Flamenco is formed out of 3 major divisions. Singing, dancing and playing the guitar. Few flamenco styles exclude any of the major divisions and the rumba makes no exception. It is widely popular at parties because of it’s suitability to dancing and free improvisation. Even though the style lacks in depth and authenticity it is well known mainly because of it’s base simplicity.

While rumba encompasses all 3 main forms of flamenco, I will only talk about the guitar playing. The basic meter is formed out of 4 beats:

1 2 3 4/ 1 2 3 4/ 1 2 3 4

In flamenco rumba the guitarist usually follows a straight-forward accompany strumming pattern with semi-percussive strumming. This is indispensable and much of the richness of the rhythm comes from this type of strumming. Other important elements that ensure variation include percussion, in the form of cajon, and hand-clapping.

In the past the guitar was only used as an accompany instrument for the singers and dancers, but with the appearance of great performers, like the legendary Sabicas and the contemporary Paco de Lucia, it has evolved much beyond this and now it is even seen as a solo instrument.

One particularly well known rumba piece is Entre Dos Aguas, which belongs to the great Paco de Lucia, and it is probably his most famous piece. Numerous amateur guitarists have attempted to copy and play this song in gigs or at home, which shows the popularity and leverage this style has with the general population.

Generally classical guitar music has a dark touch to it, which means the tempo is kind of slow and calculated. The main thing is calm in classical music, whereas in jazz the primary trait is improvisation. Both these qualities can be found in most music genres, but what makes flamenco unique is the expression of Spanish culture.

Flamenco guitar music is made to express the guitarists feelings, and whether they are genuine or not is very much apparent in the music he creates. A joyfull person will find difficulty in playing a sad style, unless it completely changes his mood. This is imperative to flamenco, as this music is all about expressing your current feelings.

For happiness there is alegrias, and a number of other genres, for parties we have bulerias and a few others. The same pattern holds for all the flamenco styles. Each of them is supposed to express defined feelings like anger, despair or happiness. Flamenco guitar music is beautiful because of this peculiar feeling it has.

The best one can do is flourish the rhythm up to the sky, and the only part that allows for freedom of play is generally the falseta portion. Falsetas are variations specific to the genre that the guitarist plays in between the singing and dancing as a flamenco guitar solo. These are different for every style, but you could play a bulerias falseta in a solea, or the other way around because these 2 styles are much the same. Sometimes the key in which solea is played is used to play a bulerias, this combination will be called bulerias por solea, using solea chords to play bulerias.

This key changing thing is very interesting for flamenco guitar solo, as different keys have different peculiarities, so a good guitarist can use them for many different effects, enchancing the quality of the music he plays.

However, even these falsetas are pretty much mapped-out. Though a guitarist can try and compose his own, this is much more difficult than playing what is standard; so you hear a lot of the same variations every day. I encourage you to stop playing what you know and start to create your own music. Forget about what you know and every time you play create a new and different flamenco guitar solo, whatever you can think of. This will make your guitar playing much more interesting.

As they stand they are at the complete opposite of one another, the picado is alternate index and middle finger picking for fast variations, while alzapua is a thumb technique a lot different from every other existing technique.

In this free online guitar lesson we’ll start with the picado, since it is a little easier to comprehend and explain. Now, for the basic technique, it is really just alternate picking with the index and middle fingers. However, an important thing about picado is that there are actually 2 types of picado, divided in rest strokes and free strokes. The deal about these is that free strokes don’t touch any other string after the actual picking of a string, while rest strokes are called that because the finger rests on the next string from the one that was played.

Alzapua is a totally different thing. The basic technique is a combination of strokes with the thumb. First comes a normal rest stroke (explained above) on a string, then a quick one-move motion on the next 2 strings, then a backward with the back of the thumbnail quick one-move motion up 3 strings to the initial position, then you repeat. Doing this fast will create a much more powerful sound than any other technique. Sometimes the ring finger is used to hit the guitar case (golpe) when doing alzapua for an added twist.

I believe this free online guitar lesson should help you understand and develop your technique neatly. If you practice both they will help each other more than you can think of. When you see no more progress practicing picado, try some alzapua exercises and you’ll see results soon enough. Likewise the other way around works too.

