Teaching methods in flamenco guitar

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Flamenco guitar is introduced into the academic world after dance. On the other hand, the process for its entry into music conservatories has been accomplished with effort and perseverance. Although there is still a long way to go, flamenco guitar has suffered rejection from official bodies due to its more folkloric and popular origin than from more cultured environments. This rejection that we mentioned continues today in cities such as Madrid. With an important guitar tradition, Madrid does not have the Higher Degree of Flamenco Guitar, although there is the Intermediate Degree. In other Andalusian cities, the academic teaching of flamenco guitar is slowly being established, a fact that should already be consummated.

Not like what happens with classical guitar. Andres Segovia regains a somewhat waning prestige for this discipline in the mid-twentieth century. And at the same time introduces it into the official teachings of the conservatories. A separate mention should be made of the animosity towards the toque flamenco by Andrés Segovia and many academics, whose criticisms contribute to devaluing the touch flamenco as if it were not serious, since strumming and various techniques had already been rejected by the classical establishments since the 19th century.

But if we look back, there are no official teachings of flamenco guitar until the last quarter of the 20th century. Especially since the guitarist from Cordoba Paco Peña established the first Chair of Flamenco Guitar at the Rotterdam Conservatory in 1985. In addition to applauding the work of the Granada native Manuel Cano performs in favor of the guitar from his land.

The flamenco guitar has been an instrument of oral tradition. Its teaching is imparted by the student's imitation of what the teacher presents to him. This has happened since the beginning, since the technique in the flamenco guitar draws largely from the heritage of the baroque. To this are added more technical contributions developed in the simple six-course guitar of the 19th century. These are mechanisms that academic guitarists such as Fernando Ser o Dionisio Aguado applied to their instrument. On the other hand, Julian Arcas contributed to the expansion of Andalusian in his concerts. From there the flamencos take content to enrich their touch. But also the flamenco He develops his own distinctive techniques on the guitar, such as the alzapúa, the four-note tremolo, supported arpeggios and different strumming movements.

The first method that appears focused on the flamenco guitar is Rafael MarínIn 1902 he published Aires Andaluces. Guitar Method by Music and Chords, from the Society of Spanish Authors, Madrid. This compendium explains the position of the hands, musical theory, flamenco technique, even elementary aspects through easy and concert pieces. It includes accompaniments to dances and cantes. It deals with historical aspects, with data that place us in the context of the flamenco guitar in its time and the legacy collected. We find tango, guajiras, soleares, alegrías, seguiriyas, malagueñas, granadinas, tientos, serranas, caña, polo, etc. In this method, the musical notation that appears is an advance for flamenco musical writing. Until then everything was done through tablature figures.

Also, in other earlier publications, the first flamenco pieces for guitar appear. Under their mention as lo andaluz, these pieces are published as separate works or as part of a guitar method. Most of these methods are written almost exclusively in cipher, since the difficulty when writing the flamenco rhythmic part is notable. A clear example of this is the method of Francisco Rodriguez Murciano, considered the first guitarist flamenco. On Ronda-Malaga It was published in 1878, years after his death. It is likely that this publication already incorporated changes in the technical development of the instrument. His playing features strumming, three-note tremolo, arpeggios and chord chaining in the style of flamenco.

«The animosity towards the touch flamenco by Andrés Segovia and many academics, whose criticisms contribute to devaluing the touch flamenco as if it were not serious, since the classical establishments had already rejected strumming and various techniques since the 19th century.

Matias by Jorge Rubio In 1860, he published a guitar method where he explained for the first time the strumming for the six-string guitar. He also explained the use of tapping on the instrument, in the flamenco style. His method with a rather long name is New elementary method of ciphering to learn to play the guitar by yourself with the latest advances made by this system, by Matías de Jorge Rubio, music teacher and instrumentalist in this court. It also includes a section on the study of strumming for sale separately: Practical way to learn guitar strumming by MJ Rubio, which publishes a fandango rasgueado, some rondeñas and some other pieces framed in Andalusian style.

The editor Jose Campo y Castro In 1877 he published several guitar methods with pieces of content flamenco. Under another name he publishes Method for playing the six-string guitar by number and without a teacher by Cosme Astró Jocay. A method written in cipher in which a touch appears close to the touch for soleá by means of today. This same jaleo is published in musical notation in 1883 with a little more extension. In this second half of the XNUMXth century new methods appear, such as that of Augustine Campo with soleá or jaleo, petenera, variations of fandango, granadina, malagueña or rondeña, or Juan Parga, which he published in 1893 The Spanish Guitar, a large collection of characteristic works for guitar, published by this House in collaboration with the first Chamber Guitarist and Honorary Master of several Conservatories. By Don Juan Parga. With pieces such as gypsy polo and bakers, soleá, guajiras or gypsy seguidillas.

