Flamenco

hi, has anyone got any lessons or mp3s on spanish scales/modes or any spanish tabs like the gypsy kings ?

Wow, another flamenco player I meet on this forum. :D

try this, its a pretty good site
http://www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/

Hey! Glad you enjoyed that site Alucard!

Some word of advice....check out something besides the Gypsy kings, they don't hold too much credibility within the flamenco community, and if you do some serious listen to some other "pure flamencos" you'll understand why.

Here's the equation:

The Gypsy Kings are to flamenco what Kenny G is to jazz.

Here's a fun scale for Spanish sounding licks - I'm not sure of the "official" name, but I'd call it Phrygian #3. It's the 5th mode of the Harmonic Minor scale.

half, whole + half, half, whole, half, whole, whole

Here's an example - A, Bb, C#, D, E, F, G

Here's a sample lick with that scale.

|-----------------------0-1-3/5~--3/1-0--------------------|
|-------------------2-3-----------------3-2~---3-5-3----2~-|
|-------------0-2-3-----------------------2~---3-5-3---2~--|
|-------0-2-3-----------------------------2~---3-5-3--2~---|
|-0-1-4-----------------------------------0~-1---3-1-0~----|
|----------------------------------------------------------|

Yeah, the 5th mode of harmonic minor is pretty common for Flamenco. You can also overlap the 5th mode of h.m. with the phygian scale, I believe this is what they refer to as spanish phrygian.
Ex;
A Bb C C# D E F G A.

You can also change the G to a G# for some added flavor.

And then you can have some pretty cool rhythm's and chords because the Spanish scale has a major triad.... but all the other intervals are generally minor... so it sounds offset and cool.

Does Passion, Grace and Fire by Al Di Meola, John Mclaughlin and Paco De Lucia count as flamenco? I love that album.


(Whenever I hear someone say that Kenny G. is playing jazz I want to strangle them. Glad to see that you know he's not a real jazzer Chris)

No, Passion Grace and Fire is not Flamenco. There are certian things that must be present within a song for it to be considered flamenco. one of the most important things is "compas", a specific rhythmic cycle that repeats itself, usually every 12 beats.

There are many specific song forms in Flamenco: solea, rumba, seguiyiras, seville, bulerias, etc, etc,...each one of these song forms contain a specific "compas".

Within this 12 beat cycle we have "accented" beats. these would be the equivilant of "down" beats in western music. A common compas is to accent beats 3, 6, 8, 10, & 12 of the 12 beat cycle. Count from 1-12 and clap on the aforementioned beats (3 6 8 10 12), this is the basis for flamenco.
So, to use another analogy: Flamenco without "compas" is like Latin music without "clave", technically it is not that music, but only in the "style" of.

I recommend checking out any of Paco de Lucias recordings with the sextext, it blows away the stuff he did with John and Al. The anthology cd's are a good place to start.

Originally Posted by: chris moodNo, Passion Grace and Fire is not Flamenco. There are certian things that must be present within a song for it to be considered flamenco. one of the most important things is "compas", a specific rhythmic cycle that repeats itself, usually every 12 beats.

There are many specific song forms in Flamenco: solea, rumba, seguiyiras, seville, bulerias, etc, etc,...each one of these song forms contain a specific "compas".

Within this 12 beat cycle we have "accented" beats. these would be the equivilant of "down" beats in western music. A common compas is to accent beats 3, 6, 8, 10, & 12 of the 12 beat cycle. Count from 1-12 and clap on the aforementioned beats (3 6 8 10 12), this is the basis for flamenco.
So, to use another analogy: Flamenco without "compas" is like Latin music without "clave", technically it is not that music, but only in the "style" of.

I recommend checking out any of Paco de Lucias recordings with the sextext, it blows away the stuff he did with John and Al. The anthology cd's are a good place to start.

Yeah that´s exactly what I noticed when I bought my first flamenco CD two days ago (paco de Lucia - Entre dos aguas). Rhythm (accents,...) is really important and makes this genre so distinctive. I think I´ll learn to play flamenco one day or maybe earlier than I think, because I realized how much I enjoy this music, but now I first have to reach my goals