|
Ron.M -> Flamenco Guitarist or Guitarist who plays Flamenco? (Aug. 17 2006 20:44:07)
|
I think a lot of communication mix ups here are really between these two...
On this Forum we have beginners to experienced Concert Hall performers.
From folk who want to dabble with the stuff, to folk who would like to give everything up and go to Andalucia and live amongst the Flamencos for the rest of their lives.
People young...people old...people with little time to put in...people with mucho time to put in.
I think that's why we will never have any true common ground here, but at the same time we share the same common love of what we hear and try to discuss, analyze and learn.
That's the core purpose of the Forum IMO.
I would say that a "Flamenco Guitarist" is simply someone who is capable of accompanying singers and dancers.
This will involve a lot of discipline with regard to the rhythm and phrasing and possibly, with a lot of extra work on technique, will enable the player to play solo guitar to levels only limited by themselves.
The "Guitarist who plays Flamenco", is probably somebody who is or has been involved in other guitar music, has been intrigued by the Flamenco guitar sound and would like to get a handle on in to include in their repertoire.
This will involve a lot of extra work, if they are to play the more rhythmically complex forms of Flamenco with a decent amount of authenticity, although sticking mainly to "Toque Libre" forms can bypass that to an extent.
As to how you learn Flamenco...
From the bottom up?
Or from jumping in somewhere in the middle and trying to slowly reach in both directions, both to a higher technique and reaching downwards to a more core understanding of what you are actually playing?
Maybe that decision is best left to the individual.
How much time they are prepared to give up in life to achieve those goals.
How deeply they want to get involved.
These are Life issues and run much deeper than just technique, what kind of guitar you have, whether you hate your job or not and want to escape to Spain, or whether you are already a happy professional or semi-professional player of various styles, Jazz, Latino, etc, who would just like to add some good Flamenco solos to their repertoire, without getting really bogged down in the heavy stuff!
Or maybe sombody like me, who is at an age that it is laughable to have any ambition in guitar, but enjoys just strumming a few chords on a nice sounding guitar and trying to work out how those bloody ba*tards do it!! [:D]
It's all good IMO.
There is a lot of fun and interest for everyone in Flamenco, regardless of your involvement or commitment.
That's how I see it anyway!
cheers
Ron
|
|
|
|
