About flamenco
What is it about flamenco guitar that
is so hard to understand?
Sorry. I'm being a little cheeky. Here's an easy one. Explain
in 25 words or less what electric guitar music is all about. Chances
are that you would go to the top of the class with your answer.
Everybody knows what electric guitar music is. Right.
But if you were to ask a complete beginer what they think flamenco
guitar music is all about, I guarantee you will get some very
strange answers. Put your hands up if you think the Gipsy Kings
play flamenco. Wrong. Jose Feliciano? Wrong. Armik? Wrong again.
The truth is there are so many misconceptions about flamenco out
there that it's very easy to form a life long impression that
is completely wrong.
So what is it?
The most basic definition is:
"Flamenco is a generic term applied the body of music,
song and dance normally associated with the Gypsies of Southern
Spain." But that's only half the story. I believe
the best way for a beginner to get to know about flamenco is to
understand what flamenco is NOT.
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Don't just play the music, express it
In order to make the music convincing, it is important (in my humble opinion) to understand the spirit or underlying essence of what you are supposed to be playing. A big part of being convincing, not only to an audience of Spanish gypsies but ultimately to yourself, is developing an ability to get into the mood of the music. One of my favorite sayings is that "flamenco is an expression of the human condition".
It's no good playing Soleares if you're going to make it sound
jolly or frivolous. It doesn't mean anything unless you can convey
a sense of isolation. The word Soleares is derived from Soledad,
which means loneliness. You don't have to be a Spanish language
expert to understand a few of these definitions. The more you
learn about flamenco, curiosity will be incentive enough to pick
up a dictionary and find out where the music forms get their names.
Almost everything about flamenco music forms can be referred back
to some kind of emotion or human experience.
Well, that's the traditional view anyway. What you do with flamenco
in your spare time is really your business. Let's face it, I mess
around with flamenco styles myself in my spare time. But I don't
mess around with the essence of flamenco in a
performance where dancers and other performers are involved.
All I'm getting at here is that it's not a bad idea to be aware
of flamenco elements such as these. Preparing these essays and
the little dictionary of flamenco terms was a bit like therapy.
I needed to do that to clear some of the fog in my own mind. I
hope this information helps you to get a handle on the more esoteric
aspects of flamenco. I like to treat flamenco primarily as a traditional
art form and I hope you can see the value in this also.
Feeling is just as important as technique
As with any form of art, what you produce on a physical level
should ideally be a personal expression of what lies deep inside
you at an emotional level. There is no doubt that the best music
comes from within. You don't need to be a technical virtuoso to
produce music that is worth listening to. The key is that if you
going to do it, then do it with feeling. Watch the expression
of any blues player who is lost in the moment and you have some
idea of what I'm trying to say. Flamenco is no different in this
regard.
Here's where I get poetic
Let music be an expression of the inner spirit. It's not where
you're going that matters, it's getting absorbed in the journey
and enjoying the timelessness of the moment.
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