Lawson Rollins: Flamenco virtuoso

[Leo Chang]

if you can play flamenco (hell that shit takes like decades to really get it) then playing an electric is as easy as pissing into snow

Well, I hope to be competent with the Flamenco style eventually, but I can't really say I "can play Flamenco" yet. Just practicing some basic right hand rasquedos and playing some beginner etudes for now. But damn, it's fun

If Classical Music was the music of the aristocrats... then wouldn't Flamenco kinda be the Rock / Metal of its day?

I am practicing the Flamenco and Classical guitar stuff without growing out my right hand nails... 'cause my main style is still Metal, and I don't want the nails to interfere with my electric picking or tapping technique. Hopefully that won't be too limiting for my development on the nylon guitars...



- Leo.

[Leo Chang]

Endrik: just curious, what do you think of Vicente Amigo?

As for lack of dynamics in Lawson Rollins' "Fire Cadenza"... just a guess, but maybe he WAS trying to imitate the sound of sweep arpeggios as done by electric guitarists?


- Leo.

[Endrik]

Well, I hope to be competent with the Flamenco style eventually, but I can't really say I "can play Flamenco" yet. Just practicing some basic right hand rasquedos and playing some beginner etudes for now. But damn, it's fun

The thing with Flamenco is that you gotta earn to be called a real flamenco player. As it takes at least a decade to really be competent in it. There's nothing harder on a guitar than Flamenco. I can say, I can play Spanish guitar music, but real Flamenco, oh hell no! Those guys from Andalucía are just on a whole different level.

If Classical Music was the music of the aristocrats... then wouldn't Flamenco kinda be the Rock / Metal of its day?

I personally would say that Flamenco was more like early jazz. Spaniards invented the guitar and all the different music styles were adapted pretty much the same time on it... wether it was classical, flamenco or other Spanish folk styles. The difference was the cultural background. Flamenco had the most foreign influences, mostly from Moorish folks (Arab melodies and African rhythms) and Gypsies. Like jazz had African, French classical, Caribbean/Latin etc. influences. And both developed in certain places which were ethnically very diverse. Jazz in New Orleans which was kinda isolated from the rest of the country but had strong ties with Spanish and French and Latin cultures in the Caribbean sea... and Flamenco in Andalucía which is very close to Africa.
Both were also dance music. And music played with feel and innovation. And for the locals.
As far as comparing it to rock music then Paco is like half rockstar, half king, that dude gets crazy pussy.

I am practicing the Flamenco and Classical guitar stuff without growing out my right hand nails... 'cause my main style is still Metal, and I don't want the nails to interfere with my electric picking or tapping technique. Hopefully that won't be too limiting for my development on the nylon guitars...

I can do fast fingerpicking but I also have no long fingernails so it's only good for bass playing. Without nails it absolutely sucks to play Flamenco style guitar. The sound has no articulation at all. And playing with a pick is very limiting. The only way is to get those fake fingernails or something. Classical style is playable somewhat. When I started to play guitar, I had this old piece of shit 7 string USSR made acoustic with metal strings and crazy high action. I started with blues and classical. I played etudes and fucked around with all kinds of shit but when it comes to really advanced classical playing then it just stinks.

Endrik: just curious, what do you think of Vicente Amigo?

Vicente es muy buena

As for lack of dynamics in Lawson Rollins' "Fire Cadenza"... just a guess, but maybe he WAS trying to imitate the sound of sweep arpeggios as done by electric guitarists?

Don't see the point as fast arpeggios has been played on the guitar for a long time and before electric guitar was even invented.

[Leo Chang]

I can do fast fingerpicking but I also have no long fingernails so it's only good for bass playing. Without nails it absolutely sucks to play Flamenco style guitar. The sound has no articulation at all. And playing with a pick is very limiting. The only way is to get those fake fingernails or something. Classical style is playable somewhat. When I started to play guitar, I had this old piece of shit 7 string USSR made acoustic with metal strings and crazy high action. I started with blues and classical. I played etudes and fucked around with all kinds of shit but when it comes to really advanced classical playing then it just stinks.

I've tried different kinds of fake nails, but they never feel right, so I am gonna see how far I can get without growing my nails out. If I want to pursue Flamenco or Classical as my main style, then of course I need them. But since I am still mainly an electric player... I guess I gotta make compromises on the nylon side


- Leo.

[Hellbat]

Pizzarelli is pretty amazing at that jazz chord strumming style. The chord forms must have taken thousands of hours of practice to be able to finger them so quickly. His father was a jazz guy too i believe so he's probably been doing since he could hold a guitar.

As far as Paco, I worship that dude. Friday Night in San Francisco is one of my favorite albums and I think he dominates DiMeola and McLaughlin. For some reason I've never really sought out other albums by him. I should get on that - stat.

[Leo Chang]

a bit off topic, but somewhat related...

Endrik: Is Asturias (Leyenda) a Classical piece or a Flamenco piece? It sounds sort of in between...


- Leo.

[Endrik]

a bit off topic, but somewhat related...

Endrik: Is Asturias (Leyenda) a Classical piece or a Flamenco piece? It sounds sort of in between...


- Leo.

It's a classical piece and from a time when composers started heavily using ideas from all kinds of traditional music. Albéniz was a Catalan so traditional music from Cataluña was his primary influence but he also used all kinds of arabic and flamenco ideas because that was kinda the new way at that time largely thanks to Debussy.

[Endrik]

btw. you can re-arrange a classical piece to make it more flamenco style... like putting a rumba compás under it and adding a slightly different chord voicings and harmonic structure and whatnot and playing it with more flamenco techniques.... or vice versa

[Leo Chang]

It's a classical piece and from a time when composers started heavily using ideas from all kinds of traditional music. Albéniz was a Catalan so traditional music from Cataluña was his primary influence but he also used all kinds of arabic and flamenco ideas because that was kinda the new way at that time largely thanks to Debussy.

Cool, I have always wondered about that piece.

[Leo Chang]

btw. you can re-arrange a classical piece to make it more flamenco style... like putting a rumba compás under it and adding a slightly different chord voicings and harmonic structure and whatnot and playing it with more flamenco techniques.... or vice versa

Sounds like a fun thing to do :idea:


- Leo.