[La Sonanta]

Based on our experience, we perceive two major groups of students taking flamenco guitar lessons.

The first group, taking flamenco guitar lessons, are those that are not familiar with the knowledge of flamenco music theory. They learn by sitting down face-to-face with their teacher showing the students how to play some typical falsetas and rhythms by repeating and imitating what the teacher is showing. In Spain this is a successful and effective way of taking flamenco guitar lessons since the local students are growing up with the fundamentals of flamenco music. Being very young, the flamenco guitar students are already familiar with compas (flamenco rhythm), palmas and flamenco patterns. At a very young age they begin to develop a kind of "emotional learning", being born with the "soul of a gypsy" as a part of their DNA. Like Paco de Lucia said “When it was time for me to play bulerias, I already knew how to play them because I had heard the rhythm since I was born”. The second group is a smaller group, having a detailed musical knowledge, being able to analyze everything and to read and write music.

If a student from the first group would take flamenco guitar lessons in Spain, he probably will have a hard time to actually understand his flamenco guitar lessons or to write down the rhythms, patterns, scales or chord progressions. Most often this leads to disappointments since they lose a lot of the learned material during their flamenco guitar lessons. When deciding on where or how to organize your flamenco guitar lessons, it is vital to ask yourself how old you are. If you are 11 years old and did not grew up in a musical Spanish environment, you probably will be better off taking flamenco guitar lessons from a flamenco guitar teacher able to analyze everything for you step-by-step, teaching you the related chord names, scales modes and tempos. Additional online flamenco guitar lessons or flamenco guitar DVD lessons focusing on these areas, are very helpful as well. On the other hand, if you are very young and surrounded with plenty of flamenco music all day long, you will be probably better off taking flamenco guitar lessons in the way Gypsies pass the art of flamenco guitar playing from generation to generation…by listening, looking, repeating, imitating and playing. Flamenco guitar teachers in Spain rarely use books or tabs, nor do they teach 'student flamenco guitar pieces. They do not know chord names, nor do they speak the technical language of music theory. However they can feel and play all functions, it just is something magical. Since most of us do not grow up in such surroundings, flamenco guitar student that are not able to hear and understand the typical voicings, to feel the compás, to memorize the fingering or to write done their flamenco guitar lessons, are better off with local flamenco guitar lessons before actually going to Spain.

An effective flamenco guitar lesson needs to comply with several criteria. As a beginner, your flamenco guitar lesson should focus more on technique rather than on playing falsetas. The skills of a flamenco guitar student who keeps on repeating and imitating falsetas, will be limited to these falsetas. A flamenco guitar student who strongly focuses on training his techniques in small portions of arpeggios, picados, rasgueados, alzapuas, tremolos, later on combining all of them, eventually will be able to play any kind of falsetas. Your flamenco lessons should also include small pieces of harmonic knowledge like modes and improvisation which is essential for evolving into accompaniment of flamenco singers. To increase your ability to play and stay in compas, another vital element of your flamenco lessons need to consist of rhythmic exercises like palmas and rasgueados.

Once you have reached an intermediate level of flamenco guitar music, it is essential to start accompanying flamenco dance at a local flamenco dance school. This is a very effective way in learning traditional forms and structures, rhythmic precision as well as to increase your feeling of compass and right hand power. Ultimately, accompanying live flamenco singers, will train your ears enabling you to play the chords, substitutions and progressions without knowing what the flamenco cantaor is about to sing.

Once you go to Spain for your first flamenco guitar lessons, it is smart not to go to a high level flamenco guitar school like, for example, the one of Manolo Sanlucar. Start with a lower level flamenco guitar school since the risk of being refused, due to inadequate techniques or compas, is quite high. Once refused, it will be hard to join later on, most often you just have only that one chance. In addition, before going to Spain for flamenco guitar lessons, it is also clever to speak the Spanish language enabling you to understand your teacher.

Driven by our passion, La Sonanta will support you in preparing and training yourself as much as possible before taking your first flamenco guitar lesson in Spain. In our "Sala de Pruebas" you will find an extensive collection of DVD Flamenco guitar lessons and books. A lot of our flamenco guitar pages also included high definition videos of free flamenco guitar lessons and free flamenco guitar tabs.