Flamenco Guitar
Created | Updated Sep 26, 2008
The flamenco guitar is a guitar built especially for playing flamenco music either alone or often whilst providing an accompaniment for flamenco dancers. Flamenco guitar is sometimes referred to as toque, which concerns the flamenco guitar playing of the flamenco art.
Flamenco music will most likely be accompanied by a chorus of flamenco guitars playing in the background.
Flamenco guitars are made using various woods, but more often than not the flamenco guitar is constructed with either Spanish spruce or Spanish cypress, ebony or rosewood fingerboards. Although the flamenco guitar can often be confused with the classical there are differences. The flamenco guitar is typically smaller and does not weigh as much as the classical guitar. This helps to produce that bright flamenco sound and that flamenco ‘bite’. Flamenco guitarists like their guitars (I know I do) to be nice and loud to blast out those rasgueados above the sound of those flamenco dancers feet. Playing the flamenco guitar can often be distinguished from playing the classical guitar by the aggression and attacking the right hand (or if your playing on a left handed guitar, the left!) performs on the flamenco guitar.
Rasgueados
The rasgueado is used when playing the flamenco guitar. It is a technique for strumming the flamenco guitar strings in very specific rhythmic patterns which are often performed at high speeds. The rasgueado is very characteristic to the flamenco guitar ‘sound’ and once mastered through years of flamenco guitar playing can be one of the most impressive parts of flamenco guitar playing. The rasgueado was developed to be able to create a much louder, rhythmic sound. The rasgueado technique typically uses just one digit at a time, hitting the flamenco guitar strings with either the finger or the thumb. The rasgueado enables the flamenco guitarist to produce multiple strumming patterns.
Sometimes due to the amount of times the nail hitting the wood of the flamenco guitar, some flamenco guitarists may add a golpeador or tapping plate or pick guard as they are sometimes known which is a transparent piece of plastic which is fitted around the sound hole of the flamenco guitar.
Upon practising the rasgueado there are two key principles the flamenco guitarist must stick to:
1. Never drag your fingers across the strings as this will just mute the flamenco guitar strings and cause a ‘messy’ sound. Each finger needs to attack the strings cleanly in a hitting motion.
2. Only your fingers should move and not you hand, your hand should be still with just your finger moving to hit the flamenco guitar strings. It is sometimes tempting to move your hand up and down as if you was playing a traditional guitar but this is not the case when playing the flamenco guitar.
Flamenco Guitar 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 flamenco guitar sound a "brighter" and percussive quality. Volume has traditionally been very important in flamenco construction, as flamenco 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 flamenco 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 guitar players still favor the traditional pegs. The action or the height of the strings above the fingerboard of a flamenco guitar 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.
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 flamenco guitars hope to capture some of the sustain achieved by concert calibre classical guitars while retaining the volume and attack associated with flamenco.
Flamenco Guitar Manufacturers
Alhambra Flamenco Guitars
In 1965 Alhambra first formed in their workshop in the small town of Muro De Alcoy in Spain. Their policies are simple, combining the most up to date technology in flamenco guitar manufacturing with the traditional Spanish techniques of quality flamenco guitar making. Alhambra guitars partake in the most in-depth research and employ the highest of skilled staff to be able to continually improve the sound of their guitars. Alhambra guitars produce the finest models ranging from the classical series which include the Alhambra 1C, 2C, 3C, Alhambra 4P and Alhambra Iberia. Their flamenco guitar range is also extensive ranging from the student flamenco guitar models of the Alhambra 3F and 4F, to the intermediate Alhambra 7F and 7Fc up to the high end models such as the Alhambra 10Fc and Alhambra 10Fp. Alhambra guitars can often be personalised adding a cutaway option to the flamenco guitar, left handed flamenco guitars or adding electronics to a variety of models.
The reputation of Alhambra guitars throughout the world is second to none.
