Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us yesterday in our first Exploring Bulerías class :)
I'm starting this class discussion so that you can share any questions and comments you have about the material we cover throughout the course. Also, if you'd like some feedback about your playing, you can also record or upload videos directly to this post :)
I'm sharing the handout from Class 1 below for anyone who joins late or is curious about what we're doing in the course.
And finally, if you're curious about flamenco metronomes, you may find this recent post useful: https://www.lessonface.com/forums/guitar/118115-do-you-need-flamenco-metronome
Looking forward to the rest of this course, thanks for being a part of it!
Leah
One more important note: For any serious student, listening to flamenco music is an essential supplement to your practice time. I challenge everyone to listen to at least one recording of Bulerias per day during this. Depending on where and what you listen to, some bulerías tracks may specify what variant/key they are, but it's totally fine if they don't, they'll still help you get the feel of the palo. This project will take up about 5 minutes per day and will deepen your understanding of what you're playing beyond measure.
I’m sharing a couple sort clips of my own examples of Bulerías (de Cádiz and por Medio, two of the three variants will cover in the course) for you to get started.
Bulerias de Cádiz (in E Major). Compás tracks by percussionist and Lessonface teacher Nasrine Rahmani
Bulerías por medio short clip (in A Flamenco Phrygian)
Much more importantly, listen to examples by the flamenco guitar masters on youtube or your platform of choice. Share your favorites here! If any recordings you find spark particular questions, even better - I’ll answer as quickly as possible : )
Thanks for posting the 2 example videos. I am now realising how much i lack rhythm! I listened to your recording with the compas beat and also to https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=77-dHaFJjwE and https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=apa2m9XjluI as 2 bulerias (i hope!) where i could hear the beat but i struggle to hear it with emphasis on 12,3,6,8,10. To add to my confusion i tried to listen with the dr compas app but on dr compas the bulerias has emphasis on 12, 3,7,8, 10.
I found nasrine rahmani's 'tu compás flamenco' bulerías a 12 on you tube to listen to the compàs without guitar first. Baby steps!
Awesome, thanks for sharing Phil! Love the Chano Lobato example. You can kind of hear the 12-3-6-8-10 in the very beginning, I'll try and point it out next class.
At first, just try to keep track of the cycles of 12 when you're listening to tracks like this. Beats 12, 3 and 10 might be easiest to hear. If you lose your place for a while, just try and come back in when you can and don't worry about it.
Also, listening to just the compás tracks is a great first step! That's really most similar to what we hear as musicians in an authentic setting.
PS - don't get too bogged down with this extra info, but like I mentioned, describing compás12,3,6,8,10 is an oversimplification. It's the easiest to grasp at first, but if you're curious, here are some common exceptions: (1) accents on 78 instead of 6 (like you noticed in the app) (2) compás of just 6 beats that feels like the first half - for just one or two cycles or perhaps a whole falseta or letra (3) compás of 6 beats that feels like the 2nd half of 12.
Also found another Chano Lobato one at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfVCjDJh8gQ where it is easier to hear and see the rhythm.
Hi everyone! A few of the falsetas we have learned in class were based on Diego del Gastor's playing style. I'm sharing two of his videos here. Hear anything familiar in the first video?? (You should! ?)