Flamenco Guitar

 

 

Flamenco Guitar

 

Curriculum

 

INITIATION CYCLE

“Discovering the Instrument”

Duration

6 months to 1 year maximum

Entry requirement

In principle, be 8 years old

 

Contents

Generalities and musical acquisitions

·       Holding the instrument

·       Tuning the instrument 

·       Introduction to flamenco music 

·       Flamenco guitar position

·       Left- and right-hand position 

·       Body / instrument balance, tone and relaxation

·       Familiarization and discovery of the instrument in correspondence with the personal musical experience of the learner and the Musical Training course

·       Ear training development

·       Melodies

·       Reading music scores

·       Title of played songs

·       Fretboard Knowledge: First Position Notes

·       Knowledge of the instrument (name of the different parts)

·       Practice at home 

 

Technical skills

·       Alternating fingers of the right hand: i,m /p +i,m(i = index, m = middle finger, p = thumb)

·       Practice of “free stroke” and “rest stroke” 

·       Lateral movement of the left hand

·       Monodic playing: simple scales, small melodies

·       Polyphonic playing: simple melodies accompanied by a bass, simple chords played by the thumb

·       Basic rhythms 

·       Basic Rasgueados

·       Basic picado technique 

Skills expected of learners

·       Tuning the instrument (initiation)

·       Concentrate before playing, become aware of the silence that precedes and follows a piece

·       Feel and maintain a pulse

·       Play a melody with simple basses considering the phrasing (breathing) and nuances

·       Play some easy chords

·       Prepare, without the help of the teacher, pieces for one voice in 1st position, in elementary rhythms

·       Play in public

References

 

·       Juan martin essential flamenco Guitar Methods vol.1

·       Flamenco guitar method by Gerhard Graf Martinez

·       Flamenco rhythms by Oscar Herrero

·       Flamenco Guitar methods (Grahard Martinez)

Cycles 1-2

Basics

General

This phase includes 2 cycles, each one of them includes 2 levels with an average duration of 2 years; its overall duration is, in principle, 4 years. After the completion of these cycles, Learners will be able to cover and play all flamenco palos (rhythms) 

Throughout theses Cycle, the teacher seeks to build with the learner the bases of an elaborate performance, in particular with regard to the following aspects:

·       sense of rhythmic precision

·       sense of phrasing

·       Sonority and sound

·       richness of dynamics

·       diversity of timbres and colors

·       Knowledge of the style and character of the pieces and Palos (time signature, rhythms) performed.

At the end of the 2 Cycles, the flamenco guitarist is as an accompanist of the two major aspects of the art. the Cante (song) and the Baile (dance) virtuoso guitarist don Ramon Montoya through Nino Ricardo and Sabicas to Paco de Lucia, Victor Monge, Paco Peña. Learners will have studied several pieces and the rhythms of flamenco Compas and colors of flamenco voicing chords and solo style

·       Methods : Nino Ricardos, Sabicas, Juan Martin, Paco de Lucia, Paco Peña.

·       Music of popular inspiration (e.g: South American, other folklore, jazz, rock, blues)

The teacher gradually leads the learners to develop an autonomy:

·       Responsibility for the maintenance of the instrument

·       Tuning of the instrument 

·       Sight reading of pieces 

·       Practice at home (regularity, concentration, method, identification of difficulties, targeted work of passages, playing pieces without interruption)

·       Preparation without the help of the teacher of pieces (solo or duet) of adapted difficulties.

During public performances and examinations, the choice of pieces corresponds to the technical possibilities of the learner. Instrumental mastery and understanding of the musical text are required, commitment in the play is valued.

At the end of each level, learners are subject to an assessment according to the content specified in the curriculum.

Description of the cycles

Duration

This phase includes 2 cycles, each one of them includes 2 levels with an average duration of 2 years; its overall duration is, in principle, 4 years.

 

Prerequisites

Have completed the Initiation Cycle assessment

 

Contents

 

Cycle 1

 

Level I-II

 

Revision and development of the contents of the Initiation Cycle or previous stages

 

Generalities and musical acquisitions

 

·       Ability to tune by ear

·       Play the string close to the bridge

·       Finger labeling

·       knowledge of the neck: 2^nd position; 12^th fret

·       playing from sheet music, sight reading

·       notation of the musical elements of the pieces approached (notes, measure, key, rests)

·       title of the pieces played and name of the composer

·       play of melodies with sense of phrasing and nuances, legato play

·       Tonic Chord of the pieces studied

·       Playing colors of flamenco Compas as ( Solea -Tangos- Rumba- Fandango- Farruca- Taranta- Alegria - Taranto- Tangos with Cejilla at 3^rd fret- Sevillans (intro)- Sevillans (Coples) Solea por Buleria - Buleria the old school and the new one - Zapteado.

