What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco?

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Nemo Nint -> What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 2:48:59)
I just wonder, based on inspiration from reading different threads on the board... in advance- I appologize if this is a repeat of some previous thread... The question of what's your deep, personal interest in flamenco, it's sort of got two sides I think: how did you original get into flamenco/how did you hear about it? and .. right now, what really do you play it for? for myself, I heard a brilliant guitar solo on a tv music channel, found the musician published an album with Flamenco in the title- first time I'd heard the word flamenco. got the album, learned more about the performance of the type of music, then got a guitar, learned by a method book the art of picking melody instead of north-american-style-strumming... learned classical gas on electric guitar (ha), randomly found a flamenco method book in a large music book store called Flamenco Basic Guitar Techniques, learned it inside out... got Systematic Studies for Flamenco Guitar and Guitar Journals: Flamenco, and am progressing through those. I play it because somewhere along the way in my life I became enamoured with non-lyrical music. Not just the guitar, but just music I consider great. Non-lyrical flamenco to me seems the most accessible (single instrument), but also the most fiery, intense, full-of-life type of non-lyrical music that exists. Practicing ieam and eamii rasgueados in the air or on the arm of a chair or on my knee makes my heart race. I love it. :)

koella -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 8:22:52)
I studied classical a long time ago. Took a few lessons from a flamenco player but stopped cause I thought the lessons did hurt my classical playing. [X(]So I played some paco pena pieces ones in a while. But in a bad, classical way. When I discovered this foro last year, I finally got motivated to take flamenco serious and see it as an art of it's own. And I banned classical playing.[:D] So that's how I discovered flamenco. Better late then never ![&:]

Anders Eliasson -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 8:27:13)
My deep personal interest in flamenco is that I live flamenco. I play 1 - 2 hours a day and I build flamenco guitars some 6 hours a day. Besides that I listen a lot and when I open my windows I smell flamenco. Nothing else.[8\|]

JBASHORUN -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 17:04:37)
quote: I play it because somewhere along the way in my life I became enamoured with non-lyrical music. Not just the guitar, but just music I consider great. Non-lyrical flamenco to me seems the most accessible (single instrument), but also the most fiery, intense, full-of-life type of non-lyrical music that exists. A bit like me, actually. I'm mostly into instrumental-only music that involves guitars. I like most varieties, inlcuding electric guitar (shredding), Gypsy Jazz and Flamenco. For some reason, I just prefer the sound of guitars to the sound of singing. But that said, there are some singers and cantaors that I do like. For me it all began throught alt. rock bands like Nirvana and Metallica. My first CDs involving guitars. From there I progressed to the instrumental metal, and also found a few Nuevo Flamenco CDs. I think it was one of Eduardo Niebla's albums and stuff by Rodrigo Y Gabriela that first caught my attention and made me think that acoustic guitar music actually had something to say. I spoke to Eduardo once or twice, and he said he learned Flamenco (amongst other things). So I got hold of a few "Flamenco" CDs. One of which was "Friday Night In San Francisco" with PDL and Al. The other was PDL's "Antologia" compilation. For a while, I listened to very little else apart from those Nuevo Flamenco albums and the PDL stuff. But since then I have developed a good collection of "proper" Flamenco CDs that I enjoy. For me its just overwhelming. Guys like PDL, Sabicas, Mario Escudero, Esteban De Sanlucar, etc. When I hear that part at about 2:15 in Sabicas' "Punta Y Tacon" Farruca where he starts speeding up, it just gets my heart beating fast. And then he breaks into some picado... Personally, I doubt I will ever be very good at Flamenco, but my aim is to be able to play a few pieces by the likes of Sabicas and PDL to a competent standard. If I can ever do that, will be MORE than satisfied. Until then, its back to the Graf Martinez book... Jb

Ron.M -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 20:04:16)
Bash, I suppose like you I grew up with popular stuff, although it was things like Duane Eddy, The Everley Bros and the Beatles etc. Later, I moved on to Folk Music with people like Jesse Fuller, The Rev. Gary Davis, Bert Jansch, Davy Graham and John Renbourne playing accoustic steel string like I'd never heard it played before...ie not just strumming chords like Joan Baez. I attempted to get some Robert Johnson licks down and suddenly realized that there was a helluva lot more to playing than just playing the notes. It was the "sound". I later heard Flamenco for the first time..(Manuel Morao con Terremoto) and the sound of that guitar just arrested me! I'd never heard anything like it before. It spoke to me and bypassed all my "taste and judgement" circuits. It was incredible! I just loved it but couldn't explain why! That experience still remains with me insomuch that I can appreciate really talented guitarists who can do amazing things, but at the end of the day, if I hear that "sound", no matter how complex or simple the playing is, then that really makes it for me. cheers Ron

JBASHORUN -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 20:47:24)
Ron, where were you the first time The Rolling Stones came around? I'm guessing you're old enough to have been there when they were "the band of the moment" (what was it... late 60s, early 70s?). Just interesting that you can appreciate them now, but didn't mention liking them in the past. Jb

