Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
I would recommend Ricardo. I've only had one so far and plan on having more. Having said that, I had one 1 hour lesson and it was very dense, lots of material in a short time. I really want to emphasize this because I've had some other teachers that spend too much time talking but he will give you lots of material and explains concepts as well. I think the price is quite reasonable too.
I've never had any lessons with him but Ricardo has taught me more than any other teacher. He's worth the money, at any price.
I've looked over Mr. Diaz's online stuff and while he can certainly play, he seems like a fruitcake. In particular, his approach to picado looks a little weird to me. Ricardo has a pluralistic attitude but Diaz's obsession with Paco is a little creepy.
I would not place them in the same world, never mind the same bracket.
In my opinion after getting to know him here, I believe he has a great depth of knowledge, shows patience and has the ability to clearly explain things.
That is easy to answer. Ricardo is a top choice. Not only does he know flamenco, but he is good at giving you positive feedback and explaining things in a way you can understand.
In addition, he is all setup for easy online booking of your classes. You just go to his site and book the times that suit you from his availability schedule, no need to exchange 15 e-mails on when you can meet.
Right now, with the Granada Boot Camp, scroll up the page and he is the one at top of the left hand menu.
Does anybody know what to do if the connection is one-sided-good? I lately skyped with a person in the US.. She saw and heard me clearly..but I got about 10 fps and stutter-sound.. Are there any options that would solve that?
As everyone says here, Ricardo would be a safe bet (I haven't had a Skype lesson with him yet, but fully intend to soon).
You could also try Grisha. I had a lesson with him recently - it was one of the most inspiring hours of my entire life. And I've lived a full and deprived life. Nothing comes close. Not even naked ladies. Seriously.
Doit, I'm sure you probably already know these things but:
Skype will require a given bandwidth according to the type of call:
Video calling is 500kbps (kilobits per second) both up and download HD video 1.5 mbps (megabits per second)
But you would ideally want some headroom as well.
If you search you find lots of 'speed tests' online. You can find out exactly what bandwidth you're getting (and maybe get a stick to beat your provider with). Use a server in your area.
Try testing before you make a call.
Reboot the computer or device. Switch off all other programs before you make the call.
Reboot your modem before a call.
I guess you already know all this.
There are given times, during the day, when general traffic increases. It all depends on where you are and the infrastructure.
But make sure you're getting the download/upload speeds your provider is charging you for. If the problem is only your end it could be a 'power' problem with your computer. But that should be unlikely, given the power of most modern machines.
If you have an Apple device, I find facetime less problematic that Skype. (So far)