Flamenco Guitar Transcriptions_ Guitar Exercises

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 1/9

versión en español

EXERCISESwarm-up fret pluck alzapúa scales picado

Warm-up

This exercise combines a few techniques to warm up both hands. It starts with the chords D,A, G and F sharp in arpeggios and picado and ends with a variation of this idea using thechords B minor, A, G and F sharp. In the last four measures, a transposed soleá falseta ofNiño Ricardo. Notice that all the slurs are on the first two notes of the triplet.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

Fret

This exercise will quickly tire your fretting hand. The suggested fingering keeps the index,middle and ring fingers on the same strings as much as possible. Try to use rest strokes,and move the barre up one fret to repeat the exercise in a loop.

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 2/9

Pluck

This exercise strengthens thumb, index and middle. Play everything in rest strokes, lettingthumb and fingers rest on the following string and alternating index and middle at all times.Keep your fingertips very close to the strings. This includes the thumb, because it is thebase for all the other fingerstrokes and should not be subordinate to them. In this sense,the exercise can be simplified by playing a single bass note for each measure.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

The same pattern in sixteenths (2/4).

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 3/9

Alzapúa

This exercise also works for arpeggios. Alzapúa basically consists of a rest stroke followedby a downstroke and an upstroke that brush several strings, although many falsetas startwith the downstroke. To get started, use a twisting motion by rotating the two bones inyour forearm (it's like turning a key in a lock). Click here for a study of this technique. Yourhand has to be relaxed enough to feel the centrifugal force from the twisting movement.When you've got the idea, do as much of the work as you can with your thumb, keeing yourindex finger on the first string (I use my ring finger).

When alzapúa is used for sixteenth notes, the ternary mechanism (plant-brush-brush)contrasts with the binary structure, creating the offset pattern seen below. Notice that ineach measure, the planted thumbstroke happens at a different rhythmic moment: beat one,first and fourth notes; beat two, third note; beat three, second note. The exercise can besimplified by playing in triplets so that each planted thumbstroke falls on the beat.

(click here to listen to the audio file)

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 4/9

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 5/9

ScalesDiatonic / With slurs / Blues-pentatonic / Chromatic / Dim. 7th / Octave tritone

The following scales and arpeggios are based on patterns of 48 and the division of thisnumber by its common denominators 2, 3, 4 and 6, which allows us to play each pattern ineighths, triplets, sixteenths and sextuplets, as seen below. Logically, the patterns can bereduced to just 12 notes, six ascending and six descending. Notice the symbol indicatingthat the last beat in each measure is accented.

Eighth notes = 2 notes per beat x 3 beats x 8 measures = 48 notes

Triplets = 3 notes per beat x 4 beats x 4 measures = 48 notes

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 6/9

Sixteenths = 4 notes per beat x 3 beats x 4 measures = 48 notes

Sextuplets = 6 notes per beat x 4 beats x 2 measures = 48 notes

Using this arrangement, we can play the following patterns in triplets and sixteenths. Inorder to make the two rhythms clearer, you can accent the last beat in each measure. Strikethe note a little harder and follow with a very slight pause, for a rubato effect. The patternsare completely systematic, so you can concentrate fully on the rhythm, as the descent startsin the third measure in both triplets and sixteenths. You can reverse all of the patterns,playing them descending and then ascending.

Diatonic (E minor)

Changing notes creates different diatonic scales. For example, changing the C to C sharp willgive you D major, using no sharps or flats yields C major, etc.

Diatonic with slurs

As above, you can alter the notes of the scale.

Blues/pentatonic

You can apply this to the other "blues boxes" up the fretboard:

Chromatic

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 7/9

You can start at almost any fret on the sixth string:

Diminished 7th

You can add slurs (pull-offs) when there are three notes on one string (the first three, forexample). Also, the descent can be fingered higher up on the fretboard.

Tritone octave

At the first, fifth and seventh beats, you can see the three left-hand fingerings thatcorrespond to the different string sets used. This exercise can be played p-p-i. As with thepreceding pattern, you can finger the descent higher up on the fretboard.

You have probably gathered by now that it is not too hard to apply the idea to many otherpatterns. Just play any interesting pattern in sixteenths or triplets over a three- or four-beatrhythm, respectively, changing direction when you reach the third measure. You might haveto start the descent one note higher in the pattern in order to create a loop.

Picado

These exercices are designed to strengthen your picado technique, especially the movementof the fingers to a new string.

I recommend starting with Exercises 1 and 2 when you want to work on picado because themuted strings focus your attention on precise striking-hand technique. For Exercise 1, playeighth notes on each muted string, alternating your index and middle fingers and repeatingthe pattern in a loop. Make sure that you always alternate index and middle, use reststrokes and keep your thumb on one of the bass strings. Notice the difference betweenstarting the pattern i-m and m-i and that it's awkward to move to a lower-pitched stringwith the middle finger (use rest strokes). When you can play the pattern quickly and starting

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 8/9

with either finger, do the same with triplets, as seen in Exercise 2. If Exercise 3 is toodifficult, you need to go back to Exercises 1 and 2 and look at the rest strokes.

Exercises 1 and 2

For Exercise 3, start the looped pattern with your index finger and notice that the new stringalways falls on the middle finger in the ascent and on the index in the descent. Now playthe same pattern but starting with your middle finger. It's probably going to feel veryawkward, particularly in the descent, where it's very important to make use of rest strokes.Although we normally avoid the awkward fingering, there are parts of certain falsetas inwhich there is no other alternative. The rest of these exercises are meant to be played withthe two fingerings (i-m, m-i) in order to concentrate on the way that the fingers "lay" ondifferent sets of strings. Remember to keep your thumb on one of the bass strings.

Exercise 3

The descent is particularly difficult when using the awkward fingering. Exercise 4 loops thepattern in a way that repeats the same fingering for each new cycle, and Exercise 5alternates the two fingerings.

Exercise 4 Exercise 5

Exercise 6 places the above pattern on different sets of strings. Each measure can be loopedfor practice on a particular set of strings.

Exercise 6

9/19/13 Flamenco guitar transcriptions: Guitar exercises.

www.ctv.es/USERS/norman/pmiexc.htm 9/9

Exercise 7 distributes the same 12-note pattern in sixteenths (4x3=12, 3x4=12).

Exercise 7

Exercise 8 is a variation that is offset in such a way that every other beat is one note lowerin the scale (beats 1, 3, 5, etc.)

Exercise 8

You don't have to limit these patterns to the C major scale: with F sharp, it would be Gmajor (granaínas); with B flat, it would be F major (por medio), etc.

falseta collections resources index