 

 

Technical skills

·       Finger labeling

·       One finger Rasgueo

·       3 fingers Rasgueo

·       4 fingers Rasgueo

·       Pulgar and ima downstroke

·       Pulgar and Rasgueo

·       Remate

·       Picado technique

·       Pulgar downstroke

·       Golpe

·       Arpeggios

·       Melodies in different positions, accompanied by a simultaneous single bass

·       scales on two octaves, major and minor, corresponding to the pieces studied; simple chromatic scale

 

·       simple chords on 3 strings (pim, ima)

·       chords on 4, 5 or 6 strings played by the thumb

·       natural harmonics

·       various methods of stopping the sound

·       basics of music theory (scales, inversion, modes…)

 

 

Cycle 2

 

Level III-IV

 

Generalities and musical acquisitions

 

·       Ability to tune by ear

·       knowledge of the neck (reading and identification on the fretboard): 1st string, up to the 12^th fret, 2^nd and 3^rd string, up to the 8^th fret

·       development of legato playing and precision of the fingerings.

·       Playing scales on different positions (e.g.: C Major on position 1, 2, 3, 4…)

·       cadence I - V - I

·       indications of tempo and character of the pieces played

·       development of musical expression

·       the flamenco chords voicing

·       barre chord (basic)

 

Technical Skills

 

·       monodic playing: chromatic scale 3 octaves; Major and minor, over 2 or 3 octaves, according to the keys of the pieces studied and possibilities of the learner.

·       Alzapua technique

·       Advanced picado

·       Solea arppegios

·       Golpe with Compas

·       Tremolo 4 stroke and 5 stroke

·       I and p downstroke with golpe

·       arpeggios of 3and 4 fingers: various combinations, emphasis of the main melody

·       chords of dyads (2 notes), triads (3 notes) and Tetrad (4 notes) (pia; pma; pima); sequence of legato chords (preparation)

·       ascending and descending legato

·       Barre chords advanced

·       7^th and 9^th chords voicing

Objectives or skills expected of learners

 

Cycle 1

 

Level I-II

 

Learners will be able to:

 

·       Pursue and develop the objectives of the Initiation Cycle

·       Demonstrate their ability to follow the musical teaching provided

·       Develop a method of working at home (beginning)

·       Respect the chosen fingerings

·       Play all popular flamenco Compas Solea - Tangos- Rumba- Fandango

·       Play the pieces of famous artists as Sabicas - Paco de Lucia - Vicente amigo- Gipsy kings

·       Sight-read a simple melody

·       Prepare, without the help of the teacher, simple melodies accompanied by an open bass or with simple arpeggios

·       Play in public, solo or together

 

Cycle 2

Level III-IV

 

Learners will be able to:

 

·       Consolidate the working from home

·       Tuning by ear or with another instrument (piano)

·       Play all Compas and Palos of flamenco

·       Identify the Tonality and play the I-V-I cadence of the studied pieces

·       Play the pieces by explaining their form, the indications of tempo and character

·       Play some accompaniment chords in simple tones

·       Sight-read songs from the previous level

·       Prepare, without the help of the teacher, melodies accompanied and pieces

·       Change guitar strings

·       Improvising over backing tracks or duet with another instrument

 

References

·       Flamenco guitar method vol.1 (Gerhard Graf-Martinez)

·       Flamenco guitar method vol.2 (Gerhard Graf Martinez)

·       Toque flamenco the flamenco guitar and flamenco theory by flamenco Chuck keyser

·       King of the flamenco guitar by Juan Serrano part 1 and 2

·       Flamenco rhythms by Oscar Herrero

·       Toques flamenco Paco Peña

·       Essential flamenco Guitar vol.1 vol.2 (Juan Martin)

·       Solo flamenco Guitar vol.1 vol.2 (Juan Martin)

·       Best of Paco de lucia by David Lieva

·       Mel bay Sabicas (three solos of Sabicas )