New member, not a 'Flamenco' player per se but looking to...

[nightshade77]

get my feet wet. I found this place through another member... good people here I'm guessing. :wink:

Anyways, by way of introduction, my other (good standing) monikers I'm also known as are kronie ( my forum - synikalproductions.com) and gtrhrcane.

I'm a late starter on guitar, and I'm almost able to do what I initially set out to do and that's 'play' the blues. I started at 22, and I'm 28 now. To me, this guitar business is a lifelong journey and I'm almost ready to expand my repertoire. Since hearing Al Di Meola ( Elegant Gypsy), my first foray in to this style... I knew what the next style would be for me. I have no pipe dreams of making it big in any of this, but I will try to 'master' it by the time I die. Realizing this is next to impossible, I have my work cut out for me. :)

Anyways, just making my splash. I'll be having a look around and stuff. I'll post a couple pics of the nylong strung classical I have as I know very little about it but I feel there's some value to it, if nothing else historical. It's a Francisco Tarregas student model, made in Japan for a school in NY.

So, I hope to learn some here... I really want to take my playing to the 'next level' and why not go for the gold? :lol:

[Faya]

Hello & welcome nightshade77........!!!! :D

Lots o' nice people around here....&........some not so nice......., but who carezzzz....!!!........it's a free world and we weirdos(myself)....are allowed!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: ..........anywayzzzz...........diMeola is one of my favorite geetaristssss........but be carefull for the PUROS!!!........they won't like the fact you used the name "Al di Meola"....in the same sentance as "Flamenco"..... :D

Anywayzzzz................i lived in the TwinCities for many years. What part are you from???

also....i've been to yer website alot.............but haven't joined yet............seems like a cool place!!!

Laterzzzzzzzzz. :mrgreen:

[nightshade77]

Hey thanks Faya. 8) It is, or will be one day, and I like to think of myself as the balance for the checks that have been written. :twisted: :lol: Sorry, it's been a long day in the corporate world...takes a toll on the soul, ya know?

I'm all over, mainly in the Minneapolis/Anoka area. From Coon Rapids, born and raised. It's not bad, Home for now.

I hear you on the topic of purists, they're everywhere in every facet of life. I'm cool with that, as long as it stays civil. To each their own, but I approach life with the white belt on and if it gets dirty, well... it gets dirty. That... is the point in life for me. :mrgreen:

That's why I figured, if I'm going to learn this stuff... I better start with history, roots, technique and the absolute basics first. So, I appeal to all to keep it real and don't pull any punches with me... I'm here to learn and the quicker the better.

Thanks for checking out my site, the more the merrier of course. It will never replace any of the communities it's tied to but it's not meant to either. It's a semi-private club where all are welcome. My only rule, and that's 2 rules.... play nice and respect each other. :wink:

[Jubilee Valence]

..... but I approach life with the white belt on and if it gets dirty, well... it gets dirty. That... is the point in life for me. :mrgreen:

That's why I figured, if I'm going to learn this stuff... I better start with history, roots, technique and the absolute basics first. So, I appeal to all to keep it real and don't pull any punches with me... I'm here to learn and the quicker the better.

[/i]WEH-HEH-HE-LLL! Look'ee here now! Wh-? We got us the "Git-tar"!!!! Hurr-i-cane"!!!!--YAHHOOO!!!!!!!

Hey Kronie!! Good ta' see ya'!

Yep! Kind've providencial you arrivin' right at this critical time in history especially with the determination to learn TRUE flamenco--just like you called it--"history"..."roots"...etc...

As a matter of fact, I started a real simple Flamenco Definition thing there next door in the discussion columns...& I think I'll head over there & LEARN some......

[brian richardson]

hey nightshade77-welcome brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah we have all 'kinds' round here. the good the bad and
the fugly. hell, i'm not so good and quite ugly whilst
squatting on the side of the road with to of the force
looking on!! faya??? don't sweat the clowns.

great statement about the white belt getting dirty-luved it 8)
can't remember if mine was ever white-though we all start from
scratch. again, welcome brother!!! as someone told we when i joined,
'tune up to 440 and enjoy!'
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Faya]

yo...................nightshade77..............i lived in White bear Lake, Roseville on Snelling Ave. and in Edin Prarie..........had a great time in the ol' twins........

Send in the Clowns!!!!!.................
:lol: :lol: :lol:

[nightshade77]

Thanks guys. Faya - I had a music studio over there right off of University and Prior Street.... down on the Midway, all the vatos out there cruising and stuff. 8) Good times. Used to live and work in Eden Prairie too, nice area.

Glad we're all on 440 here, thought I was going to have to re-tune. lol...
Anyways, I'll be around checking things out. It's going to be awhile before I can really focus on this, so I'm taking it in stride.

Let me ask you this, what are the 3 most important things I should know when starting out on this style. At this point, I know nothing. I'm assuming I'll be 'finger picking', from what I've read so far but that's about as far as it goes where I can intelligently discuss it.

