Are you familiar with flamenco music? As a child I took classical guitar lessons, and while practising for my grades some of the music we could choose to learn was of the flamenco style. The technique involved is quite unique.
Classical guitars (which have three nylon strings and three steel strings, unlike other acoustic guitars which have six steel strings) are also known as ‘Spanish guitars’, which is fitting as flamenco music originated in Southern Spain, in the Andalusia region.
This style of music is incredibly difficult to play! You will see from the video the level of expertise involved. Really, to become a flamenco guitarist requires complete commitment over a lifetime.
(Courtesy of Synkroniciti)
- Flamenco is a musical tradition that flowered into dance. The dancer embodies the anguish and beauty of the singer’s voice, the rhythmic anxiety and ferocity of the guitar.
- Flamenco favours the emotional palette of the mature dancer and it is not unusual for a flamenco artist to dance well into their fifties and beyond.
- The duende, or soul of the dance will not give itself easily to the dancer who has not experienced the difficulties of life. The Roma people of Southern Spain, who spawned the tradition, experienced a great deal of persecution.