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A flamenco guitar is a type of guitar, built for the purpose of playing Flamenco music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork

Flamenco guitar can also refer to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco. Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Both uses are documented on this page.


Contents

Construction

The traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress and spruce, which accounts for its characteristic body color, and is lighter in weight and a bit smaller than a classical guitar, to give the sound a "brighter" and percussive quality. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Volume has traditionally been very important in flamenco construction, as guitarists needed to be heard over the sound of the dancers' nailed shoes. The flamenco guitar, in contrast to the classical, is often equipped with a tap plate called golpeador, commonly made of transparent plastic, similar to a pick guard, whose function is to protect the body of the guitar from the rhythmic finger taps, or golpes. A pickguard (also known as scratchplate or golpeador in Flamenco music, and uncommonly a fingerrest) is a piece of plastic or other laminated Originally, flamenco guitars were made with wooden tuning pegs similar to a violin. Some guitarists still prefer these pegs to the classical style modern tuning gears. It is widely accepted that more weight in the headstock can improve sustain; unsurprisingly, less weight can result in quicker attack, a desirable quality in a flamenco guitar. This could explain why many flamenco players still favor the traditional pegs. The action or the height of the strings above the fingerboard is generally lower (<3mm at the 12th fret) than that of a classical guitar. This aids faster playing, especially during fast picado passages, but can lead to some fret buzz-also a frequent feature of the traditional 'flamenco' sound. Picados -- the Flamenco scales of a Guitar (see Flamenco guitar) or guitar playing technique by which the Musician plays scale passages by alternating Also, the lower string height greatly helps reduce fatigue of the left hand over lengthy performances.

In short, flamenco guitars are better suited for flamenco music than classical guitars. Some modern flamenco guitars (flamenca negra), however, use similar materials to high-end classical guitars. These guitars hope to capture some of the sustain achieved by concert calibre classical guitars while retaining the volume and attack associated with flamenco.

Music

Main article: Flamenco

Flamenco is a genuine Spanish artform. Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork It exists in three forms:

Strictly, flamenco guitar is an accompaniment to singing and dancing in the traditional Flamenco forms. Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Those in English-speaking countries outside the Flamenco community often use it to mean vaguely Spanish-sounding guitar playing which utilises some of the techniques listed below, especially rasgueado. Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Rasgueado (also called Rajeo or Rasgeo in Flamenco is a Guitar finger Strumming technique commonly associated with Flamenco Guitar To gain some understanding of the stricter definition of flamenco, read the main article. Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork

Techniques

Flamenco is played somewhat differently from the classical guitar, utilizing different strumming patterns and techniques. Flamenco is commonly played using a cejilla (capo) which somewhat causes the guitar to sound more brilliant and percussive. A capo tasto (from Italian capo, "head" and tasto, "tie or fret" or simply capo, is a device However, the main purpose in using a cejilla is to change the key of the guitar in order to suit the singer's vocal range.

In addition to the techniques common to classical guitar, flamenco guitar technique is uniquely characterised by the following:

See also

External links

Dictionary

flamenco guitar

-noun

  1. A particular kind of guitar (a kind designed for flamenco).
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