Ricardo -> RE: Why do you love flamenco? (Sep. 5 2022 12:47:42)
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quote:
Ricardo - I think that thread is a different thing - answering the question 'what led you to flamenco'? I'm wondering what it was/is about flamenco that you love - 'predominantly' to give the question a chance. For me, after a bit of Wow! Guitar! the social context and its connection to the emotion of the music became really significant. If Duende is to be experienced, I think it will be as a result of group interaction rather than seeing/hearing a solo concert performance which to me will relate more to appreciation of the skill of the artist and their ability to interpret a piece of music than anything else. I'm not judging it - it's just not what hurts my soul. From your posts and family context I would guess that 'playing the guitar' is a significant angle, and the challenge of flamenco makes it more interesting. Of course that doesn't prevent loving the music itself either. “That thread” actually were two…how you got into it, and the link there was mentors and teachers. I feel that those two subjects answer the question, for me…what it WAS I loved, and later what it IS that I gained from mentors in the genre that constructed “what I love about flamenco” today. I guess I skipped on specifics in those topics, so here are some. I think “Duende” is personal despite the collective “electricity” people insist is happening in the right environments. I have felt it both alone and with very large group involvement. Often it is about an individual that brings it, or turns it on. Another term is “energy” that people use. When I notice someone bringing it, I do my best to ramp it up and keep it alive, regardless of the audience or collective environment. It can totally be a performance situation, but also just two people in a small room, for each other. Just because you find yourself with the ideal private Juerga with top level artists, doesn’t guarantee good stuff will come of it. Another thing, some folks might not be in tune with, is the artistic competition that creates a tension in the air so to speak, when you have people aware of who is who in a room. That can lead to great things, or very negative things depending on how it goes. The other thing some people are not aware of is “hazing” and putting people in their place, that goes on in the Juergas that doesn’t happen on stage. While it is designed to educate the initiated, it can be nerve wracking and really kill the duende. At the same time, going through that painful process sometimes leads to important artistic break throughs. In order to truly define what you love about flamenco, it is needs to be revealed what would make you want to quit it. In my case it was one dancer on the job situation, and if I had not confirmed with other artists I respect that THAT individual was known for their “issues” in the same regard, I might have retired permanently from that world. I enjoy the rumba thing because I can improvise and shred, do the trio stuff, etc, plus I get to sing and feel the big chorus like when I was a teenager in the rock bands. It also keeps my chops up, although I admit flamenco puro is much harder mentally than physically. Staying on top of your game is very difficult, especially as you get older. Of all the Paco videos out there that are instructive, the one in Busqueda where he is in the hotel with his kid on the floor and he is drilling that “old” bulerías from Zyryab….that really gets to me. It’s how flamenco is so hard you can’t let that thing go for even a couple days or you lose it, and there is the master still working hard on it. Last, I have gotten into the flamencology thing, thanks to discussions on this foro and some privately off line. I have always been interested in the evolution of the music, singing and guitar mainly, of course that is just intellectual boring nerd stuff and the genre could be completely extinct to get into that. In the end if it is the juerga that moves you or dance classes, whatever, the world is what WE make of it, so just do it then.
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