Favorite classical/flamenco guitarists

tedeeoo · Post by **tedeeoo** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:55 am

GUITARIDOL5682 wrote:A little bit off topic but on the same flavour. The back cover of the Diary album mentions 'Strings on Diary of a Madman arranged by Louis Clark'.. Do you know who this person is and is this the first time he has done this type of thing on a record ?.

That is an excellent question.

McLowery · Post by **McLowery** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:26 pm

I would have to say Paco De Lucia and John McLaughlin. I also like the works of Al DiMeola that fit in this genre. (not too many but a few)

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:02 pm

NicDots wrote:Looking for a great lute player?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-1ck_smC9k

He's astounding!

Julian Bream and Paco Pena:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucGwXyW0brI

Here's Paco Pena introducing the flamenco guitar on BBC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq-w7sKtb2I

Nicole, thanks so much for these, the Lute clip was completely new to me. Funny enough the other guitar teacher where I teach today plays the Lute and was showing me today how you pick with thumb and 1st finger, so notes alternate between soft loud etc.

Ruben's flamenco posts inspired me to dig out my Paco book last night. I do have some conflicts of interest in nail shape though. To get the sound I like on classical means the shape I have to keep my nails isn't conducive to the almost percussive style flourishes of notes in flamenco.

This is why I seem to veer towards Gypsy jazz probably because I can put a completely different hat on and use a pick.

Do any flamenco players use picks or is that considered just plain wrong

Matt

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:07 pm

Hm...I don't know of any flamenco players that use a pick. I imagine a lot of flamenco techniques would be eliminated if they other fingers were not free!

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 8:12 pm

I just found this guy who says he uses both a pick and fingers when playing Flamenco, it is something I am going to look into...
http://www.johngilliat.com/guitars%20an ... ipment.htm

(A different style, but Janet Robin has a technique where she finger picks and keep the pick in her hand (she showed me, but I can't remember how she did it) and when she needed to, like lightening used the plectrum...she could switch back and forth with ease)

My Classical guitar tone and nail shape;
As you can see, I keep them rather short, as it gets the sound that has become my own. It is great for speedy open string runs and playing reasonably rapidly...BUT...unless they are much longer the type of speed in Flamenco is not possible; hense my weird pick curiousity. The tone though because it combines flesh and nail is very vibrant and loud.

tedeeoo · Post by **tedeeoo** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:30 pm

Not that I would know, my main expierience with "hybrid' (pick and fingers) and "finger picking" comes from country and bluegrass playing, but I would think if you used a pick in flamenco music you would lose the dexterity (i hope that makes since) of the thumb and index finger that would seem so important in that style of playing. It might work with a thumb pick, but when I'm holding a flat pick between the thumb and index finger I lose nearly all of the "motion" I have in my thumb. To make a flat pick work for flamenco I would think one would need to be extremely proficient at alternate picking with a thinner pick (to give your sound the "crispness" that flamenco players have), and at the same time be an excellent "hydrid" picker like some of the country/bluegrass guys. Al Dimeola does some of that, Yngwie too, when they play acoustic, but to my ear neither of them sound like a real flamenco player. With a plastic pick (of any type) you lose a lot of touch sensitivity with the string also and at least in my playing, I get a slightly duller sound out of a pick on nylon strings. Again, not that I would know.

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:37 pm

LOL

Thank God we are all different-I must confess that my ears find the tone of many flamenco players get quite rough and ready. That is not meant as a slight on the style, on the contrary I think that rough and readiness is a part of the beauty of it. I do think in light of this though that it is a tone that can be possibly replicated with pick and fingers.

For the rhythm playing and open string techniques for a Classical guitarist it would be business as usual, and when any lead virtuosic parts were needed in comes the trusty pick

The problem is like Nicole said of the practicalities of it. Ted, what do you think of the link a few posts above, of the guy who has invented a pick that worked with his fingers?

Matt

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 7:20 pm

In the Paco Pena and Julian Bream video, they talk about the rough sounding parts of flamenco...they sort of attribute it to the fact that the guitar in flamenco has to "cut" through a lot more sounds that are going on...the dancing, the castanets, the singing, etc.

tedeeoo · Post by **tedeeoo** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 7:28 pm

Hey Matt,

That's a pretty neat modification for keeping a pick handy for sure, and it would work well for alternating between the two (pick and thumb), I took the post to be using a pick instead of the thumb hence my "wordy" reply, lol!!! I still question tonewise whether you can get the same sound out of a plastic pick as you can fingers (or fingernails). Paco and Julian hit the nail one the head so to speak, not just about flamenco but guitar in general, it has to "cut" in the mix of things, Randy knew that too, that's why his sound had very pronounced "mids", so it would jump out of the mix at you. I never really thought of flamenco as sounding "rough", to me the word that comes to mind is "vibrant", like a Spanish dancer in a red dress, everytime she whirls it just takes you places (probably some places that you shouldn't go, lol!!!!!). I wish I could find someone to teach me how to play that style of music.