Thanks to his rigorous training of 4-10 hours a day since the age of 7, Paco De Lucia has taken most techniques at another level, especially the picados. Many ask how Paco De Lucia plays picado so fast, the only answer is practice, huge amounts of practice. This makes one wonder if there will be any other flamenco guitarist to match his level.

This is not to say that Paco De Lucia flamenco is the one and only, there are many other great flamenco guitar players like Paco Pena, Vicente Amigo and Gerardo Nunez, each of them has created a different style of flamenco, thus ensuring diversity in this art.

In his early years Paco De Lucia met the great master Sabicas, who told him that no one should try to copy another guitar players style, but instead he should create his own. This encouraged young Paco to search for a new and different style.

The result is 50 years of constant touring around the world, a fusion between Paco De Lucia flamenco and all the other big genres of music, namely the jazz fusion with John Mclaughlin and Al Di Meola. The trio is well known around the world as they have toured together in many countries, sharing their beautiful technical accomplishments and melodic phrases.

Today Paco De Lucia is still touring and is intent on releasing a new album. It will be interesting to see the contents of his new album. I am looking forward to it’s release as paco de lucia flamenco is both interesting and challenging for the ear.

The truth is that this is the kind of mindset that will never get you anywhere. Partly because you don’t really want to learn flamenco guitar, you just want to brag about it to your friends, and partly because you are lazy and want everything without moving a muscle.

It is sad to see so many people drop wonderful things like violin or dance or acting. These are all activities that move us, make us sensitive, activities through which we learn what is important, they put some meaning in our lives. So why not hang on to the things that define us?

This is an enigma for me, for yet I have not figured out what is will, what really drives people to do things. But going back to flamenco guitar. The first thing to do when trying to learn flamenco guitar is to get some kind of grip of the rhythm as this is the most important part of flamenco.

Contrary to what people believe it is not important what you play on the guitar, for that can be easily changed, notes can be learned, chord progressions can also be learned, what is important is that you feel the melody so you can meld with the other players. In time notes will come naturally and then on you will really enjoy to learn flamenco guitar.

The rasguedos are the most important technique in my opinion, partly because it develops all your fingers and because of the main role it plays in any flamenco party. There are 2 main types of rasguedos, but dozens of variations in the technique that various flamenco guitarists employ as a form of personalization of their music.

I’m not sure how to characterize the 2 types of rasguedo, but as with all my flamenco guitar lessons I will try to detail each technique as clearly as possible. The first type of rasguedo involves using your fingers, except the thumb, in rapid succession like this: pinky-ring-middle-index. You start with the thumb resting on a string, the other fingers are held tightly like a punch of sorts. Then release your fingers one after the other on the strings then repeat. If it sounds something like dram-dram-dram you are not doing it fast enough, just keep trying. It should sound something like a constant r, rrrr; when you get that kind of sound you are doing it correctly.

The other type is a more traditional type, most often done using the thumb and middle, though thumb and index are sometimes used for even faster rasguedos. This techniques key points to keep in mind are: the motions are thumb up the strings, middle down, thumb down then repeat, though you can start with any of them. The same rule applies for the sound. This is more difficult to explain in words and your best bet to understand is to try and visualise it, or try to copy flamenco guitar players.

The first type is usually used in bulerias and fandangos, because it is fast and powerful. The second type is common in rondenas and alegrias, but combinations are always employed. More flamenco guitar lessons delve into the other techniques and genres.

These beginner guitar lessons will emphasize the boring part of music: training, but it will also include the reasons behind exercises and specific chord progression. When it comes to guitar training, there are a few basic exercises which you should master.

The most famous is the 1-2-3-4 exercise of which I am certain you have heard before. But just to be sure I will illustrate the basics of this exercise. The notes you play are the first 4 frets of a string of your choosing, in the progression 1->2->3->4. The left hand fingers you use are all four fingers, one for each fret, index for 1, middle for 2 etc. You should do this exercise about 5-10 minutes a day without break. After you get the idea you can start to improvise and change it.

For beginner guitar lessons the basic chords are enough, there are 7 major chords and 7 minor chords, all within the first 4 frets. Once you know them you can start to understand them, if you move the chord 1 fret up then from say..E major it becomes F major. The trick is that you have to consider the free strings too, so you have to keep the index finger to illustrate the free strings. Once you have that down you begin to realize the similarities between chords and which chord is which.

