[gato]

What are your thoughts about "propio sello," or personal style?
Gary

[Payul]

Hi Gato,

What do you mean exactly? the style of moraito versus Gerardo Nunez versus Tomatito versus Amigo, or developing an own style? I do not realy understand the question.....

[gato]

Well I mean, although you can compare personal styles of famous guitarists all you like, but I mean, moreover, what are you doing with your personal style? You know, a lot of people put so much in to learning other peoples music, that I thought it would be a good thing to consider.

Although we must learn the proper compas and palos and etc., what do you think about putting emphasis in doing it your own way, and what do you think about that? Do you consider that at all?

At some point it's got to be on the agenda, because without your own 'voice,' you're just another guitarist. I think that is an interesting concept, because that personal style is also necessary in the mastery of the instrument. On all the flamenco forums I have read about people adopting other peoples styles.....once in all the time I have spent has someone brought the message of personal style up. He too got few responces. I think that is very interesting as well.

It's like wearing the clothes that you wear, not some movie star. It's very much the same. Or are we bound to be clones of Paco or Gerardo? Is personal style among players learning the craft unaceptable? Why no, I don't think it is at all......so how much effort are you putting in to it, what are you doing, and what do you think is the importance of that? Political, yes, hard to fathom, I don't think so at all. It's a great question.
Gary



Isn't it about time?

[Payul]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for clearing up the question for me
I think personal style is very importand it is very insrucive to create your own falseta's or whole pieces.
It makes you really think about what you do and play, also it is fun to have something nobody else have.
Also a funny thing is that you put so much efford in creating, you do need just a little time to study for playing it right.
It is very satisfying.

[deteresa]

Hi Gary,
It's a very good question and I also wonder why this topic isn't brought up more often. For me it has always been natural to compose, I've been doing it since I first picked up the guitar. Mostly because I'm too lazy to learn other people's stuff
I agree that in order to become a real master of Flamenco, you have to create your own material because for me that is 50% of the genius of Paco, Moraito, Tomatito, and everyone else. If you really want to be like Paco, then, paradoxically, playing his compositions won't get you there.
In Flamenco it's really important to challenge yourself to compose, AFTER you understand the music that you're trying to create (very important). You don't have to worry about writing an entire through-composed piece right off the bat, but just try making your own variations on compas patterns, 7,8,9 licks, and common falsetas. You will find yourself being inspired.
Again though, I can't stress enough the importance of starting out with a good teacher or method books, and listening A LOT (for a few years), and getting your compas down 100% before you start getting too terribly innovative.

[gato]

Yeah, I think that it is really important or I wouldn't have brought it up!! That's the thing that I am working on constantly, and I would have to say also that it is the reason that so many artists achieve sucess in what they are doing. Without origionality there is no real basis for any common aesthetic era in any artform. And I do agree that there are rules to follow, and that is why we must study the works of sucessful artists and composers, forms and traditions, in order to get to that place. So the two go hand in hand, the passing down of the flamenco on to us, and our real and creative contribution, and without those two qualities I should say there would be no music out there, because that's how it gets done.

I wonder if any of you are working on this kind of thing at present, and hope to see what you think about it. And I hope to see this kind of content spill out in to other threads. It certainly would be usefull information for any one to draw upon.
Gary

[Frontera]

My opinion is real flamenco is personal. Parroting another's flamenco says nothing about you. While our personal styles are based on others and our influences may be easy to hear or see, to be flamenco it has to come from the interpretation of the performer. Flamenco is more than just music or technique, it is an expression of one's interpretations and concepts of life and death.

Copycatting others interpretations takes talent and hard work, but performing improvisational and still observing compas, etc., is the ultimate and the definition of flamenco.