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Flamenco guitar

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A flamenco guitar is a type of classical guitar, built for the purpose of playing Flamenco music.

Flamenco guitar can also refer to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco. Both uses are documented on this page.


Brief history

The flamenco guitar is perhaps the most Spanish guitar of them all. In the mid 1800s, Andalusian luthiers made instruments in a wide range of prices, largely based on the materials used and the amount of decoration. The cheapest guitars were often simple, basic instruments made from local woods like cypress, which was much cheaper than imported rosewood or maple; wooden pegs were more affordable than geared tuning machines. Most of the flamenco guitarists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were Spanish gypsies, who were poor, and who bought the most affordable guitars available at the time. Eventually, instruments with these features came to be called flamenco guitars, but originally there was really no distinction made by makers or players.

Today, some of the material-related costs have changed. Good quality Spanish—or, more precisely, Mediterranean—cypress is difficult to find, and quite expensive (a good back-and-side set of cypress can cost twice as much as a good set of Indian rosewood), while tuning machines can be purchased at reasonable prices.

Construction

The traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress or sycamore for the back and sides and spruce for the top, 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. The top is made of either spruce or cedar. 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. 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. Also, the lower string height greatly helps reduce fatigue of the left hand over lengthy performances. Most flamenco guitars’ necks are made of cedar wood because of its strength.

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.

Prominent among the guitar makers (luthiers) whose designs have contributed to the current form of the Flamenco Guitar are José Ramirez (1858-1923), Manuel Ramirez (1864 - 1916), Santos Hernandez (1874-1943), and Domingo Esteso (1882–1937).

Difference from classical guitar

The differences between classical and flamenco guitars lie in their materials, construction and sound.

Materials

Classical guitars are generally made with spruce or cedar tops and rosewood or mahogany backs and sides to enhance sustain. Flamenco guitars are generally made with spruce tops and cypress or sycamore for the backs and sides to enhance volume and emphasize the attack of the note. Nevertheless, other types of wood may be used for the back and sides, like rosewood, maple, koa, satinwood and caviuna.

Construction

The body of a classical guitar is generally deeper and the woods are slightly thicker. Flamenco guitars have a flat or negative (before string tension) neck relief, making the action very fast at the cost of some buzzing. The strings are also closer to the body on flamenco guitars to facilitate tapping. This is called “low action” of a guitar. The distance between the 1st and the 6th strings in a classical guitar is 57mm, 58mm or 59mm. Most flamenco guitars have a distance of 64mm. The greater distance between the strings allows the right hand to move faster and ease its performing of flamenco techniques such as picado, alzapua and rasgueos. The bridge of a flamenco guitar is usually more flat than that of a classical guitar. Flamenco guitars often bear a “golpeador”, which is a sheet of plastic mounted to the face of the guitar to protect its finish

Sound

A well-made flamenco guitar responds quickly and typically has less sustain than a classical. This is desirable, since the flurry of notes that a good flamenco player can produce would sound very muddy on a guitar with a big, lush, sustaining sound. The flamenco guitar’s sound is often described as percussive; it tends to be brighter, drier and more austere, and have fewer overtones, than that of a classical. As a matter of fact, some jazz and Latin guitarists like this punchy tonality, and some players have even discovered that these guitars’ wide-ranging sound also works well for the contrapuntal voicings of Renaissance and Baroque music.

Music

Main article: Flamenco

Flamenco is a genuine Spanish artform. It exists in three forms:

  • Cante: the song (this is the heart of flamenco)
  • Baile: the dance
  • Toque: guitar playing

Strictly, flamenco guitar is an accompaniment to singing and dancing in the traditional Flamenco forms. 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. Although Flamenco guitarists are now often accompanied by orchestras, flutes, percussion and other accompaniments, when Flamenco first started the guitarist would be playing all by himself. This lead to a development in guitar music to make one guitar sound like more than one instrument and forced guitarists to develop techniques to make them sound louder. Those techniques affected the music they’re producing to be a bit aggressive. To gain some understanding of the stricter definition of flamenco, read the main article.

Luthiers

As with classical guitars, a top-quality flamenco guitar from an established maker is not inexpensive and may require a long wait. While a number of non-Spanish luthiers have made their mark in the classical world, the best flamenco guitars have traditionally come from the workshops of Spanish makers, though there are, of course, exceptions.

The legendary Antonio de Torres (1817–1892) made some simple, cypress-bodied guitars that were obviously intended for players without fat pocketbooks and thus found their way into the hands of flamenco players. José Ramírez I (1858–1923), the founder of the firm that still bears his name three generations later (now under the leadership of Amalia Ramírez), made his reputation by building good-quality utilitarian guitars for working flamenco musicians and casual players. He taught the craft to his younger brother Manuel (1864–1916), and Manuel in turn trained other makers, like Santos Hernández (1873–1943) and Domingo Esteso (1882–1937). Hernández and Esteso are often said to have defined the modern flamenco guitar. Marcelo Barbero (1904–1956) is another maker of the same rank.

Most contemporary Spanish luthiers build both classical and flamenco guitars. Manuel Reyes in Cordóba who, along with Conde Hermanos, Antonio Aparicio, José Ramírez and John Ray make some of the most demanded flamenco guitars. Some of the less priced flamenco guitar makers are Alahambra, Córdoba, Loriente and Yamaha. Prices for these instruments start at less than $500.

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. 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:

  • Golpe: Percussive finger tapping on the soundboard at the area above or below the strings. This requires a golpeador (tap-plate) in order to protect the surface of the guitar.
  • Picado: Single-line scale passages performed apoyando but with more attack and articulation.
  • Rasgueado: Strumming done with outward flicks of the right hand fingers, done in a huge variety of ways. A nice rhythmic roll is obtained, supposedly reminiscent of the bailador’s (flamenco dancer) feet and the roll of castanets.
  • Alzapua: A thumb technique which has roots in oud plectrum technique. The right hand thumb is used for both single-line notes and strummed across a number of strings. Both are combined in quick succession to give it a unique sound.
  • Tremolo: Done somewhat differently from the conventional classical guitar tremolo, it is very commonly played with the right hand pattern p-i-a-m-i.

Well-known luthiers

See also

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