Cashimira Flamenco guitars
Joan Cashimira's workshop, close to Alicante in Spain has been around for almost a century. Jose Antonio Caselles Miralles set Cashimira Guitars up and named the company by combining his last two names. Through love and dedication Jose and his son went about producing the flamenco guitars on a full time basis and the guitars were soon attracting attention from some of the best flamenco guitar players around.
The cashimira brand is presently owned by Jose Antonio the founder grandson and with the experience and quality of craftsmanship from three generations of flamenco guitar makers the cashimira brand is still going strong today.
Jose Antonio is quoted as saying: - "It is not just the assembly of pieces of wood; it goes beyond that, it is an art that achieves a special sound. It gives soul to the instrument that in the right hands will produce extraordinary sounds and musical possibilities".
The woods they use are slowly seasoned until the time when they are dry enough to be used in flamenco guitar manufacture. The luthier models of cashimira are amongst the most beautiful around with approximately only 300 of these produced a year whilst the Cashimira workshop makes around another 1700 each year.
Conde Hermanos Flamenco Guitars
Domingo Esteso first set up shop in the year 1915 and thus the Conde Hermanos dynasty was first formed. Domingo Esteso’s nephews were then fully trained by him in the art of flamenco guitar making. Then in 1960 the Conde brothers took over their uncle Domingo’s shop and set up as ‘Hermanos Conde Sobrinos de Domingo Esteso’.
Many well established flamenco guitarists have used Conde Hermanos Flamenco guitars, Mario Escudero and Paco de Lucia to name but a few.
Conde Hermanos’ reputation for using the highest quality materials and their years of experience of manufacturing flamenco guitars have allowed them to produce a range of guitars which produce a beautiful flamenco sound.
Through their wonderful tradition continuing with the Conde Hermanos dynasty Felipe and Mariano Jr now run the shop, building flamenco guitars the way they should be built.
Jose Ramirez Flamenco Guitars
From the time when José Ramírez I installed his workshop in Concepción Jerónima nº 2 at the end of the nineteenth century, the shop has sold Ramírez guitars through four generations.
José Ramírez III changed the situation when, due to the increasing demand for guitars at the beginning of the 1960's, he moved his workshop to General Margallo street. There he taught new artisans, leaving the establishment in Concepción Jerónima solely as shop open to the public.
At the beginning of the seventies he opened a larger shop in front of the old, in the number 5 of Concepción Jerónima. The little shop remained closed until the end of the eighties, when José Ramírez IV and his sister Amalia decided to restore and reopen it.
In 1995 they were obliged to abandon the venerable establishment due to the impossibility of renewing the lease. They bought a new space in the same area (see plan) where, in addition to acquiring a guitar, one can view part of the Ramírez family's guitar collection, including examples not only made by the Ramírez dynasty, but also, amongst others, Antonio de Torres, Santos Hermández, Dionisio Guerra, Francisco Simplicio, and Manuel Muñoa.
Ricardo Sanchis Lopez Flamenco Guitars
Everything started in 1915 when Ricardo Sanchis Nacher found the Sanchis Carpio shop of guitars. He started working with the Valencian guitar makers and during military service made friendships with Domingo Esteso who later founded Alhambra guitars, Casa Ramirez and Casa Gonzalez as well as Ricardo Sanchis Carpio.
Sanchis Carpio has obtained results in its instruments that characterize to the flamenco guitar with their brilliant flamenco sound and the classical guitar by the clean, clear and powerful sound.
The fourth generation, David and German Sanchis Lopez sons of Ricardo Sanchis Lopez follow the flamenco guitar tradition and are currently constructing their own models with the help of their father in the same workshop in Valencia.
The method with which Ricardo Sanchis Lopez produce their guitars remains the same as it was a century ago in the small workshop of Ricardo Sanchis Nacher. All handmade, the quality of the guitar and the woods is of the utmost importance, the natural way in which Ricardo Sanchis Lopez process their woods brings out the full sound of the flamenco guitars they manufacture.
