Ramón -> RE: O. Herrero books (Apr. 17 2005 15:23:28)
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I found Oscar on a web hunt, got his Paso a Paso #1. Then #2. Then #3, Now I'm on Solea' #1. I truly liked #3, where every drill and study was incorporated into a little Buleria OH had written. Very nice stuff, and THESE DVD's help set a foundation for understanding his books (still tough!) When one of my visiting flamenco instructors from Spain came back for a tour, I was 'warming up'. One of the other students was there, and the last time I saw him was 6 months before, at the last class. He said; "Wow! Someone's been practicing!" (actually, no more than before, but I was l-e-a-r-n-i-n-g). Although I 'played', without (weekly or so) proper instruction, it's hard to focus and improve. I went back to basics with OH, and there have been dramatic improvements in my ability - so much so, that I am now able to play for dancers a bit. I cannot tell you how cool it is to do this!!! What I AM seeking is a course dedicated to compas as it relates to singers and dancers, as that's where we're all headed, but the OH method is one of the very best for technique. Someone on one of these posts recommended a course, Merengue de Cordoba, but it's like $120 bucks!), so I'll look into that a bit later unless I can find one to borrow and see if I like it. As far as the books, with and without a CD? Even though I am familiar with his style and composition, books are STILL hard unless you are really good. I wished he would do for his books as he does for his Paso a Paso series. A DVD you watch, plays the piece at speed, then breaks the piece down into sections, slowly and clearly played. Even better, a split-screen, right and left hand... The KEY!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I cannot stress this enough, to good playing is to play s-l-o-w-l-y at first, until the piece picks up speed, almost on it's own, as your skill and familiarity progress. This is why a slowed down piece on DVD is so nice. You're more able to match the speed of that version, can take it section by section, and understand how it sounds slowed down, as many pieces sound quite different when they're not played 'at speed'. Oscar is WELL worth it, but I would do a DVD course before I plunged into the books - unless you're quite good and can easily take printed matter to magic. eBay has good deals. Look for 'drawbridge music' as a seller. He's fast, 100% on it, and generally sells for a worthwhile discount off of retail, unless you find someone selling used. Hope this helps! R
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