[Frontera]

Possible reasons
1. For self promotion
2. For friends
3. For information
4. For general discussion
5. You live in a flamenco deprived area and the internet is your only connection to flamenco.
6. To help others
7. To share
8. Typing keeps your hands limber
9. To be part of the happening scene
10. Health reasons keep you from participating in flamenco in person

This is NOT a test and there are no right or wrong reasons.

[at_leo_87]

all of them except 1, 8, and 10. maybe one day, i will have something to promote. i cant believe how much i've learned from forums. it gives me motivation to play too. i feel like i'm getting by okay without a teacher thanks to the internet.

[falseta]

I would say all except 5 and 10.

Thanks for the great questions in this post Frontera!

[Frontera]

Anthony brought up one I missed.

11. Learning without an in person teacher.

1, 8, & 9, don't apply to me.

[johnguitar]

3,4,& 5. I am new (2 years) to flamenco and all that I can soak up the better. There is but one instructor in my area (juan Serrano disciple) and all the diversity I can get is great.

[michaelbrown]

I think my reply didn't go through: 1, 1a (=promoting other, in my case via the flamenco DVD I directed), 3 and 7. This won't change the course of flamenco history but thanks for asking!

[acoustic dad]

I would say, 3-8.

I am trying to increase my Flamenco skills. I've had the desire for years, but only hands on for a couple months.

Hopefully, I can connect with players in my area. I think it's difficult to progress playing alone.

[PlazaAlta]

I'm Spanish and I was lucky enough to live in a flamenco area. I would go to my room's balcony for a smoke and see 1st class singers walking by while singing out loud. My dad loved this art and he passed the passion onto me. I only started playing guitar very late (20 years-old) and after three months of getting lessons from an amazing maestro I stopped playing for a decade for personal reasons. Needless to say I never stopped listening to flamenco. Many things happened to me in that decade: the main one was losing my brother and this inspired me to get back onto this 6-strings madness. Now I live in a country where flamenco means very little (Ireland) but I've been lucky to get a proper maestro to teach me again. I've started 7 months ago and I'm driving my loved ones mad with this.

Although, due to work commitments, I can only play 30 mins every day (more in the weekends) I have found the means to express so much again... sorry, back to the forum, one reason: motivation from reading what other guys from anywhere in the planet find in the most beautiful and intense art form.

[Stoney]

Originally Posted by johnguitar

There is but one instructor in my area (juan Serrano disciple)

Maybe it's just me but I'd avoid anyone who trys to teach you the Juan Serrano method. All his rasguados are in reverse and his pieces are so massively convuluted.

There is one guy on youtube who does a Juan Serrano rumba that is pretty good but other than that I never learned anything from his books and wasted tons of time on them. Confusing, pointless and unless you intend to play exactly like Juan Serrano his falsetas don't really work when you try to mix them in with others.

Just my opinion.

Stoney

[Frontera]

Acoustic Dad, There is a lot of flamenco in Seattle and Portland and down around Eugene. It is mostly modern stuff, but there are a few old school guitar players. Several dancers and a few singers. Several guitar makers of high acclaim.

Stoney, One has to understand that it is not necessary to copy Juans rasqueado, just do your own as long as you fill the same time. I don't play any Serrano pieces anymore, but do borrow some of his falsetas that are based on traditional flamenco. The secret is listening at least 10 times more than you play. To play flamenco one must learn to be improvisational and that requires that compas comes automatically. The first thing that Serrano will tell you is rasqueados are a personal thing. As long as they fill the correct time, do them anyway you like.