Jubi - Thanks for the warm welcome. 8) Need to get some new batteries so I can take proper pictures of my classical.

Just so the rest of you guys know too, if anyone's on high speed access and wants to jam live... let me know. I have a private dedicated VOIP server just for that. I can play some dirty gut bucket blues, but I'd enjoy hearing some people play this kind of music live for sure!

[hcrunyon]

Hi there, nightshade. I'd say the three most important things to be able to do with your right hand in flamenco are (not in any order of importance):

--play decisively and strongly with your thumb;

--play fast, clean arpegios in both directions, up & down; and

--play a variety of rasgueos (a.k.a. rasgueados), which you may spend years acquiring.

And you'll want to learn to tap on the guitar while doing some of the above. Most people, I think, tap with _a_, the ring finger. At least one great guitarist I know of taps with his pinkie. (Manuel Molina, and okay, he's not in the pantheon of guitar gods, but he does what he does beautifully and with total conviction and when you're listening to him you don't need anything to be different.) Picado and tremolo are great techniques to have at your disposal, but neither of them is a must-have. You can spend years working on them. Must be patient.

And then there's the whole world of tonalities and special chord shapes and compás, but that's what the rest of your life is for. Of the active guitarists that you can listen to on CD, I'd recommend Moraito before anyone else. He's not the most advanced flamenco guitarist in terms of technique or harmonic sophistication, but he always sounds flamenco, his stuff is cool, and most of it is simple enough that if you listen carefully you can more-or-less figure out how he's doing it. (Cuidado, I'm not saying it's easy to do!)

Juan Martín's videos got me off to a useful start, but I didn't make much progress till I found a live teacher. There's a good series of videos called "La Guitarra Flamenca," produced--I think--in Switzerland by a company called Encuentros (?). Each features one well-known player playing some solos (and in some cases accompanying cante) and is accompanied by a book that gives everything in tab (maybe in musical notation too, can't remember). Especially interesting sections get repeated with closeup on the hands. I have the Moraito one and like it a lot. There's one that i've heard recommended as especially accessible to beginners... maybe Paco Serrano. Some are available now on DVD.

Howard Runyon
Lake Placid, NY

[dennis]

Nightshade -
Backing up what Howard said, the videos and such are helpful, but having a teacher to correct/guide you is very important with Flamenco. Out of the encuentros videos, the best instructional one (for me, I'm not advanced at all) is the Gerardo Nunez dvd, as he not only goes through pieces, but lists a number of excercises as well, which are very helpful. The Manuel Granados Manual didacto de guitarra flamenca is also excellent for showing the notation & golpes in compas. My copy is in english on one side & spanish on the other.

And welcome aboard!!! Hope the forum is helpful for you.

[nightshade77]

This is awesome, there's a strong foundation being laid with all of this. I appreciate it! This coming from someone who knows what it means to carry on the legacy, so I will do you all proud. :!:

- Is there an online dictionary or a book you would recommend for picking up and understanding some of the terms that seem to be unique to this style? I'll be using the search functions too...

[hcrunyon]

"- Is there an online dictionary or a book you would recommend for picking up and understanding some of the terms that seem to be unique to this style? I'll be using the search functions too..."

Here's my advice, and I need to admit up front that it's not what I did: Get a 2-CD set of the singer Carmen Linares that's called, I think, either _Cantes de Mujer_ or _La Mujer en el Cante_. It's a great anthology of her recordings of a lot of different song styles, all recorded with first-rate guitarists and palmeros (clappers/stampers/yellers). Get it and just listen, and read the liner so you always know whether what you're listening to is Soleá or Siguiriyas or Tangos de la Niña de los Peines or Caracoles or whatever. Listen and listen and listen. While learning what the songs sound like you'll also be absorbing guitar accompaniment by folk like Tomatito and Paco Cepero and Rafael Riqueni and the Cortés brothers, just terrific accompaniments all around.

If you can't find the CDs or want something else to do, go to www.andalucia.org and check out the "Telematic Flamenco Guide." Under "List of styles. Audition," you'll find a massive archive of sample recordings of different song styles classified both alphabetically and by region of origin. All the performers are good pros. It wasn't done to feature guitarists, but rather to give people a way to educate themselves about cante, the song forms. In this country it's very easy to find hot guitar licks but very hard to learn about the cante, and no matter how well you can play the guitar, if you don't know any cante you don't really know any flamenco. Try to love the songs, because that's what flamenco is really about.

Howard

[nightshade77]

In this country it's very easy to find hot guitar licks but very hard to learn about the cante, and no matter how well you can play the guitar, if you don't know any cante you don't really know any flamenco. Try to love the songs, because that's what flamenco is really about.

Very nice. That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'll look in to this, if I have more questions ( I'm sure I will) I'll return with more. Thank you. :)