teach you then, just like my students. I can't really do that verbally on the forum. Even if I tried, how is that fair to my paying students? I have some video lessons over at FT (flamenco-teacher.com). Sorry for the self advertising.
Otherwise you can take my free advice, and pick out some short falsetas that are pretty straight forward compas wise, and master them slow, one at a time. Something that you can physically or technically handle. Not Tomatito. Not modern Paco. There are some old Paco things that are not so bad for students of any level. Of course digging further back to Sabicas, Morao, Parrilla, Niño Ricardo, etc. It is not all easy just because it is old. You have to pick the right things, both doable and inspiring.
To be honest, a lot of the things I teach beginners are very old traditional things I learned from Gerardo Nuñez. They really work, but are they his falsetas? Partly, but a lot from Javier Molina, M. de Huelva, Parrilla etc. I show some snipits of Moraito, but again I would not say just any of his material is "easy". Everyone, even Vicente has SOMETHING easy to play in their rep.
Whats the most important thing to learn in flamenco?.. Its playing with feelings. If you just play one note,.. you have to play it with feeling. Not important which palo. Just play an F als exercise. Master that at first. Buleria should be the last you master coz its most difficult.
You must learn a buleria... if you can master that you can master anything
Nonsense IMO, Zorro, I think your teacher is self-deluded into thinking that by knowing probably the most difficult rhythm in Flamenco, that somehow every other form,will fall into place easily. (And "knowing" and "being able to play" or "truly comfortable with" are VERY different things!) That's like saying "roughly understand, by rote, a couple of equations from string theory and every other form of mathematics will be a piece of cake".
Everybody keeps looking for a "key" that will unlock everything and suddenly make the whole landscape of Flamenco crystal clear.
It honestly doesn't work that way.
There is no "key".
If you are interested in say, Soleares...then listen to heaps of Soleares sung and played by as many interpreters as you can and try to find the common generic element.
Do that with all the palos.
There is no "King" palo, that will make you understand them all.
cheers,
Ron
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A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
ORIGINAL: n85ae Being in a similar boat, I just purchased the Flamenco Guitar Vol II DVD/Book by Gerhard Graf Martinez. It has a whole bunch of Compas, and Falsetta stuff for Bulerias. THANKS Jon Boyes for suggesting it.
You're welcome , good isn't it? Bulerias via the building blocks of small compas 'chunks', the best way, IMO.
Thanks to you Ricardo. I didn't ask because i'd want to be unfair to your paying students or to you. I hope you understand my situation. There's one serious flamenco player in my country. Unfortunately he's 150 km away from me, besides that he doesnt teach. Sadly, theres one friend of mine who would be interested in playing a cajon with me. but he's busy all the time. Noone in my family really likes flamenco. My dad tells me its awful. This is sometimes a little hard to get over as a 17-year-old. But who cares. Flamenco gives me more than any other thing could. Im just happy if someone gives me some support from time to time. I have never took any flamenco lesson from anybody except from you guys and girls on this forum. Thanks god for it. And I didnt know that your students have to pay you to tell them which falsetas they should learn. If this is what one pays to a teacher, well, maybe i dont need one.
Dont get me wrong, Ricardo, you've already helped and inspired me more than anyone here. I just sometimes dont understand the capitalistic way of our lives and world. Maybe I'm again too young and naive.
Thanks anyway.
Matic
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vengo de los san migueles si no me caso este año que yo me caso el año que viene
ORIGINAL: Matic Dont get me wrong, Ricardo, you've already helped and inspired me more than anyone here. I just sometimes dont understand the capitalistic way of our lives and world. Maybe I'm again too young and naive.
Matic
That's not fair Matic. Yes you are young and naive. And most important. You don't have to pay the bills.
No, I just got that impression by reading some posts of yours where you mention bills and how that is one of the worst things of being an adult. My impression may be wrong. But I agree, it is a dissadvantage.
Capitalism is still bad
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vengo de los san migueles si no me caso este año que yo me caso el año que viene
ORIGINAL: Matic No, I just got that impression by reading some posts of yours where you mention bills and how that is one of the worst things of being an adult. My impression may be wrong. But I agree, it is a dissadvantage.
Hm,You must confuse me with somebody else. I have no problems with paying the bills. Had one today for 4 window frames in the garden house. No problem !
OK Zorro, I'll be serious. I think after four years you should have been exposed to a lot more of flamenco than you have. Four years is enough time to cover the basics in alegrias, bulerias, solea, sig, fandangos, tango, sevillanas, in other words, all the main palos and more like farruca, garrotin, tientos, etc.
But, you didn't say how long you stayed with the teacher. If you stayed six months and left, well, you got six months worth of his knowledge. If you have been taking a lesson every week for four years, you should perhaps look at trying another teacher. Flamenco is a very deep art, and most people who are serious about learning it will study for years with various teachers. If possible, maybe check out another teacher. The internet is great, but it's not enough, IMO. Face to face is how it's always been done. That way the teacher can see and hear what you are doing and guide you.
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