How to Play Flamenco Guitar

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Explore this ArticleLearning Fingering TechniquesPlaying Chords and ScalesExperimenting with Different StylesAsk a QuestionRelated Articles

Flamenco is more than a guitar playing style. It is an art form that originated in the Andalusia region of Spain, and incorporates music and dancing. You don't have to be from Spain to learn to play flamenco guitar, although familiarity with the culture may help. Flamenco uses the guitar in ways that may be unfamiliar to you, even if you're a more experienced guitarist. The techniques can be difficult, but with patience and persistence you can master them. If you want to learn to play flamenco guitar, it helps if you already know how to play classical guitar.^[1]

Part1

Learning Fingering Techniques

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   Warm up your wrist and fingers before practicing. Flamenco guitar requires tremendous dexterity and coordination in your strumming hand. Even if you've been practicing these techniques for a while, warm-ups are important to prevent cramping or more serious injuries.^[2]

   • Stretch your fingers gently, and do the picking techniques slowly until your fingers feel loose and nimble. Then you'll be ready to play.
   • If you feel your fingers start to cramp up while you're playing, pause and stretch them out before playing again.
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   Practice hammer-ons and pull-offs. If you've played any rock guitar, you may be familiar with this technique. Flamenco guitarists call it legato, and it gives you the ability to play alternating notes on one string more quickly.^[3]

   • To play a hammer-on, play a note on one string and then add a finger to the same string so that you're playing a higher note. You'll play both notes while only plucking or strumming with your other hand once.
   • A pull-off is the same as a hammer-on in the opposite direction. Instead of adding a finger, you pull a finger off. This enables you to play a lower note on the same string.
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   Start strumming with the 5 stroke tremolo. If you already have experience with classical guitar, you may already know how to play 4 stroke tremolo. This flamenco technique simply expands on what you already know by adding another stroke at the end.^[4]

   • Play the base or root note on the lowest string with your thumb. On the higher E string, play 4 strokes continuously using your index, ring, and middle fingers. You'll play a total of 5 strokes in this order: thumb, index, ring, middle, index.
   • The goal of tremolo is to play as fast as you can. Play slowly when you're starting out until your fingers get used to the pattern. Then start gradually speeding up.
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   Exercise your fretting hand to build strength and dexterity. Your fretting hand must have the strength to move quickly between notes and chords, fretting them all cleanly. Practicing chords and moving between chords without strumming is a good way to increase speed in and strength in the fingers of your left hand.^[5]

   • Commit to doing strengthening exercises for 10 to 15 minutes a day every day. You may not notice a huge difference at first, but over time you'll notice that fretting becomes easier.
   • Try basic strength building exercises, such as pressing your thumb and the tip of each finger together. You can do these exercises while reading or watching TV.

Part2

Playing Chords and Scales

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   Focus on Major scales. Major scales figure prominently in flamenco music. If you've already been playing guitar for a while, they are likely some of the first scales you learned as well. Try playing the scales in a way that emulates the basic rhythm and meter of common flamenco styles.^[6]

   • For example, the flamenco style Alegrías is typically in C Major. Since this is a fairly simple scale with no sharps or flats, it can be a good place to start.
   • Practice switching between different scales. This will give you the ability to switch keys while you play, a technique known as modulation. This technique figures prominently in pieces performed by many famous flamenco guitarists.
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   Practice basic barre chords. Barre chords require significant finger strength, but they are essential to master if you want to play flamenco guitar. Barre chords allow you to play more chords up and down the fretboard, and to transition between those chords more quickly.^[7]

   • To make a barre chord, you place your index finger over the fretboard so that you're pressing down all of the strings at the same time.
   • If you're just starting out, placing your middle finger over the top of your index finger can help you understand the pressure required to press down the strings cleanly. Press your thumb into the back of the neck of the guitar and apply even pressure to stabilize your hand.
   • For example, you can make an E Major barre chord by barring the 8th fret with your index finger. Place your ring finger on the 10th fret of the 5th string, and your pinky finger on the 10th fret of the 4th string. Then place your middle finger on the 9th fret of the 3rd string. Strum and adjust your fingers until you have a clean sound.
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   Play your chords as arpeggios. You know how to make chord shapes with your left hand, but you're probably used to just strumming the chord altogether. With an arpeggio, you play each of the notes of the chord individually.^[8]

   • You can practice different playing techniques using an arpeggio before you advance to learning flamenco melodies.
   • Arpeggios can also be a good way to stretch and warm up your fingers.
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   Use the picado technique to play scales. For the picado technique, you'll strike the strings of your guitar by alternating your index and middle fingers. If you already know single-line scales, you can use them to practice this flamenco technique.^[9]

   • For the picado technique, strike the string downward, rather than plucking the string up as you would in classical guitar. This difference can take some getting used to, especially if you have a lot of experience with classical guitar, so be patient.
   • Even though you're supposed to play picado very fast, start out by playing slowly until your fingers are used to striking the strings correctly.

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   Watch flamenco guitarists perform. There are as many as 50 different styles (or Palos) of flamenco. Most flamenco guitarists specialize in 1 or 2 styles rather than trying to learn them all. By watching a variety of guitarists, you can hone in on the styles you like the best.^[10]

   • You can find free videos online of flamenco guitarists performing. Look for videos that are relatively close up, so you can pay attention to the guitarist's hands.
   • Some classic flamenco guitarists you should search for include Sabicas, Niño Ricardo, Ramon Montoya, and Paco de Lucia.^[11]
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   Start with the Rumba style. While flamenco is divided into styles rather than songs, Rumba is a flamenco style that has a song structure similar to the pop or rock musical genres. If you're familiar with that basic song structure, the Rumba style may be the easiest for you to pick up when you're just starting out.^[12]

   • The Gypsy Kings are a group you can listen to who are well-known and are popular for their flamenco rumbas.
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   Focus on the rhythm and meter of the different styles. The rhythm and meter of a style determine which beats are stressed. Each style has its own rhythm and meter that distinguishes it from all the other styles.^[13]

   • For example, a tango has a series of 4 beats, with the stress always on the first beat.
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   Use the Phrygian mode and Major scales to improvise melodies. Once you've mastered the rhythm and meter of the flamenco style you want to play, you're ready to start building melodies based on common flamenco scales.^[14]

   • The Phrygian mode will probably sound most "flamenco-like" to your ears. Sloeá, tangos, and bulerías typically use the Phrygian scale. It is similar to the natural minor scale except for the lowered second note. For example, the E Minor scale is E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E, while the E Phrygian scale is E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E.
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   Add in percussive taps with golpe. Many styles of flamenco incorporate this method. Tap your fingers on the body of the guitar as you play, either above or below the strings. Use this method to add more rhythm to your flamenco guitar playing.^[15]

   • If you're tapping above the strings, be careful not to tap too hard or you could damage the body of your guitar. Real flamenco guitars have a tap plate on the top side of the guitar for this reason.
   • Each flamenco style has its own rhythm, but flamenco is based on improvisation. Learn the technique and make it your own – don't worry about whether you're doing it the "right way."