Flamenco Guitar Resources and Information
http://www.flamencoguitarshop.co.uk
Flamenco music will most likely be accompanied by a chorus of flamenco guitars playing in the background.
Flamenco guitars are made using various woods, but more often than not the flamenco guitar is constructed with either Spanish spruce or Spanish cypress, ebony or rosewood fingerboards. Although the flamenco guitar can often be confused with the classical there are differences. The flamenco guitar is typically smaller and does not weigh as much as the classical guitar. This helps to produce that bright flamenco sound and that flamenco ‘bite’. Flamenco guitarists like their guitars (I know I do) to be nice and loud to blast out those rasgueados above the sound of those flamenco dancers feet. Playing the flamenco guitar can often be distinguished from playing the classical guitar by the aggression and attacking the right hand (or if your playing on a left handed guitar, the left!) performs on the flamenco guitar.
Rasgueados
The rasgueado is used when playing the flamenco guitar. It is a technique for strumming the flamenco guitar strings in very specific rhythmic patterns which are often performed at high speeds. The rasgueado is very characteristic to the flamenco guitar ‘sound’ and once mastered through years of flamenco guitar playing can be one of the most impressive parts of flamenco guitar playing. The rasgueado was developed to be able to create a much louder, rhythmic sound. The rasgueado technique typically uses just one digit at a time, hitting the flamenco guitar strings with either the finger or the thumb. The rasgueado enables the flamenco guitarist to produce multiple strumming patterns.
Sometimes due to the amount of times the nail hitting the wood of the flamenco guitar, some flamenco guitarists may add a golpeador or tapping plate or pick guard as they are sometimes known which is a transparent piece of plastic which is fitted around the sound hole of the flamenco guitar.
Upon practising the rasgueado there are two key principles the flamenco guitarist must stick to:
1. Never drag your fingers across the strings as this will just mute the flamenco guitar strings and cause a ‘messy’ sound. Each finger needs to attack the strings cleanly in a hitting motion.
2. Only your fingers should move and not you hand, your hand should be still with just your finger moving to hit the flamenco guitar strings. It is sometimes tempting to move your hand up and down as if you was playing a traditional guitar but this is not the case when playing the flamenco guitar.
Flamenco Guitar 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 flamenco guitar sound a "brighter" and percussive quality. Volume has traditionally been very important in flamenco construction, as flamenco 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 flamenco 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 guitar players still favor the traditional pegs. The action or the height of the strings above the fingerboard of a flamenco guitar 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.
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 flamenco guitars hope to capture some of the sustain achieved by concert calibre classical guitars while retaining the volume and attack associated with flamenco.
Flamenco Guitar Manufacturers
Alhambra Flamenco Guitars
In 1965 Alhambra first formed in their workshop in the small town of Muro De Alcoy in Spain. Their policies are simple, combining the most up to date technology in flamenco guitar manufacturing with the traditional Spanish techniques of quality flamenco guitar making. Alhambra guitars partake in the most in-depth research and employ the highest of skilled staff to be able to continually improve the sound of their guitars. Alhambra guitars produce the finest models ranging from the classical series which include the Alhambra 1C, 2C, 3C, Alhambra 4P and Alhambra Iberia. Their flamenco guitar range is also extensive ranging from the student flamenco guitar models of the Alhambra 3F and 4F, to the intermediate Alhambra 7F and 7Fc up to the high end models such as the Alhambra 10Fc and Alhambra 10Fp. Alhambra guitars can often be personalised adding a cutaway option to the flamenco guitar, left handed flamenco guitars or adding electronics to a variety of models.
The reputation of Alhambra guitars throughout the world is second to none.
Cashimira Flamenco guitars
Joan Cashimira's workshop, close to Alicante in Spain has been around for almost a century. Jose Antonio Caselles Miralles set Cashimira Guitars up and named the company by combining his last two names. Through love and dedication Jose and his son went about producing the flamenco guitars on a full time basis and the guitars were soon attracting attention from some of the best flamenco guitar players around.
