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Mark2 -> RE: Flamenco virgin ... what to learn first? (Sep. 7 2017 17:35:26)
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I started out the same-Sabicas and Montoya. I took lessons from an old school player. I already had plenty of guitar experience. He had moved to the states and carved out a solo career, playing concerts mostly for non aficionados. His training did not emphasize accompaniment, or compas for that matter. He of course was an excellent accompanist but he trained people to do what worked for him in the states. I'm sure he thought he was doing what was best for his students, and perhaps in large part he was. Being a decent student, a few years later I found myself playing solo in a Spanish restaurant when a drunk Spaniard started singing fandangos. I knew no less than three fandangos solos, none of which prepared me to accompany him. I ate some humble pie. Learning the tonos for fandangos would have been easier than learning to perform those solos, and much more valuable. I think learning to play for flamenco songs is way more important than learning falsetas or solos, neither of which are required to accompany. Finally, it's simply way more fun to play with and for others than to play solo IMO. So, I'd say learning the chords and compas needed to play for others is best to work on right from the start.
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ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
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If you just want to play guitar, bueno. But you should know that if you come to Andalucía and open a guitar case, someone will begin to sing. If you do not know how to accompany, you will be dismissed as a guitar player, however well you should play I have seen it lots of times.
True enough. But we are talking about somebody learning flamenco guitar, not an accomplished player "opening a guitar case" at a juerga in andalucia. First things first. There was a time in the U.S. (late '50s and throughout the '60s) when many of us first cut our teeth on listening to solo flamenco guitar at concerts by Carlos Montoya and Sabicas. No cante, no baile, just straight up flamenco guitar. It was not a bad introduction. It was only later that I began to appreciate cante, and now I love it. But you don't need to start out playing by accompanying cante.
Bill
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