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I just run on this accidentally by browsing some stuff on Amazon, looks like the official book with partituras from Luzia is out (link). Anyone got it already, any opinions?
I just run on this accidentally by browsing some stuff on Amazon, looks like the official book with partituras from Luzia is out (link). Anyone got it already, any opinions?
Cheers
I just got this one....looks very good and like the Zyryab book it is very thorough but things like fingerings might be off on occasion like almost every transcription. He changed the font size of the scores to a little bit smaller look which saves some paper it seems...but still it’s got A LOT of notes. I have always been curious about the music theory going on with the Solea and Rondeña from this album and going through the score reveals a lot of good stuff I would like to share my thoughts on the next time the music theory arguments come up as we have some concrete examples to explore.
Forgot to add that Leiva has gone back and fixed some of the damage that was done with the hasty release of Volume 1 of the colllection....that being he did a complete score of El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucia, that just came out already. The price of these books (36 euros on Amazon) is super cheap compared to how much music is in them. I hope he also puts out a complete Fabulosa with the missing tracks and they just recycle Volume 1.
I’m probably one of few that actually purchases this stuff
I have a few of these as well (Siroco, Zyryab and Luzia). I don't play at all much of the stuff from these albums, maybe just a few falsetas here and there, but it is a treat to be able to take them out when I really want to play something. I have to admit though that sometimes it seems to me that some falsetas are more difficult than they really are or should be because some notes are quite hard to pay and connect together, I sometimes really think that there's no way it should be played the way it is written. Could be that I'm just frustrated at how hard some falsetas are. I dunno :)
Also, I think notices some errors in falsetas that I tried to play (one Rio de la Miel and one El Chorruelo), but it's reasonable to expect errors of course.
I’m probably one of few that actually purchases this stuff
I have a few of these as well (Siroco, Zyryab and Luzia). I don't play at all much of the stuff from these albums, maybe just a few falsetas here and there, but it is a treat to be able to take them out when I really want to play something. I have to admit though that sometimes it seems to me that some falsetas are more difficult than they really are or should be because some notes are quite hard to pay and connect together, I sometimes really think that there's no way it should be played the way it is written. Could be that I'm just frustrated at how hard some falsetas are. I dunno :)
Also, I think notices some errors in falsetas that I tried to play (one Rio de la Miel and one El Chorruelo), but it's reasonable to expect errors of course.
It’s important to use scores in conjunction with available live footage. Yes in the end there is lots to fix
It’s important to use scores in conjunction with available live footage. Yes in the end there is lots to fix
Yes, exactly. I usually start with lowering down the speed to 50% or even 35% to catch if what I hear is what is written in the notes. Sometimes there are errors there too I think, so when I get that correct I usually use book's scores with live videos and other scores if I have them. Lots of work especially because I am quite slow at all this, but it pays off :)
As far as Luzia goes, I remember the material appeared in his live shows several months prior to the album release ... it was a shock to the system to hear all the unfamiliar replacements for Rondeña, Alegrias, and bulerias! I don’t find much or any material from that tour on youtube, but this concert comes closest to the Luzia material. By the time of cositas buenas (2004) all the forms changed and mixed with older and new material.
Never knew that he played that much of Luzia material live before the album was released, I can only imagine how it felt being at some of those concerts.
That Jazz a Vienne concert is quite a treasure, I remember at first I saw some parts on youtube in very bad quality and when the video that you linked appeared I was happy like a little kid. It's a pity that there's no more material from that period, apart from Vienne concert I know only of the concert in Lugano in 2001.
Sadly the HD quality video of this concert was removed. The lower quality might still be helpful to study, but is in 7 parts.
Also wanted to add that Leiva placed the rumba in this book in the wrong key. He has it in C#m capo 1...but paco plays in D minor no capo. That is a pretty bad error. But then again I guess could PRETEND you have the capo on and re finger any zeros?
I've been working on this Rio de la Miel falseta for fun, and I'm using in parallel the book and Faucher's transcription. There are differences and sometimes the position on the fretboard is totally different, so I try to combine the two sources in what is the most convenient for me to play. But there is that part at 4:17 which is completely different, not just slightly different chords but the ligados which are the essence of the melody are completely different. So I'm wondering what is going on, who got it right and how come the other one made such a big deviation from the original, any ideas?
I've been working on this Rio de la Miel falseta for fun, and I'm using in parallel the book and Faucher's transcription. There are differences and sometimes the position on the fretboard is totally different, so I try to combine the two sources in what is the most convenient for me to play. But there is that part at 4:17 which is completely different, not just slightly different chords but the ligados which are the essence of the melody are completely different. So I'm wondering what is going on, who got it right and how come the other one made such a big deviation from the original, any ideas?
