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How to Learn Flamenco Guitar

Flamenco is a genre of Spanish guitar music. It is known for its fast, intricate passages, and dance rhythms. Flamenco players usually use classical guitars. The style is somewhat similar to classical music. It can be picked or finger-picked, but most players opt for the latter. It is helpful to have full use of the right hand. Many players use the guitar as a percussion instrument. They'll hit it in rhythm while strumming chords. The genre is very adaptable to other guitar genres, in particular heavy metal.

Things You'll Need

  • Classical guitar
  • Audio recordings of flamenco music
  • Sheet music or tabs
  • Scales chart
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Instructions

    • 1

      Get a classical guitar. The Cordoba Solista Flamenca is respected but expensive. You can play flamenco with an electric guitar or a standard acoustic, although you will not have as authentic a flamenco sound.

    • 2

      Learn flamenco scales. Flamenco uses major, minor and dorian modes. Scale charts can be found online, such as at all-guitar-chords.com. To learn a scale quickly, play it start to finish, up and down in triplet. This means you play the notes in groups of three.

    • 3

      Listen to Flamenco music. Manolo Sanlucar and Ramon Montoya are great artists to listen to. Pay attention to each song carefully. Try to pick out the notes and scales used.

    • 4

      Get some sheet music. Try to find ones that come with a CD or DVD. It helps to hear the songs, and it helps even more to see them played.

    • 5

      Experiment with the style. Write your own melodies, chords, and songs.

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