Furthering our chord and harmony vocab is one of the most important ways to take our songwriting and musicianship skills to higher levels. In this guitar lesson, I will go over a variety of ideas (many seemingly unrelated) that all aim to make you (and I) better players and songwriters.

In a previous guitar lesson we went over a strumming pattern found in Flamenco and showed how it translates to acoustic style. In this guitar lesson, we take a look at another Flamenco pattern. This time we look at a slightly more advanced concept that involves strumming as well as phrasing.

Note: Do not expect to get a true Flamenco sound from an acoustic. An essential component of Flamenco guitar is the percussive sound generated by the fingernails striking the strings. But borrowing concepts from musical genres is certainly a great way to expand one's musical vocabulary and influence one's own songwriting skills.

Flamenco Guitar Method Volume 1

Above is tab found on page 29 of Flamenco Guitar Method Volume 1.

As you can see this exercise involves strumming chords while executing legato phrases (very common in Flamenco). It is tough to get definition of the notes on acoustic. In my recording, I pick a few of the notes in the legato phrases, since otherwise there would not be enough clarity of the notes. The best way to approach this and other Flamenco exercises is to listen to a Flamenco player and try your best to emulate on your acoustic. Flamenco Guitar Method Volume 1comes with a CD and so you can gain a lot of insight by listening and absorbing.

Later,

Brian