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Posts: 407
Joined: May 26 2010
From: Sarpsborg,Norway
Teachers online?
Hey all! I first found out about flamenco music around christmas 2009, same time i bought a classical guitar. The music has just grown on me and now i cant do anything without having a rythm or tune going through my mind and body
So after a while i decided to try to get into the music school line here i Norway.
And i got in!
The real problem though is that i am not much of a guitarist, i can strum some chords but other than that i dont have any books with sheet music, cant read notes or anything... And at my location there arent anyone playing flamenco as far as i know, but i would really like a teacher, so i wondered how good is online lessons?
I dont have much money either.. from a poor family so i dont know if i can get even 1 good quality lesson for a low price.
Anyways i view myself as really commited to music, and i try to fnd as much as possible on how to play properly.
Does anyone know a good online teacher or maybe you are one yourself? Also edited to ask: are there any books that are good to have? I cant seem to find any though. Thanks for all of your time
Sounds like you're really chomping at the bit here, but my advice would be to slow down a little and have a look at all sorts of stuff on the archives of this Forum.
As for Flamenco guitar lessons, one to one lessons with a guitar teacher is usually pretty expensive and I'm sure you'd find it very difficult to find a good, reliable teacher in Norway.
Nobody can actually "teach" you Flamenco....you've just got to find out for yourself by listening and absorbing as much from others as you can.
Jason McGuire is a good, solid American guitarist who will keep you right, but his online lessons obviously come at a cost, but probably not much more per month than you spend on a couple of nights out at the pub etc...so it depends what your priorities are.
As well as the Jason McGuire site I've also found very helpful Adam del Monte's lessons and the lessons on the Flamenco teacher site.
With Jason's site you pay a monthly subscription fee. With the other sites each lesson is paid one off. I've used them all and have found the lessons very helpful. Endless hours listening to You Tube videos of various flamenco artists new and old is another good way to learn I think.
Here are the links (you already have links to Jason's McGuire site)
Jason's teacher also has a website teaching materials, Jason posted the link a while back.. Also Jose tanaka is also another teacher teaching online.. But seriously, nothing beats having a teacher face to face. Hope u can find one eventually..
a personal tip: you know I NEVER had a flamenco teacher before and flamencos here judged my videos as an Intermediate flamenco player and I liked that. I can play most of the palos buleria, solea, farruca, alegria, rumba, taranta etc..... with nice falsetas . my compas is still not secure but I'm working hard on it and I'm doing well in my opinion as a self-taught flamenco player. so I think if you don't have a flamenco teacher why don't you start by learning the musical notes ... keep practicing till you feel that your hands have managed the guitar .. later get Toques Flamencos by Paco Pena (book+CD) it will introduce you to many palos and I think that Pena is full trusted in the flamenco world, there are many of good books + videos like some of Juan Martin, gerhard martinez, encuentro or oscar herrero . read this article: http://www.falseta.com/articles/which-flamenco-guitar-instructional-dvd-should-i-buy/ it might give you an Idea . I wish you all the best . hasta luego
But seriously, nothing beats having a teacher face to face
Yeah, I would agree with that, but the difficulty in smaller countries is finding a teacher who is actually a FLAMENCO guitarist, be it a professional or very good student. One to one lessons are obviously the most expensive option and there is the danger that you may get a teacher who is primarily a CLASSICAL guitarist who has "a bit of an interest" in Flamenco. So you can spend a lot of money just working your way through a couple of written pieces, which is the totally WRONG way to go IMO.
Basic Flamenco guitar has practically nothing in common with Classical playing with regard to guitar setup, RH position, tone production, emphasis on compás, rhythm and phrasing etc.
Classical LH techniques, music theory etc are valuable...but not crucial to begin with.
Guitar workshops with the Maestros are also a great "value-for-money" option for intermediate and advanced students.
But for starting out, unless you have access to a good FLAMENCO teacher, the best option IMO is one of the on-line teachers or purchasing a good DVD course.
Oh yes...and hanging out at this Forum too!
(BTW there is another Norwegian member here "farteinj", but I don't know which town/city he's from)
Thank you all for the replies so far There seems to be alot of teachers online!
I saw some videos of Jason Mcguire "El Rubio" It sounded fantastic Ill check out the paco pena book too
It is really hard to find a face to face teacher yes, unfortunately even if i found a teacher here in Norway there would probably be a huge distance to travel.
This forum is really helpful, thank you guys for some really nice replies
I give online skype lessons. First 15 minute session for orientation is free, so if you are set up already technically, you can get a free lesson right off. I have to fix my site so you can sign up first sorry it's down right now...
I guess I should wait untill I get to buy the new guitar that Ive been saving for, about to order one today i think but dunno how to order from francisco navarros site so... the model flamenco 2 looks good too
Does anyone know if i can order from their website directly or if i have to go somewhere else?
I'm so sorry Ricardo, I didn't know that we have restricts on that guy I just wanted to help. no more mentioning him by my side.
quote:
there is the danger that you may get a teacher who is primarily a CLASSICAL guitarist who has "a bit of an interest" in Flamenco.
exactly that's what happened to me .. so be aware of this point because into some weeks you'll feel that you're not learning anything related to flamenco you're just learning classic. about Peña's book I don't think it will help you if you don't know how to play varied flamenco techniques because you will struggle with the symbols on the book, so the best choice as Ron and Ricardo said 1.teacher or 2. a good DVD course so you can see what happening.
Yeah i understand that, its good to have it ready for when i do understand everything though I do want to use this summen wisely, especially considering i got in to music school. So i feel like I should learn as much as possible durig the summer to not be left behind as the year goes on.
Ricardo is a great player, can't go wrong with him. But try to actively listen to flamenco as much as you can and steal it. Watch vidoes and copy them.
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no more mentioning him by my side. 
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