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jahboy -> HEY HEY (my my) (Apr. 28 2017 13:54:23)
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Hello, Hola, Ciao, Namaste, Salaam etc
I have been lurking around here for a few years, off and on, and thought it was about time I joined the fold.
A self taught guitar player since the age of twelve I have always had an ear for many forms and styles of music and even as a child I liked the sound of "spanish" guitar. Although I must admit that at that age I was more interested in how to be Slash, a dream never realised :( In my teens and early twenties I played guitar and sang in a succession of rock bands achieving varying degrees of fame and notoriety but never quite making the leap to superstardom. When a lot of my bandmates and peers started having kids, wives and proper jobs, I went it alone, playing folksy acoustic numbers and self releasing a few eps. In the end I made the decision to put music as a career aside and kept the song writing and playing just for fun. Around this time my mother in law got a job in Gibralter and started living on the coast in southern Spain. My wife and I would visit regularly and get whistle stop tours of beautiful towns and villages by my mother in law. I dusted off my old Ibanez electro classical and started to try and figure out some of the "spanish" guitar I was growing more and more fond of. In 2012 we saw the Flamenco Festival in Jerez advertised and decided to get tickets and spend the weekend in the area. That morning we went to the zoo where I fed a hippo and witnessed a camel give birth. After such excitement a drink was in order. So off to the Bodegas we went. Plenty of sherry later it was show time. Now, I can't for the life of me recall the name of the show, but was assured the dancer was one of the most renowned names in dance. He was incredible, but what really excited me was the Cante and guitar. The atmosphere was incredible and it was so refreshing to see the audience being free to interact and help make the show what it was. I loved it.
So like so many others I am sure, I bought an entry level guitar and I got a copy of a Juan Martin book. Not the greatest resource but a starting point. I then moved and found a local guy that plays Flamenco and received some lessons which was much more useful. He showed me basic forms and techniques, mostly focused on Soleas. For both money and time reasons, I have been unable to continue with lessons so far this year, but do play guitar every day. I consider myself to be a fairly good guitar player in general terms (not flamenco) and find it quite easy to pick things up quickly. I do prefer to learn from a person though, rather than books but that will have to wait for a while. So I'm currently trying to pick things up from youtube videos etc. Not ideal but there is some good stuff up there.
Since getting really into Flamenco I have managed to see a few shows, the best being Estrella Morente, who I adore. Ive built up quite a large selection of music and books and enjoy the modern and traditional styles. When it comes to playing I prefer the "old school" and I am currently trying to get to grips with tremolo. If anyone has any pointers there that would be terrific. Sorry to have blahed on so much.
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