Try different techniques and see what you can figure out. A small tip to end these beginner guitar lessons, when you are playing the guitar, try and never have the same session twice, at some point change a chord, an exercise or whatever; it will make you enjoy it a lot more.

Though his favorite genre is the bulerias, Paco de Lucia has written songs in many different styles like rondenas, rumbas, alegrias and tangos. His alegrias in particular are some of the hardest pieces to play technique-wise.

He usually uses a capo on the third fret, and his best known bulerias are the songs “Almoraima” and “El Chorruelo”, both of them are very complex and blisteringly fast. Paco de Lucia bulerias require a level of technique unmatched by any other, so this makes his songs unique.

The biggest asset of Paco de Lucia is his feeling and natural touch on the guitar, and his instrument is always top notch; Hermanos Conde and Domingo Esteso are his most prized guitars which he uses in concerts. He is said to have practiced the guitar about 8-10 hours a day for the first few years, giving him complete control over most of the techniques.

Paco de Lucia bulerias are characterized by the fast paced falsetas which he alone can muster, and his balance of volume and power make what Paco de Lucia is best known for. Sometimes he plays bulerias in different keys, which technique-wise pose an even tougher challenge, which shows he is the king of bulerias; as he is known.

There are many differences between spanish music and flamenco. While flamenco was born inside of Spain, it is only native to the region of Andalusia. The techniques are somewhat alike, but flamenco includes many genres and Spanish guitar lessons often include subtle aspects of flamenco and other styles.

These are the most well-known but the truth is there are many regional folk styles just like Andalusian music(flamenco), each with their own flavors and characters. The region of Aragon is characterized by a dense percussive element and the main instruments are castanets, guitar, tambourines and bandurria.

The regions of Asturias, Galicia and Cantabria have a distinct tradition which bears a powerful Celtic stamp. The signature instrument is the gaita, an instrument similar to the classic bagpipe of Scotland. Castille, Madrid and Leon is a large region that has been marked by numerous sources: Portuguese, Roman, Gypsy, Moor and others.

In other words spanish guitar lessons often refer to a very general style, while spanish music is much more complex and branched than it is believed.

But the most important rule of them all is that you have to stay in the rhythm no matter what. A wrong note or two can get by very easily, and with experience you will choose the right alterations without thinking, you will feel what fret sounds like what and picture something in your head rather than figuring out if the note you’re on is in the key or not.

Staying in the rhythm is not so easy as it may seem at first glance. Often times you get carried away with what you’re playing and you fail to pay attention to where the song is, and overlapping occurs which ruins your solo. My advice for this solo lesson is to try tapping the rhythm with your foot to try and keep you from forgetting about the song. A more advanced technique would be to play notes in the counter-measures of the base rhythm; this is bound to create more feeling to the solo and people will enjoy it more.

Technique-wise not that much is required, though you have to know where you’re at and what you can do. Of course while training you can try and do anything, that’s the best way to learn, but in a solo you play for some people you should try and stick to the things you know are going to sound good.

Speaking of things you know sound good you should have 3-4 basic patterns that last half a measure/a full measure/2 and a half measures etc so you have something in reserve if you run out of ideas. I am writing this solo lesson because many times I got stuck without knowing what else to play, and you don’t want to ruin everything with 10 seconds of complete silence.

This solo lesson should help you develop a style of your own, suitable for you and your technique level.

This style allows much room for improvisation on the dancers part, and this encourages the artists to brag with their skills and to initiate communication with the audience. Sometimes the steps of other popular styles are performed in the bulerias flamenco, but it is done so in a fun and provocative manner.

The fast rhythm makes it suitable for the “jaleo”, which is the habbit of shouting interjections of admiration and encouragement to the guitar player, and hand-clapping. The quick tempo makes it hard for a guitar player without a firm grip of the technique. Not only does the guitar player have to play a flurry of notes, but he must also be passionate and connected with the other singers and dancers.

The meter plays a crucial role in the uniqueness of the bulerias flamenco because it provides the freedom for spontaneous and roguish singing and dancing. For the guitar player the quick meter begs him to play in a high key, most commonly A major and B flat major.

Often times it is used to finish off songs in other styles, most commonly the solea, and every flamenco get-together tends to finish in a bulerias flamenco.

