Falsetas
A falseta is a melodic variation that a flamenco guitarist
plays within the structure of a palo.
It can be short or long, simple or complex, as long as it's in compás
and in good flamenco taste.
In old times, the guitarist played few, and short, falsetas
and concentrated on accompanying the singer or dancer with simple chords. With
time, the falsetas evolved as guitarists discovered new possibilities, and a
few outstanding guitarists eventually became soloists, playing long pieces that
consisted of many falsetas strung together. Thus the solo flamenco guitar was
born.
This is one reason why a creative flamenco guitarist will never
play exactly the same thing twice - because he's stringing together falsetas
in his head, and the order and the way he plays them might change from one performance
to the next. That's why there are so few flamenco guitar "pieces" or concertos,
etc. Instead there are hundreds of falsetas that can be played in any order
the player feels like. String together a series of good falsetas, and you've
got a flamenco guitar solo.
Having said that, concert flamenco guitarists understandably
need to practice routines, for the sake of professionalism, so they don't have
to think and decide what they're going to play in the next ten seconds. So most
soloists tend to play fixed sequences of falsetas.
Many falsetas have become traditional, and are played time
and time again because they feel so "right". But a good flamenco guitarist
will add his own touches and variations to traditional falsetas and go on to
create his own unique falsetas. The fascination and challenge of playing flamenco
is to create something new and interesting within the confines of the compás.
Anyone can do it, once he has mastered the compás and cultivated his
taste for what is good flamenco and what isn't. A few weeks of classes
in the very flamenco atmosphere of Jerez
will help to train your ears as well as your hands.
Why
go to Spain?
Where
are the major centres of flamenco?
What
is compás?
What
are palos?
What's
the difference between a flamenco guitar and a classical guitar?
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flamenco-guitar-teacher.com 2006