The Lost Roots of the Flamenco Guitar

For many who are unfamiliar with the history and culture of the Southwest, it is easy to sterotype and stygmatize certain things as "Mexican" "Indian" or "Spanish" without understanding the proper heritage and cultural context from which those things came.

Take for example the flamenco guitar. Undoubtedly one of the most popular guitar playing styles in the Southwest today, flamenco guitar did not origniate in Mexico. Despite what we see in music videos and
the stylish intro to Robert Rodriquezes "Desperado," flamenco guitar was born and bred entirely overseas; remade and refined over hundreds of years.

According to the site classicalguitarmidi.com, the roots of flamenco style probably stemmed from the myriad of cultural influences in Spain after the "Reconquista." During this period, the Spanish had just reclaimed their land after 700 years of Moor occupation.

It is likely that during this time, persecuted "outside" groups like the gypsies, Moors and Jews banded together for survival, sharing many aspects of their culture with one another, including their music. Shunned from popular culture, they took aspects of their own styles and added them to traditional Andalucian folk songs to create something entirely new.

According to the site flamenco-lessons.com the genre did not gain popularity in Spain until it was adopted and modified by the Spaniards themselves.

While aspects of the musical style may have followed the Spanish to the new world and been adopted in Mexico, practitioners insist that it's development into a formalized style hinged mainly upon developments overseas.

It was not until the 19th century advent of "Cafe Cantantes," that the genre as we know it today began to spread beyond Spanish borders. Here, in these musical performance houses, travelers from all over gathered to watch Flamenco artists perform in highly competitive competitions centering around bravado, skill and showmanship.

It is from these musical competitions that Flamenco drew it's dramatic playing style and stylish "tricks" (i.e, playing with one hand or with the guitar held overhead.) Even today, the genre retains some aspects of its "medieval outlaw" image, defined by complicated scales and heart racing percussion.



The modern Flamenco guitar can be recognized by several characteristics. First, the body is smaller than a normal guitar and is made of cypress, a lighter wood which lends itself to the unique sound of flamenco. Second are the plastic faceplates or "golpeadores" which keep the guitar from being scratched or damaged when the player strikes it with his fingertips. Lastly, flamenco guitars usually utilize more traditional push pegs for tuning rather than modern guitar machine heads.

For those interested in playing, be prepared to spend some money on your new hobby. Flamenco guitars can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the model and the luthier (the guitar maker).

Finding someone to give you lessons can be difficult, but I found my teacher through a very helpful website called privatelessons.com. The site asks you for the instrument or style you want to learn and your area code and then provides you with a list of instructors in your area.

By preserving the proper context of the flamenco guitar and it's relation (or non-relation) to the Southwest, we pay homage to the unspoken geniuses throughout history; the poets who let flamenco music flow out of the hearts, through their hands, and out into the world around us.