Already in the twentieth century, Lucio Delgado In 1906 he released his Serious guitar method and flamenco to learn to play without the need for a teacher by number. It provides pertinent explanations about the figure, technique, scales, and classical or serious works. And he dedicates a part to Andalusian airs with peteneras, malagueñas, granadinas, tientos, jaleo and guajiras. In 1913, Francisco Cimadevilla publish Hispania: guitar method written by number to learn without a teacher. Meme Chacon, a classically trained guitarist, in 1954, released his Learn to play airs flamencos of Andalusia.

But it is from the second half of the 20th century where the teaching methods of flamenco guitar undergo a significant evolution. Also the different locations of guitarists who settled outside Spain contribute to the greater diffusion and internationalization of all these guitar methods. Methods such as those of Juan Grecos, Luis Maravillas, Patricio Galindo, Paco Peña, Merengue from Cordoba, Rogelio Reguera, John Martin, Juan Serrano, Antonio Francisco Serra, Philippe Donnier, Akira Seta, Oscar Herrero, David Leiva o Manuel Granados.

On the other hand, the transcriptions of the themes of the great masters is another of the advances in musical writing for teaching and learning flamenco guitar. Joseph Trotter makes transcriptions of Mario Escudero y You know. Manolo Yglesias and Oscar Herrero, in addition to his educational series, transcribes important works of Stephen of Sanlucar. Claude Worms, in his series Duende Flamenco, publishes transcriptions of falsetas from Juan Habichuela Lazy from 1909 until the touch of Vicente Friend o Rafael Riqueni. Alain Faucher He makes transcriptions of many guitarists and also monographs of Ramon Montoya, Paco Cepero, Nino Ricardo, serranito, Moraito o Child Michael.

«Let us enjoy this wonderful instrument that is the sonanta. It offers infinite rhythmic, melodic and harmonic possibilities. Through its nuances it scratches the soul with a sensitivity between the ancestral and the current depth. It accompanies and interprets with flamenco the purity of this art»

Japan is another enclave where the transcription of flamenco works into music and figures is fruitful. We find the transcriptions of Yasuhiko Miyoshi, Moriyasu League, Hideo Suzuki, Masao Tohgon, Akira Seta, Jiro Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Oka, Karsuhiro Takahashi y Minoru Setta. Publications of the master's works stand out Paco de Lucía. And since we are talking about Paco, we comment that his work has been transcribed by several important guitarists. Guitarists who, in addition to their professional commitments, have an interesting educational series. Among them we highlight: Juan Manuel Canizares, Enrique Vargas, Jorge Berges and David Leiva. Although we had previously published part of his work in different publications, even though they were mostly individual works, they are not complete albums.

But if there is a guitarist to highlight in the teaching section, it is the maestro Andres Batista. He has a body of work consisting of no less than eighteen books, including two books written by his own hand: El Flamenco and its vibrant world y Art flamencoThese works expose the wisdom, knowledge and experiences of the maestro Batista. But in his didactic work he shows topics of maximum interest. Technique, accompaniment, solo playing of different levels, concert playing and even works to be played by two, three, four and even five guitars.

Today, the opening of guitar methods to the entire population is a notable advance in the study of the instrument. On the other hand, the academic teaching of flamenco guitar should be expanded and implemented in all music conservatories, mainly in Andalusia, since private teaching is booming and there are already numerous academies and schools dedicated to it. flamenco.

Another section within the teaching is the one that is taught online. There are numerous academies or online courses that offer teaching at all levels. Moreover, many professionals, since the last COVID pandemic, expanded their borders with teaching projects or online classes. An example of this is the online classes of Manuel Montero, Child Manuel, John Mary Royal o Jose Carlos Gomez. Among the platforms, to which I will dedicate an article later, the following stand out: Antonio Dovao, Pituquete, Juan Tamayo o Joseph Louis Monton. And although they have different disciplines, they highlight the Online platformflamenco with section of Xavier Count or the Spanish guitar platform of José María GallardoWhere Miguel Angel Cortes is in charge of the flamenco part.

Let us enjoy this wonderful instrument, the sonanta, which offers infinite rhythmic, melodic and harmonic possibilities. Through its nuances it touches the soul with a sensitivity between the ancestral and the current depth. It accompanies and interprets with flamenco the purity of this art.