Simple elegance (Full Version)

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Phil -> Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 6:49:36)

In another post I mentioned a CD I recently bought, "Luna de Calabozo" with cantaor Diego Rubichi and Antonio Jero on guitar. There's a Solea on this CD that has one of the most elegant and tasteful accompaniments I've ever heard. This is a perfect example of how relatively simple falsetas can sound interesting and absolutely beautiful when played by the right guitarist.

After a few listenings I stopped to think and do a little self-assessment. I have limited technical ability, yet I'm always trying to play things way beyond my capabilities because I somehow think that if I play something relatively simple it's going to sound simple and uninteresting. The reality is that I usually end up playing more complicated stuff in a half-assed sloppy manner. Obviously, you have to challenge yourself or you will never progress. However, you can also impede your progress by constantly trying to play the "hard" stuff, never getting it down well, and then jumping to another difficult falseta that you can't play well.

I have reams of tabs on paper and on my computer. More stuff than I could possibly learn in 3 lifetimes. It's information overload. I've decided not to even look at any tabs for a least the next 2 months and concentrate on improving what I aready know. I've also noticed that since I've become dependent on tabs, I have trouble remembering falsetas (or is that just old-age?). Okay, it's time to stop rambling. Any comments? Anybody else out there with similar problems?

Phil



Ron.M -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 8:42:35)

Phil,
I think this is maybe the difference between the amateur and the professional.
Amateurs tend to move on to something more challenging once they have more or less got a falseta worked out, whereas the professional, who has the responsibility of accompanying singers night after night has to get that falseta honed so he could practically do it in his sleep as well as milking it for all the expressive content he can.
That is, IMO why folk like Moraito or Jero sound so great although they are not technical wizards.

On the "memory" thing Phil, I can hardly remember things I played a few weeks ago!
I have to work them out again. [:@]
But again, if you are a pro and have played the same falsetas thousands of times over a period of years, gradually shaping and improving them..... well, I guess you tend to retain them better!

cheers

Ron



Jon Boyes -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 9:18:13)

quote:

I'm always trying to play things way beyond my capabilities because I somehow think that if I play something relatively simple it's going to sound simple and uninteresting. The reality is that I usually end up playing more complicated stuff in a half-assed sloppy manner. Obviously, you have to challenge yourself or you will never progress. However, you can also impede your progress by constantly trying to play the "hard" stuff, never getting it down well, and then jumping to another difficult falseta that you can't play well.


Definitely Phil, thats so true.



duende -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 11:12:37)

I just listen to a cd by Paco peña it´s called" paco pena" it seems.[:)]

Anyway. He plays every "beginners" falseta you can think of in his solea and buleria.
but he plays them so well. specialy the solea is just falsetas out of any book you´ll ever find for beginners. sort of like his "toques flamencos" solea.
It sound so right and so flamenco it´s amazing. I realise i nead to spend some time with this stuff again. To play thoes "easy" falsetas but realy try the get that sound that he has.

Henrik

Ps i don´t know what the dickens im saying i just had to get this of my chest.
[:D]



Miguel de Maria -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 13:14:46)

I think it has to do with Essence vs. Ornament. You can break down the most complicated falseta in flamenco, or the most detailed measure in classical, and it will, in essence, constitute a fairly simple movement. Maybe V to I. The melody might start on a B and end on a C. What happens between the V and the I, or the B and C, could be a huge picado run, or have a big "harp" arpeggio, or involve a lot of complicated rasgueados or anything else. You might also be required to play several bass notes, or syncopations. But the Essence is almost always very simple.

One way to come to terms with this is to sing what you want to play first. That will usually cause you to hone down to the essence of what you are trying to say. It is rare that you will come up with a bunch of convoluted phrasing or any "wrong" notes if you do that. Then adding ornaments, scales, additions, becomes a matter of style and experience.

Without playing the essence correctly, you really have nothing. And the essence so often come to moving from V to I, B to C, and done in perfect _rhythm_. Once you can do this, then everything just builds on it.

The thing is, this is not a very interesting or sexy proposition, especially to the amateur. It should be very important to you if you plan on actually entertaining or communicating with people, though.



Ryan002 -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 15:37:23)

Can I ask...what is a "big harp arpeggio"? Is that like, when people pluck i,m,a really fast?



Miguel de Maria -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 16:18:56)

Ryan,
that's what I call it if you played, say, ami and then dragged the i all the way back down to the 5th or 6th string. You hear it in Farrucas or Tarantas. It's an octuplet or more (because you can retrace your steps and add more notes), but the main thing is the tonic on the beat. You could just play the tonic note on the beat and that's the Essence. The 8 or 10 note arpeggio really just leads up to it. The most important part is just nailing it on the beat.



Ron.M -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 4 2005 17:00:33)

Mike,
Try i,m,a,m,i,m,a....and drag the final 'a' all the way down to the bottom.
A lot of this dragging stuff is done with the 'a' finger.

cheers

Ron



Miguel de Maria -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 5 2005 15:00:58)

Ooops, I meant a, Ron.



Ryan002 -> RE: Simple elegance (Nov. 6 2005 14:51:23)

Awesome. I just tried a bit of it. I had heard that sound before, just didn't know what it was until now. Thanks.



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