Ron.M -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 22:15:14)
Bash, Actually, my older brother saw the Stones in the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow in the early 60's where they were performing for a dance audience. This was around the time of their first single release of "Not Fade Away"...a great Buddy Holly and the Crickets song Years later, when I was about 19 they were pretty famous, but still appearing at University venues. They were on at the QM Union, at Glasgow University where I was working...but I didn't buy a ticket, as I wasn't interested in that sort of stuff..[:D] The only time I've seen them live was in 1985 in Aberdeen, in a small theatre (maybe 1500 max?) They put on a great show and Keith was great....as was Mick and Ronnie and Bill and Charlie on the drums. Very low key, small town venue...which I think they liked. They opened with "Under My Thumb" and Mick did a great rendition of the Oldies, like "Time is on my side". Magic evening. I think the band felt comfortable and relaxed. Sometimes it's good to live in a one horse town... [:D] cheers Ron

comus -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 23:30:18)
really intresting post this one[8D] I first realised how wondrful and versatile flamenco was when i first heard the Band im named after COMUS they do this wonderful(well i think it is anyway) english folk rock/Pagan flamenco/Acoustic psycadelia. and then i heard Paco De Lucia doing a Bulerias with a singer, and i knew where Comus had got it from, I thought if there,s a Flamenco heaven i want to go there to listen to Paco Pena, and Paco de lucia and Sabacus (hey i can go there anytime i want). other western guitarists who i used to be into...well their guitar skills kindov pale into insignificance when compared to the above mentioned trio, though you can kindov understand it when these guys start around six years of age, not many western guitarists have put in that much practice. I like many, just wish to try to emulate my guitar heros, ill be honest im not a major league true flamenco fan for instance I have a copy of "Misa Flamenco" by Paco pena and its my least favorite of his albums , i really enjoy his early 70's stuff best he' had a reall fire in his belly then. just him and his acoustic guitar. Im going to see him perform live in London in december so i will let you know if he still has.[;)] yer Rodrigo &Gabriela are a really cool band they have managed to make acoustic guitars Hip again for those who had forgot how great they are anyway and needed reminding (LOL) i love that acoustic rock thing they do like Black sabbath meets flamenco, never thought it was possible to shred(and make it sound that good) on an acoustic guitar. stu

Escribano -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 22 2006 23:34:14)
quote: Sometimes it's good to live in a one horse town. Whoah, I saw them fill Wembley stadium years before that with one of many farewell tours! You were lucky, I hated it.

sara -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 23 2006 0:00:14)
seems like most people heard it somewhere and were inspired, rather than already having known about it.. it's actually pretty cool that some nobody can inspire another. it's the same story for me. [:)]

Guest -> [Deleted] (Oct. 23 2006 14:41:35)
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hassurbanipal -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 23 2006 15:22:56)
well, flamenco to me is the one thing I can not lay my hands on if you know what I mean..... maybe difficult to discribe. it's when you think you figured it all out and come to understand music something like flamenco shows you that sometimes music goes way beyond theorie and technique. although I know it's the technique that does it I can't help but think that some guitarists know only four chords and one rythm but still it touches me when a cantaor starts to sing on those four chords. To me it doesn't have to be paco de lucia (but I still would like to play like him) but it's from the heart and that is the one thing I find in flamenco that I didn't find in another style of music...... just a personal view.....

JBASHORUN -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 23 2006 15:33:44)
quote: My interest started with listening to the Gipsy Kings and Jesse Cook. lol, you were probably gonna say Ottmar Liebert too, but didn't dare because of all the bitching thats been going on! But its just another example of how one thing can lead to another. Jb

John O. -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Oct. 29 2006 12:30:13)
As with many, for me it was PDL. Took me a long time to expand my horizons. Slowly I started getting into other flamenco puro guitarists, then cante from Camaron slowly going back to the older singers. Most important for me was when I was hanging out at a Spanish mission and there was a singer there among a lot of dancers, we were all goofing around a bit but I wasn't good enough at the time to really accompany. We were all really young and I knew very little. At a Mother's Day celebration there I gave a little classical performance and at the end played sevillanas and all the people, around 50 of them, stood up without a second thought and started dancing. They were all only guests but knew what to do as if it were rehearsed. I felt the strong sense of togetherness and a bit of duende there and since then have been addicted to it.

duende -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Nov. 4 2006 21:06:18)
what!? i hate flamenco! Seriously. I saw a singer with a guitarist in a small tablao in Madrid. The next day i went to FNAC and picked out "sirocco" by chance since Paco de lucia was the only name i recognised. The rest is as they say history.. Before the Madrid flamenco incident i´ve always been into Arabian Oud music, i have also been checking out the juan serrano books in the city where i lived but at that time with no musical reference to flamenco it was quite useless.