The cashimira brand is presently owned by Jose Antonio the founder grandson and with the experience and quality of craftsmanship from three generations of flamenco guitar makers the cashimira brand is still going strong today.
Jose Antonio is quoted as saying: - "It is not just the assembly of pieces of wood; it goes beyond that, it is an art that achieves a special sound. It gives soul to the instrument that in the right hands will produce extraordinary sounds and musical possibilities".
The woods they use are slowly seasoned until the time when they are dry enough to be used in flamenco guitar manufacture. The luthier models of cashimira are amongst the most beautiful around with approximately only 300 of these produced a year whilst the Cashimira workshop makes around another 1700 each year.
Conde Hermanos Flamenco Guitars
Domingo Esteso first set up shop in the year 1915 and thus the Conde Hermanos dynasty was first formed. Domingo Esteso’s nephews were then fully trained by him in the art of flamenco guitar making. Then in 1960 the Conde brothers took over their uncle Domingo’s shop and set up as ‘Hermanos Conde Sobrinos de Domingo Esteso’.
Many well established flamenco guitarists have used Conde Hermanos Flamenco guitars, Mario Escudero and Paco de Lucia to name but a few.
Conde Hermanos’ reputation for using the highest quality materials and their years of experience of manufacturing flamenco guitars have allowed them to produce a range of guitars which produce a beautiful flamenco sound.
Through their wonderful tradition continuing with the Conde Hermanos dynasty Felipe and Mariano Jr now run the shop, building flamenco guitars the way they should be built.
Jose Ramirez Flamenco Guitars
From the time when José Ramírez I installed his workshop in Concepción Jerónima nº 2 at the end of the nineteenth century, the shop has sold Ramírez guitars through four generations.
José Ramírez III changed the situation when, due to the increasing demand for guitars at the beginning of the 1960's, he moved his workshop to General Margallo street. There he taught new artisans, leaving the establishment in Concepción Jerónima solely as shop open to the public.
At the beginning of the seventies he opened a larger shop in front of the old, in the number 5 of Concepción Jerónima. The little shop remained closed until the end of the eighties, when José Ramírez IV and his sister Amalia decided to restore and reopen it.
In 1995 they were obliged to abandon the venerable establishment due to the impossibility of renewing the lease. They bought a new space in the same area (see plan) where, in addition to acquiring a guitar, one can view part of the Ramírez family's guitar collection, including examples not only made by the Ramírez dynasty, but also, amongst others, Antonio de Torres, Santos Hermández, Dionisio Guerra, Francisco Simplicio, and Manuel Muñoa.
Ricardo Sanchis Lopez Flamenco Guitars
Everything started in 1915 when Ricardo Sanchis Nacher found the Sanchis Carpio shop of guitars. He started working with the Valencian guitar makers and during military service made friendships with Domingo Esteso who later founded Alhambra guitars, Casa Ramirez and Casa Gonzalez as well as Ricardo Sanchis Carpio.
Sanchis Carpio has obtained results in its instruments that characterize to the flamenco guitar with their brilliant flamenco sound and the classical guitar by the clean, clear and powerful sound.
The fourth generation, David and German Sanchis Lopez sons of Ricardo Sanchis Lopez follow the flamenco guitar tradition and are currently constructing their own models with the help of their father in the same workshop in Valencia.
The method with which Ricardo Sanchis Lopez produce their guitars remains the same as it was a century ago in the small workshop of Ricardo Sanchis Nacher. All handmade, the quality of the guitar and the woods is of the utmost importance, the natural way in which Ricardo Sanchis Lopez process their woods brings out the full sound of the flamenco guitars they manufacture.
Flamenco Guitar Resources and Information
http://www.flamencoguitarshop.co.uk