Several guitar strumming techniques are available, but you should develop your own style. If you look at Al Di Meola, John Mclaughlin, Eric Clapton and other guitar masters you will notice they all have their own style. The easiest part to personalise is your strumming technique as it doesn’t have to be precise, and it doesn’t have to copy what is written in the rhythm pattern.

For the rhythm pattern there are a few good ways to remember it. First of all you should always tap your foot to keep the rhythm while you’re playing. When you have a bit more experience with that you can even tap the main beats a little bit harder than the others. Another method is to clap your hands, but this will keep you from playing while doing it. So I recommend tapping your foot at all times.

The most important skill you need to acquire is a technique I call counter-rhythm, which is basically tapping your foot and playing the counter measures of the main beats. Most guitar players change the tapping of their foot to adjust to the new rhythm, but this is a mistake.

A few standard guitar strumming techniques are the simple brush-type up and down movement meant to play the whole chord in one slice, the rasgueado(the typical flamenco technique) and something I call the ‘trio’, which means doing a fast up-down-up or down-up-down motion on all the strings, creating a galloping effect to add flavour to the rhythm.

A classical guitar player will hold the guitar on his left foot, which will be resting on a guitar footstool in order to have easy access to the whole fretboard as classical music relies heavily on complicated chord progressions.

A flamenco guitar player holds the guitar leaned forward, on his right leg, as it rests with the ankle on the left leg. No footstool is required and this position is meant to make the guitarist look proud and imposing. Another variation is to simply hold the guitar on the right leg while standing on a chair.

Electrical guitar players usually don’t sit down while playing and they tend to hold the guitar very low, and will be leaning himself in order to reach the strings with his hands.

There are variations of these as each guitarist develops his own position, but these are the standard positions for these styles.

Beginner guitar exercises are meant to improve the left hands stretching ability with simple progressions such as f-f#-g-G# or 1-2-3-4 on the E string so the player can also easily remember notes on the fretboard. This exercise is most commonly practiced on all strings, starting from the lower E string to the high E string(on a standard tuning).

Advanced players will often practice scales instead of the chromatic progression in order to implement certain patterns for faster and more precise playing. Common scales include A minor(same as C major, but it just sounds more kinky) which would be a-b-c-d-e-f-g-a. On the first 4 frets you can repeat this scale 2,5 times. I recommend trying to learn this scale on the whole fretboard as this is the basic scale and it will help a lot.

I encourage you to create your own guitar exercises, usually you can copy parts of songs that sound cool or use variations from the exercises you already know (from 1-2-3-4 you can try 2-5-7-10, then try 2-5 on E string and 7-10 on B string, then you can try…well you get the idea, improvise and create your own style).

Why should you create your own guitar exercises? For one thing you’re the one who should know best what you can and can’t do and also guitar greats usually develop their songs based on the exercises they created.

But how do they do it? If you look at the great Al Di Meola or Paco de Lucia, Eric Clapton and so many others they never miss a beat, and they always flourish the song so that it gives us a feeling relevant to what they’re playing.

I can go about the different guitar strumming lessons in several ways.The first distinction is whether we use a pick or our fingers.

The pick is mostly used by electric and jazz guitar players. With a pick the motion is simple, either up-down or the other way around. A couple things to keep in mind: try not to keep your hand on the guitar body when playing rhythms, this will make your movement difficult and you will not be able to keep up when accelerating; you should keep your hand together as a fist, holding the pick between your thumb and index fingers.

Finger picking is mostly used by classical and flamenco guitar players. The right hand technique of the flamenco music is far more complex than it’s classical counterpart.

A common technique to both styles is using your hand as you would a pick, keeping it together as a fist and using the thumb and index fingers to brush the strings, creating the desired rhythm.

The most important flamenco rhythm technique is the rasguedo. And there are 2 broad ways to do it. Either by using your 4 fingers(except the thumb) one at a time to produce a galloping sound, usually starting with the pinky and finishing with the index finger, or by using a circular motion with the thumb and middle finger for a faster, but less powerful effect. Another techniques involves using your index finger going up-down to create the rhythm and another finger to hit the guitar case. This is a much harder technique to master.

I hope these guitar strumming lessons will help you improve and broaden your guitar playing.