{"id":180,"date":"2017-03-31T00:41:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T00:41:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-11-18T12:55:56","modified_gmt":"2017-11-18T12:55:56","slug":"fanciful-strumming-the-flamenco-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/?p=180","title":{"rendered":"Fanciful Strumming, The Flamenco Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Music is fun to write about, provided that precision of terms is evaded. It is normal that art based on non-verbal sounds doesn\u2019t easily lend itself to verbal descriptions, hence too much precision can get in the way. A famous example is the term \u201catonal\u201d for describing the music without tonal center. Its actual meaning is \u201ctoneless\u201d, and many attempts have failed to replace the term \u201catonal\u201d with something more defining<\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Furthermore, musicians seem to <\/span><\/span>favor<\/span><\/span>catchiness, and today, as another new term is about to become accepted, I believe it would stick as \u201cirrational meters\u201d, instead of \u201ctime signatures with denominators that are not powers of two\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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G<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>uitar can be played in many different ways, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>likely<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>in more distinct ways than any other instrument. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>One can be foolish and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>argue<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the supremacy of one way of playing over <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>an<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>other, as has happened many times <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>before<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. However, every style of guitar playing has a reason to exist <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>In <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>some <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>unique <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>dimension that takes true <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>master<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to conjure up.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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T<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>he element most <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>characteristic and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>idiomatic on the guitar is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>strumming of chords. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>It has many advantages, and only one <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>big downside, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>which<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>narrow <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>potential<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>of chords playable, compared to keyboard instruments. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Its wide array of advantages<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>include<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>: fairly sonorous six-tone chords, great dynamic range <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and variety<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, ability to play <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>rhythmic <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>patterns<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nd <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the rapid repetitions of those same chords in ways impossible <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>with <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>other instruments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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N<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ow, here comes a moment for some more inexactness. I will refer to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>every<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>strumming performed with the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>fingers of the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>right hand as <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>rasgueado. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>A<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>term from flamenco music and flamenco style, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>it<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>is undoubtedly the most advanced <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>technique<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>when it comes to strum<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ming<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the guitar strings. However, the guitar has been fancily strummed before regardless of flamenco; <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>h<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ence it should be possible to use today\u2019s rasgueado in a context without flamenco music, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>despite the awareness of the heavy burden of ingenuity and artistic mastery that association with flamenco music may bring. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>To be objective, one <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>must<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>mention that the technical mastery of the rasgueado as we know it today has been developed in the last hundred years. Nevertheless, it should be<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>possible <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to make a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>connection to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>earli<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>er documented examples of fanc<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ful strumming<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>T<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>here are<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>rasgueados in French, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Spanish, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and Italian baroque guitar music. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>There are many editions of music by de Vis\u00e9e, Corbetta, Roncalli, and other baroque guitarists <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>today\u2019s guitar students study at conservatories. However, much of it is out of context, as the rasgueados are usually omitted, and the modern guitar <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>simply<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>cannot emulate the courses and, sometimes, alternative tunings. The sonorities and fine colorings produced were often integral parts of compositions, and a listen to some fine performance on <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>an <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>authentic instrument will aptly show how much <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>must have been<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>missed <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>sin<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ce rasgueados were <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>not given a more <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>promine<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nt role in the further development of classical guitar. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>A<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nother<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>(<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>very famous<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>early <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>example is Boccherini\u2019s guitar quintet \u201cFandango\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>– <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>of which I yet need to see the facsimile edition- <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>which <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to certain extent <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>should<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>be<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>mirror<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the level on which flamenco must have been <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>played <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>t that time<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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To date, standard strumming in classical literature was executed by a series of alternating up and down strokes with <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>index finger. T<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>here are quite a number of classical guitarists today, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>however, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>who strive to integrate <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>five-finger <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>rasgueados (and other flamenco techniques) in their playing. In such cases, there is a crossing of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Rubicon when it comes to nails. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The right hand nails have <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>always been<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a source of frustration for classical guitarists, as <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>it is not possible<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to meet today\u2019s standards of playing without maintaining good right hand nails. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>In <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>course of practicing and playing, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nails get damaged, shortened, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>cracked, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>causing the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>performance <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>suffer. With rasgueados, the nails get battered not only from the inner, but also from the outer side. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>As a result, i<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>n most of the cases<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>using artificial nails, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>or <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>an<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>other <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>form of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>protection involving strong <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>adhesives, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>becomes unavoidable. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>It is certainly a major inconvenience, and putting glue on nails <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>on a regular basis <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>is not a way to promote their health. Usage of artificial nails<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>inevitably <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>brings <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>with itself l<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>oss of some subtleties of tone possible only with a good set of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>natural<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nails, and some classical guitarists see it as a reason never to cross the Rubico<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>n.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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One can <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>become <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>frustrated and wonder why rasgueados haven\u2019t been developed and incorporated into classical guitar musicianship earlier. It is not only that rasgueados are the most idiomatic element of guitar playing, but also the loudest. It is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>an <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>interesting <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>detail <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to mention in the light of the fact that one of the main reasons <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>for the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>absence of guitar from <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a variety of chamber music combinations, or <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>orchestral music, is its inability to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>acoustically <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>assert itself, and be <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>heard <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>in larger groups of standard orchestral instruments<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. With rasgueados close to today\u2019s standard of playing, guitar <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>certainly <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>could have been integrated. One can <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ven<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>imagine guitar rasgueados supporting orchestral tuttis without too much brass, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>promoting the development of a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>completely new orchestral character. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>C<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>lassical literature would have looked quite differently, and it is likely that <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>we would be seeing guitarists going to orchestral trials today.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Looking to the development of classical music<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>a variety<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>forms, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>music has crossed to instruments from the realm of vocal music, and not vice versa. The medieval songs, renaissance madrigals and motets, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and the styles and textures thereof<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>have found their way to be<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>transferred and transcribed for instruments. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>In the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>family of plucked strings, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>these were<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>lute, vihuela, and baroque guitar. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>A style<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>has developed <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>through <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>imitating vocal music: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>f<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>antasies and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ientos b<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Milan <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and r<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>icercars b<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>da Milano are some of the stricter examples. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Then,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>strumming was coming from dance and folk music and its emergence was slower. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>It seems to have peaked with baroque guitarists <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>and<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>later <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>be <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>mostly neglected<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>by \u201cclassical\u201d musicians almost until today.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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One of the reasons that may have played a role in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>avoidance of rasgueados by classical guitarists <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>may have <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to do with the social status of classical guitar<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. As classical guitar was regaining its status and rebuilding its code as an instrument taught at conservatories and present in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>subscription <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>programs with classical concerts, it was necessary to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>easily <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>di<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>fferentiate<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>from all the other styles, which were not classical, and hence <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to be excluded from <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>this context<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The economic implications were of primary importance. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Hence, rasgueados had to be <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>pushed aside, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>in order not to resemble flamenco guitarists. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>T<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>his may also be the reason for some displeasing statements about flamenco guitar by some leading classical guitarists. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Interestingly, one of the elements suppressed <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>in order <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>to achieve that status, is the one that is the most idiomatic, characteristic, and sonically rich on the guitar \u2013 fanciful strumming, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. e. rasgueado, which has in the meantime been developed in the flamenco realm, so much <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>so<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>that it rivals the technically most <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>sophisticated<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>conservatory achievements. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Rasgueado may in the future be spoken of as an element \u201ctemporarily developed by flamenco virtuosi\u201d. Writing for classical guitar may change, and guitar may become more prominently featured in chamber and orchestral music. Concertos for guitar and orchestra featuring flamenco soloists playing parts with no flamenco music may become common. Although it is difficult to imagine that a great convergence would take place musically between classical and flamenco styles, in terms of technique, only dogmatism may stand in the way.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music is fun to write about, provided that precision of terms is evaded. It is normal that art based on non-verbal sounds doesn\u2019t easily lend itself to verbal descriptions, hence too much precision can get in the way. A famous example is the term \u201catonal\u201d for describing the music without tonal center. Its actual meaningContinue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions\/187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/branimir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}