musicalgrant -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Nov. 5 2006 1:08:07)
Re:The question of what's your deep, personal interest in flamenco, it's sort of got two sides I think: how did you original get into flamenco/how did you hear about it? and .. right now, what really do you play it for? Good question, mmm, I first got inspired by Julian Bream, I had a friend guitar maker and he was teaching me to make guitars in exchange for my labour on his organic farm. And when he was building Cellos, lutes and guitars he often had Julian Bream playing in the back ground, and it made me want to play like that.... Then i after a few years of teaching myself guitar I got into music college and studied classical guitar whith a guitar teacher who learnt off John williams, and learnt lots of modern techniques..oh and I met John Renbourne there too[:)] He teached acoustic guitar at the same college.. But after a few years i found classical a bit dry, (though i still love Bach on the guitar) and i also got tired of playing lots of music by dead composers...I then went into contempory classical guitar music, some of it was beautiful and a lot of it dry and intellectual.... I had reached the end of the road for me with the classical, and knew i needed something else, so i took a few years out of Uni. I had heard tapes of PDL and knew i would love to be able to play with such passion, but had no resources to learn this art, (this is going bak a few years now), flamenco was not on the internet in those days(well i couldnt find it), as it was not popular. Now is a different story! I found Juan Martins method and thought hey this is a start someone who is showing all the traditional techniques in great detail. Ill give it a try. And then i discovered he was doing summer workshops in the nearby college, and they had a bursary award system in place [:D] So being poor i applied for a bursary to study for two weeks with him, and it was the most amazing thing!!!! Flamenco guitar 24/7 with dancers, singers, and oud player..... playing for dancers was [8D] and playing with Juan was[&:] tough as he was way above me in those days...but the emotion in the music with dancers and singers was just WOW, what can i say... And since then ive been a guitarist with a compulsive practice disorder[8D] lol

Shrek -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Nov. 5 2006 15:12:49)
My personal attactchment to flamenco music was that it was played in the background as a child and when i went on holidays to Spain , i must admit i was quite embarrased by my parents music as it was very different to that listen to by everyone else here in England and not the sort of thing you could share with your friends. I found as the years rolled away it became more and more a personal choice to listen to and to buy whenever i could and every now and then a certain piece of music would evoke childhood memories especially a saeta in spring! I've only been playing the guitar for the last 18 months or so and flamenco for nine and finding it very hard so i have alot of respect to all out there who seem to know what they are doing and where they are going with it . so all in all the music for me feels good and presses the the right buttons what ever mood I'm in and gives me a small sense of belonging .

Miguel de Maria -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Nov. 5 2006 17:14:09)
quote: ORIGINAL: Shrek . so all in all the music for me feels good and presses the the right buttons what ever mood I'm in and gives me a small sense of belonging . That's interesting, because many of I would wager, chose flamenco because it was different or alien to their indigenous sounds. For example, I was raised with North American music all around and flamenco or Latin music was not a part of my background. But something about the melodies and aesthetic always appealed to me. I think a part of the reason I was/am attracted to it is that it is so different than the true sociological context of my life.

edgar884 -> RE: What is your deep, personal interest in flamenco? (Nov. 5 2006 18:31:54)
First of all I think that playing Flamenco strengthens your classical guitar playing. I don't see how it could damage your classical playing at all. It teaches you better right hand control. And why would anyone give up one or the other, classical guitar and Flamenco benefit each other in many ways, I think the study of both propels your technique faster for both styles. Flamenco has this way of being beautiful sad dark and mysterious, it has the most advanced guitar playing the most passionate singing and the most beautiful dance form in the world. Flamenco reminds me of my life struggles and accomplishments. I came into Flamenco because of classical and it has changed my life. Some of my most memmorable times have been because of my love for Flamenco. I can't live with out it. My inspiration was when I saw Carmen as a teenager. I thought wow clapping dancing and guitar, what a pure form of folkloric music. My biggest inspiration is the combination of guitar, cante, palmas, cajon and dance. To me Flamenco represents the hardships of a culture raped by Christianity. I'ts technique is obviously formed from having quite guitars bad strings, loud singers and loud dancers. in a performance situation guitar players have been fighting to be heard over the cante for years. I can picture a family of spanish, jewish, moors and others gathering in a cave trying to pass the time and playing this beautiful music for each other. I can picture some old gypsy saying to a little boy, " hey little boy use your thumb like this it's louder and gives more depth to your sound". Or maybe a new rhythm being tapped out on a rock or board. It seems to me that however this music was created, it became the most profound and articulate music in the world, a combination of different cultures learning to live with each other without the benefit of being wealthy or christian or having expensive pianos, violins, or other hard to obtain instuments. They had guitars, palmas things to bang on, dancers and people shouting there happines and hardships through there voices like an indian that just lost his father in a hunt and wrote a chant with his voice for generations of people to enjoy. I am a wannabe gypsy at heart and have lived my life in a similar fasion. Fighting to overcome drug abuse, the loss of my Father and the women in my life that have made me crazy. Life has made me strong and Flamenco only solidifies my passion for life. Thats my story.[:D]

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