So that ending thing the live versions he just plays the chords. The melody is designed to sound like a solo improvisation over top of the chords. Without the video confirmation it is tough to decide fingerings. I could do a better job if I took some time to go through it, but considering Paco was doing the chords, would it be worth the effort? Faucher would use similar “alternate takes” with other players such as tomatito, in his books where these type of sections are open to improvisation. Faucher would video these guys in the hotel room and transcribe it from that, and of course it would not match the studio recordings. I can’t tell you who got it closer then, probably Faucher as he at least shoots for the correct string sounds, where as Leiva is just getting the pitches and often doesn’t care about strings and positions. Personally, I would skip it and work out my own solo improvisations based on that scales he is using (D Lydian, then G melodic minor, etc.).
Thanks a lot for the response Ricardo, I really appreciate it!
Yeah, I don't think it's worth the effort as you say. As you say, Paco plays chord there and that part is quite energetic and beautiful so it would be much more worth it, maybe I do it one day with a video reference. Also I am more interested in how the two tabs ended up being that different in that part.
So I decided to stop at the end of the last solo falseta (ends at 4:23), and I actually have a comment and a question there. The comment is that these few chords up to 4:23 are in my view significantly different in the book and the tab, but I think I sorted out that one well, or at least in a way that sounds ok and meaningful to me. The question is related to compass and the same chords part (4:17-4:23), though it can be considered a general question. Namely, sometimes a chord gets hit just before the accent (half a measure if that is the correct terminology, or 1/8th note before). For example below, the accent comes at the ^ mark, so the chord is hit just before the accent and then it is let ringing. My question is, would it be a mistake/out of compas if the chord gets hit exactly at the accent spot instead of before, provided the next accent is correct? I guess it would change the shapeof the melody a bit, but I am also curious as to what extent things are allowed or not. I am also thinking that at high speed it's almost not noticeable, or is it?
I also want to share my experience in learning this falseta. I first learnt it a few years ago the way I was usually doing it, which is learn to play a falseta without attention to the compass, and then work the compass out with a metronome at lower speed, 60-70bmp marking all the beats in a cycle, not just accents. At that time, at the end it was difficult to put it all in a proper speed, I would have needed to work it out again almost from scratch so I got frustrated and gave up. But this time I used the way you Ricardo described in one of the videos when you learned Tomatito falseta I think. So almost full tempo from the beginning and with a buleria palmas in the back. It's so good, I had it quite fast and I can play it in compas, or at least when I'm out I notice it right away. So thanks again!
The question is related to compass and the same chords part (4:17-4:23), though it can be considered a general question. Namely, sometimes a chord gets hit just before the accent (half a measure if that is the correct terminology, or 1/8th note before). For example below, the accent comes at the ^ mark, so the chord is hit just before the accent and then it is let ringing. My question is, would it be a mistake/out of compas if the chord gets hit exactly at the accent spot instead of before, provided the next accent is correct? I guess it would change the shapeof the melody a bit, but I am also curious as to what extent things are allowed or not. I am also thinking that at high speed it's almost not noticeable, or is it?
Ok, sorry. Thought you meant the very next long section. So he is just doing a compas expression similar to the thing Moraito always does accenting 12,2,4,6,8,10. Where you change the chords on 12 or 6, but accent 4 and 10, displacing the count 3 accent (or ignoring it). This means counts 2 and 8 are in the middle of each phrase, also accented and the up beat thing you are concerned about is a big part of how you maintain the groove/soniquete or feeling. If you can HALF time this concept in your brain (where 6,8,10= a half tempo 1,2,3) with 16th note subdivisions (4 per beat, or down-up-down-up strumming), then you need to get used to this expression:
ah-ONE-e…ah-TWO-e…ah-THREE-e…repeat.
That groove is maintaining the feel throughout, with a louder dynamic on the “ah-THREE-e” portion each time, until the special resolution that accents (2)-e….and the decent of melody on 3-e-&-ah also anticipates count 6, or downbeat of the second half of the last compas, which invites the rasgueado on the tonic chord (7-10 basic thing). You should understand in order to play that type of rhythm phrase, you need to always be ON the chord early so not changing chord on the beat, but on the “ah” before it with the up stroke. But those up strokes typically only catch the top two or three treble strings, however, you need to be fingering the full chord.
Nice, thanks for sharing! It's a bit different than what I worked out, but in my opinion better than the tab. I like how the first chord is played, especially the first ligato on the H string (2. to 3. fret).
quote:
Ok, sorry. Thought you meant the very next long section. So he is just doing a compas expression similar to the thing Moraito always does accenting 12,2,4,6,8,10. Where you change the chords on 12 or 6, but accent 4 and 10, displacing the count 3 accent (or ignoring it). This means counts 2 and 8 are in the middle of each phrase, also accented and the up beat thing you are concerned about is a big part of how you maintain the groove/soniquete or feeling. If you can HALF time this concept in your brain (where 6,8,10= a half tempo 1,2,3) with 16th note subdivisions (4 per beat, or down-up-down-up strumming), then you need to get used to this expression:
ah-ONE-e…ah-TWO-e…ah-THREE-e…repeat.
That groove is maintaining the feel throughout, with a louder dynamic on the “ah-THREE-e” portion each time, until the special resolution that accents (2)-e….and the decent of melody on 3-e-&-ah also anticipates count 6, or downbeat of the second half of the last compas, which invites the rasgueado on the tonic chord (7-10 basic thing). You should understand in order to play that type of rhythm phrase, you need to always be ON the chord early so not changing chord on the beat, but on the “ah” before it with the up stroke. But those up strokes typically only catch the top two or three treble strings, however, you need to be fingering the full chord.
No problem Ricardo, actually I should have been more precise with the timing of the falseta, that's my bad! Thanks a lot for the explanation. It melts my brain a bit I have to admit :) I've been on it together with the book for the past 15-20 min but am not there yet. I need to put more effort to sort it well out and internalise that particular expression since I haven't worked on it before. Regarding other falsetas with the same pattern, for example Mooraito as you mentioned, is the one at 0:46-0:53 in the same pattern?
Basically yes, however, where paco emphasizes “ah-THREE-e”, Moraito emphasizes “three…&…”, really giving juice to the “&” before the chord changes. In Paco’s version all the “&s” are pretty weak because those are where the pull offs occur.
To further “melt your brain”, it should be understood that this common phrase is basically the same feeling as your typical Solea escobilla at half tempo. That is why the 6,8,10 of bulerias morphs into the basic 1,2,3 of solea. This happens in the baile quite frequently.
Still processing this :) But I haven't given up, I just did not have much time to work on it. It would be pity not to finish the falseta since I only have this last part left.
Speaking about it, I have another question. I think that there is a timing error in the book that I wanted to check with you to see if I am correct on this. It concerns the beginning of the falseta at the spot between 2nd and 3rd compass. In the book, that place is at the bar #299/300. The (026xxx) strum is written as if it falls on the beat, i.e., on the first accented beat of the 3rd compass (bar #300). However, it seems to me that it should fall just before the beat. In fact, the (x34xxx) that is played on the beat of the bar #299 is marked as 1/4 note with a dot, but in fact it should be just a 1/4 note so everything after that and until the 6/4 ligado in the bar #300 should come earlier than written. I've uploaded an image to show this. So, any thoughts on this?
Still processing this :) But I haven't given up, I just did not have much time to work on it. It would be pity not to finish the falseta since I only have this last part left.
Speaking about it, I have another question. I think that there is a timing error in the book that I wanted to check with you to see if I am correct on this. It concerns the beginning of the falseta at the spot between 2nd and 3rd compass. In the book, that place is at the bar #299/300. The (026xxx) strum is written as if it falls on the beat, i.e., on the first accented beat of the 3rd compass (bar #300). However, it seems to me that it should fall just before the beat. In fact, the (x34xxx) that is played on the beat of the bar #299 is marked as 1/4 note with a dot, but in fact it should be just a 1/4 note so everything after that and until the 6/4 ligado in the bar #300 should come earlier than written. I've uploaded an image to show this. So, any thoughts on this?
Yes that is correct, and the chord that lands is broken so that that bass comes before the beat and as you strum through the last note G# lands on the beat.
I've been working on this Rio de la Miel falseta for fun, and I'm using in parallel the book
I started working on some falsetas from Rio recently, and I needed some clarification on compas so I bought the digital version of the book. Didn't help much! Just figured it out by ear after some time.
I almost never use tab. Not since the encuentro series. Those were great because they had the beginning and end of a compas cycle laid out every 4 measures. And the tab was accurate from what I remember. I'm kinda surprised at choice of fingerings in Leivas version.
Printable Version
I have six of these, up to Siroco. 
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