Instruments Of Beauty

Flamenco guitars are built especially for this type of music. They are usually made of Spanish cypress and spruce, are lighter than the typical classical guitar and have a brighter quality to them. They are constructed for maximum volume as the sound has to carry over the noise made by the dancers’ shoes.

Flamencos are also equipped with a tap plate called a golpeador. This is often made of plastic and protects the guitar’s body from finger taps. Flamenco guitars used to be made with wooden tuning pegs. Some still prefer these as less weight in the headstock results in brighter sound. Some modern flamenco guitars use high-end materials. These guitars try to gain some sustain without sacrificing volume and attack. This is very useful when accompanying flamenco dancers.

Flamenco guitar technique also differs from classical guitar technique in many ways. It is commonly played using a capo called a cejilla which makes the guitar sound brighter and more percussive. But the main purpose of the cejilla is to quickly change keys in order to adjust to the vocal range of a singer. Picados are single-line scale passages with great attack and articulation. Rasgueado is strumming with outward flicks of the fingers. Alzapua is using the right hand thumb for single-line notes and strumming across strings. All these techniques contribute to a very distinctive musical style that is known the world over. Accomplished flamenco guitarist have mastered all these so they can support flamenco dancers with the beautiful rolling rhythms of the flamenco.

te called a golpeador. This is often made of plastic and protects the guitar’s body from finger taps. Flamenco guitars used to be made with wooden tuning pegs. Some still prefer these as less weight in the headstock results in brighter sound. Some modern flamenco guitars use high-end materials. These guitars try to gain some sustain without sacrificing volume and attack. This is very useful when accompanying flamenco dancers.