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.
Posts: 103
Joined: Mar. 15 2005
From: Toronto, Canada
Counting Bulerias
quote:
Anders on Ricardo: He taught me in few words how to count bulerias in two, this revolutionized completely my playing
Ricardo, I was wondering if you could share your Bulerias counting technique with us before the forum shuts down for good! I hear conflicting accounts on whether I should start counting from 12 or from 1.
Thanks, Ramin
_____________________________
What we are today comes from out thoughts of yesterday and our present thoughts build our life tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. -Buddha
Bulerias counting is basically the same as any other 12-beat rythm. It starts on 1 but then the ear picks it up as beginning on 12, for spaniards this isnt a big deal because the count; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 etc
But counting is something i only do when i have problems learning a phrase or a step sequence.
I think the best way of learning to be in compas is to learn several different rythm variations and get them into your system, then after a while all these different approaches comes together into some sort of subconsious understanding.
Guys, Ricardo has a downloadable video lesson on Bulerias Compás available for only $8 at FT. Remember, he doesn't play guitar just as a hobby, but is a full time teacher and performer. That's how he makes a living. He already helps folk considerably, by giving detailled answers to questions. But asking for a discourse on Bulerias...?
So let's not bother the man too much. Especially when he's gone to the trouble of making a video on the subject!
cheers
Ron
_____________________________
A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
Bulerias starts on 1, nothing else, but when you are "inside" it feels like on "12".
Professionals either tap;
Paco style or traditional in three´s: 1 2 - 4 5 - 7 8 - 10 11 - Or more common nowadays, in two´s; - 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - 10 - 12 in a straight rythm.
Then accents come on top of that straight foottapping and the loudest accents are on '12' with an 'A' chord, '3' with a Bb chord and musical phrases usually ends on '10' on the A. But there are millions of ways to accentuate it and it could be played in any key.
A common way for example the caja to play to that is what you usually find in tutorials;
Its a french singer living in DK who is a bit of a 'Camaronero' and writes a lot of own material. The name of the record comes from the text from a rumba he wrote on the record where the text refers to him not being born in spain.
I dont know about if there are rules about promoting stuff but here it is;
Well if we are talking about how it starts then i dont see how im wrong, but if you take a rythmic cycle out of it it could of course be between 12 and 6 or 12 and 10 or a zillion other variations.
Ja jag tycker den är ok, jag är inte helt nöjd med min egen insats för att inspelningen blev rätt stressad och jag var inte riktigt i form, men emil och robban gör en del intressanta grejor på den.
some falsetas start on 12 some on 10 some on 1 but Bulerias is a fast 12 cycle so it starts on 1.
The chord on 12 is a sycopation to 1.
but why count? siguiriyas is much harder. and i had a much harder time getting into compas of Alegrias.
I think it´s a "brain ghost" everybody is told that bulerias is so tricky and the rythms so hard so when it´s time time for playing the first A and Bb chord people get lost cause their all nervous cause bulerias is soooo hard.
get my point anybody?
The only way bulerias is hard is that you can phrase the rythm(s) so diffrently and the accents.
If you play the basic Juan martin book bulerias (witch is very good to learn) theres no mystery anywhere.
_____________________________
This is hard stuff! Don't give up... And don't make it a race. Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.
We are kind of saying the same thing. Once you have started the bulerias, the compas starts on 12(from my perspective) The only compas in which it starts on 1 would be the very first compas when starting up the buleria.
We are saying the same thing, I said it was a theoretical approach. But Solea, Alegrias and Bulerias are basically the same thing out of a historical perspective.
There are falsetas which start on 12, falsetas which start on 1. I believe (but am not sure) the origin of this is depending on where in bulerias the dance is. I only assume this because alegrias are the same - intro often starts on 1, verse on 12, escobilla on 1. Same with soleá, polo and other related dances. So from a completely musical standpoint, you can do it either way if you're not accompanying.
Rather than counting to 12, I like to think twice long and three times short. Why count 12 when you can you can count 5 instead? "long tap tap, long tap tap, short tap, short tap, short tap..." Keeping the clock in mind helps a lot too.
The counting is just a tool to describe it, it came afterwards as a way to analyze and categorize it, but it has a relation to the other 12 beats.
And even if a teacher uses the practical approach beginning on 12´s, it would also be good to show the relation to the other 12 beats to clear up some confusion by taking the escobilla melody in alegrias or solea and speeding it up to bulerias speed.
I made an upload to show what i mean in the audio section..
I'm no expert, but I'm definitely with Romerito here. If you had to walk into a room where people were playing Bulerias, then how would you know which "count" they "started" on anyway...(?) (Ooops...bit of the Zen stuff floating in here..Tame it Man! Tame it!!! )
If you felt like joining in, say by playing palmas, then nobody would care what beat or "count" you personally started on...so long as you kept the rhythm. A cycle is a cycle.
cheers
Ron
_____________________________
A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
If you felt like joining in, say by playing palmas, then nobody would care what beat or "count" you personally started on...so long as you kept the rhythm.
Yes i already said this this was the analythical description to show the connection between alegrias, solea and bulerias. Listen to clip and count it and you will see what i mean.
This approach has just a pedagogic function for people who needs it. And the practical approach with starting on 12´s has already been mentioned.
This getting into the same black and white, right or wrong discussion as with cante vs guitar, tradition vs modern, soloist vs accompanist.
None of these things are in any opposing positions.
What they do on the example i uploaded is to mark;
1 2 - 4 - - 7 8 - 10 - - in the escobilla
(Its like paco´s foot in bulerias but taking away the '5' and '11' beats. Paco taps 1 2 - 4 5 - 7 8 - 10 11 - )
..then it accelerates to bulerias without any break in these cycles.
Sorry, if you printed this thread before i had to edit it because it wasnt making sense)
sonikete, I wasn't saying that anybody was wrong. I was just chucking in my own two cents worth. That's not making things black or white or modern v traditional surely?
cheers
Ron
_____________________________
A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
Printable Version
) 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread