Flamenco music will most likely be accompanied by a chorus of flamenco guitars playing in the background. This site is dedicated to this part, my favourite part, the flamenco guitar.
Flamenco guitars are made using various woods, but more often than not the flamenco guitar is constructed with either Spanish spruce or Spanish cypress, ebony or rosewood fingerboards. Although the flamenco guitar can often be confused with the classical there are differences. The flamenco guitar is typically smaller and does not weigh as much as the classical guitar. This helps to produce that bright flamenco sound and that flamenco ‘bite’. Flamenco guitarists like their guitars (I know I do) to be nice and loud to blast out those rasgueados above the sound of those flamenco dancers feet. Playing the flamenco guitar can often be distinguished from playing the classical guitar by the aggression and attacking the right hand (or if your playing on a left handed guitar, the left!) performs on the flamenco guitar.
Rasgueados
The rasgueado is used when playing the flamenco guitar. It is a technique for strumming the flamenco guitar strings in very specific rhythmic patterns which are often performed at high speeds. The rasgueado is very characteristic to the flamenco guitar ‘sound’ and once mastered through years of flamenco guitar playing can be one of the most impressive parts of flamenco guitar playing. The rasgueado was developed to be able to create a much louder, rhythmic sound. The rasgueado technique typically uses just one digit at a time, hitting the flamenco guitar strings with either the finger or the thumb. The rasgueado enables the flamenco guitarist to produce multiple strumming patterns.
Sometimes due to the amount of times the nail hitting the wood of the flamenco guitar, some flamenco guitarists may add a golpeador or tapping plate or pick guard as they are sometimes known which is a transparent piece of plastic which is fitted around the sound hole of the flamenco guitar.
Upon practising the rasgueado there are two key principles the flamenco guitarist must stick to:
Flamenco Guitar Construction
The traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress and spruce, which accounts for its characteristic body color, and is lighter in weight and a bit smaller than a classical guitar, to give the flamenco guitar sound a "brighter" and percussive quality. Volume has traditionally been very important in flamenco construction, as flamenco guitarists needed to be heard over the sound of the dancers' nailed shoes. The flamenco guitar, in contrast to the classical, is often equipped with a tap plate called golpeador, commonly made of transparent plastic, similar to a pick guard, whose function is to protect the body of the flamenco guitar from the rhythmic finger taps, or golpes. Originally, flamenco guitars were made with wooden tuning pegs similar to a violin. Some guitarists still prefer these pegs to the classical style modern tuning gears. It is widely accepted that more weight in the headstock can improve sustain; unsurprisingly, less weight can result in quicker attack, a desirable quality in a flamenco guitar. This could explain why many flamenco guitar players still favor the traditional pegs. The action or the height of the strings above the fingerboard of a flamenco guitar is generally lower (<3mm at the 12th fret) than that of a classical guitar. This aids faster playing, especially during fast picado passages, but can lead to some fret buzz-also a frequent feature of the traditional 'flamenco' sound. Also, the lower string height greatly helps reduce fatigue of the left hand over lengthy performances.
In short, flamenco guitars are better suited for flamenco music than classical guitars. Some modern flamenco guitars (flamenca negra), however, use similar materials to high-end classical guitars. These flamenco guitars hope to capture some of the sustain achieved by concert calibre classical guitars while retaining the volume and attack associated with flamenco.
Flamenco guitar music
Flamenco is a genuine Spanish artform. It exists in three forms:
* Cante: the song (this is the heart of flamenco)
* Baile: the dance
* Toque: flamenco guitar playing
Strictly, flamenco guitar is an accompaniment to singing and dancing in the traditional Flamenco forms. Those in English-speaking countries outside the Flamenco community often use it to mean vaguely Spanish-sounding guitar playing which utilises some of the flamenco techniques listed below, especially rasgueado.
Flamenco Techniques
Flamenco guitar is played somewhat differently from the classical guitar, utilizing different strumming patterns and techniques. Flamenco is commonly played using a cejilla (capo) which somewhat causes the flamenco guitar to sound more brilliant and percussive. However, the main purpose in using a cejilla is to change the key of the flamenco guitar in order to suit the singer's vocal range.
In addition to the techniques common to classical guitar, flamenco guitar technique is uniquely characterised by the following:
* Golpe: Percussive finger tapping on the soundboard at the area above or below the strings. This requires a golpeador (tap-plate) in order to protect the surface of the flamenco guitar.
* Picado: Single-line scale passages performed apoyando but with more attack and articulation.
* Rasgueado: Flamenco guitar strumming done with outward flicks of the right hand fingers, done in a huge variety of ways. A nice rhythmic roll is obtained, supposedly reminicent of the bailaor's (flamenco dancer) feet and the roll of castanets.
* Alzapua: A thumb technique which has roots in old plectrum technique. The right hand thumb is used for both single-line notes and strummed across a number of strings. Both are combined in quick succession to give it a unique flamenco guitar sound.
* Tremolo: The flamenco guitar version is done somewhat differently from the conventional classical guitar tremolo, it is very commonly played with the right hand pattern p-i-a-m-i.
Flamenco Guitar Strings
The higher tension of flamenco guitar strings are thought to provide a more brilliant sound. Flamenco guitar strings are around the same prices as other guitar strings yet any guitarist has to have flamenco guitars strings on their flamenco guitar. To buy a set of flamenco guitar strings or to read more about the different qualities and brands that are on offer please visit our section on flamenco guitar strings.
Flamenco guitar strings come down to the individual using the flamenco guitar strings themselves. A lot of flamenco guitar players like to try different strings on their guitar in order to get better bass and treble sounds on the flamenco guitar strings. Also by trying different tensions (high, medium) of strings and different string brands you can find that perfect combination of flamenco guitar strings.
Flamenco guitar strings such as luthier popular supreme are known due to their endoresement by Paco De Lucia or there are also brands byt he flamenco guitar makers themselves such as Alhambra, Conde Hermanos.
If you have just bought some new flamenco guitars strings a nice way to tune to produce that snappy flamenco guitar sound is tuning to D. If you would like to find out how to tune your flamenco guitar this way a useful link is here.
Usually the treble strings of the flamenco guitar are the first strings to wear out, followed by the bass strings. Usually the flamenco guitarist will look to get a better treble response from their flamenco guitar strings in order for that 'attack' they want from their flamenco guitar strings.
Click here to buy La Bella Flamenco Guitar Strings
There are many different manufacturers of flamenco guitar strings such as, La Bella Guitar Strings, Hanabach flamenco guitar strings, Savarez and also Aranjuez amongst other flamenco guitar string manufacturers. La Bella medium tension flamenco guitar strings are the best option if you are unsure of which guitar strings to buy.
