Post your questions here and I'll choose at least one a week to create a video answer for. Questions can be about anything relating to flamenco, guitar, dance, cante, anything at all!
Kai, What is the brand and or model of the guitar you are using in your video lessons
Hi Peter - I play a few different ones. In most of the videos I'm either playing a Conde, a Manuel Reyes, or a Stephen Hill guitar.
Cheers,
Kai
Do you have any experience with any of the alhambra's I mentioned
How about an iPhone app? :D
.... you might just get your wish, Randy. Standby!
HI Kai,
Could you please review the choices for guitar strings for Flamenco guitar?
There are so many choices out there, I would appreciate your thoughts on
how to chose them and suggestions about tension level for the guitar strings.
Thank you so much!
Hey Joana,
Good question:
I've used the LaBella 2001's forever and I love them. If you know what tension you're currently using, then based on how they feel try the same tension or a tension up or down, depending on how you'd like the guitar to feel - more resistance or less. Generally we like a little more resistance for the right hand but a little less for the left, so you have to find your compromise (or, if you're lucky, your perfect set of strings).
As far as choosing a brand goes, LaBella and D'addario are generally seen as relatively neutral - they won't impart a specific sound as much as bring out the sound of your guitar. I like the LaBellas because they feel better to me, though I can't really quantify that. Some brands have a sound - Savarez are generally brighter and Luthiers are generally darker, for example.
There are a ton of different strings I haven't tried, too, so hopefully others will chime in with their experiences.
Cheers,
Kai
Thanks so much Kai! I have D'addario ProArte Extra Hard Strings on my guitar at present. I like them, but I thought when it is time to change them I would try another brand to compare and see what feels better.
I will give the LaBella's a try next time, and I am so happy you narrowed this down for me! I never realized how many options for guitar strings were available... I am also looking forward to hearing what guitar strings the other forum members are using and what their experience has been.
Thanks so much, great suggestions!
Joan
Kai,
Follow-up string question...are you using the Labella 2001 classical strings or the 2001F strings. Thanks! Fred
Hey Fred,
I use the classical ones. The basses are the same on both sets, but I prefer the trebles on the classical sets. The flamenco trebles are a little snappier, and I like the warmth of the classical ones.
Cheers,
Kai
Are those medium tension or hard tension ? Thanks!
Hello Kai,
I would like some guidance to get the best use of your site. I have can commit 3hrs. a day to practice/play. How best to utilize my practice time?
Thank you,Tim
ps The website is fantastic!!!!
Thanks Tim!
The answer to this one depends a lot on where your playing is at and your familiarity/fluency with compás. Can you tell me a bit more about your playing experience, what you've worked on already, and where you feel you need to improve most?
Cheers,
Kai
Hi Kai, I posted this in the comment under one of the lessons, but then I thought maybe it would make more sense to post it here (not sure which you would prefer). I have a question about the quintuplet rasqueado vs. the 16th note rasqueado. It seems like all the most popular method books I see (I am thinking especially of the Juan Martín and the Dennis Koster methods) introduce the quintuplet rasqueado as the most basic and primary rasqueado. But most modern players I see seem to favor the 16th note rasqueado. Is this just a generational difference, and example of technique changing over time, or is it perhaps a personal style difference? Some have suggested to me that it has to do with the fact that most modern players play with percussionists and so they are mimicking the percussion 16th note attack. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this.
Good question! I learned the four-finger (quituplet) rasgueado first from Dennis and did mainly that until I moved to Spain in the early 90's. When I got there I was basically told not to do that anymore, that the current thing was the three-finger even 16th note thing. I definitely think it's generational. Not sure if it necessarily comes from playing with percussionists (since it makes more sense that the percussionists would be learning to do what the guitarists were doing at the time), but that could be a factor. These days I hear and use the four-finger one more as an effect when I want a blur of sound, vs. the even 16th notes when I want a more driving rhythm. I hope that helps!
Cheers,
Kai
Absolutely that helps! Thanks so much for the quick reply.
I have several questions: with regards to the string questions above, which tensions do you use on your Stephen Hill guitars? The 2A I recently bought came with low tension strings (if I'm not mistaken), but I'd be curious to try medium to medium hard tension. I worry somewhat about their effect on the neck. My second question is about nails. I've read endless posts about this, and am now more confused than ever. I'm trying to keep my fingernails just a little longer than the length of the finger (about 1/16" or so) and I'm using Mane 'n Tail everyday. So far this is pretty good, although my ring finger feels as if it needs reinforcement, and there's where my question comes in: what's the best method to strengthen a nail? Also, I think I probably need to extend my thumbnail some, and again I'm not sure what the best method for that would be. Thanks in advance!
Hi John,
I've had crummy nails for many years and they are constantly in harm's way during my work hours. That being said, I've seen great improvement in my nail strength, making these two changes;. I) I take a daily supplement of Biotin, which is a coenzyme and B vitamin; and 2) I treat my right hand nails with NailTek Nutritionist Keratin Nail Treatment each night before going to bed. I have to keep my nails fairly short due to chronic "hooking" at the end of the nail.
Regarding strings, it will be interesting to hear what Kai is using on his new Stephen Hill. I know he likes med/hard tension Labella 2001 classic strings on his other guitars. I'm sure your new 2A can handle higher string tensions with no problem, so I say give the med and med/hard sets a try.
Good luck! Fred
Hi Fred,
Just by the way, even though my email is johnrobiethecat..., my actual name is Paul. It's confusing, but John Robie is Cary Grant's character's name in "To Catch a Thief." My daughter is enamored of Cary Grant so, in some weird way, it seemed a logical choice when choosing an email name (maybe one person's logic is another's folly).
Thanks for the tips! I will look into these. I have a feeling that I have many string changes coming up, but may need to wait until the incredibly high humidity of late summer breaks.
Hey guys (and I just asked my sister the other day which was the Carey Grant film in which he played a cat burglar, so now I really won't forget!)
I do usually use med-high or high tension strings on my other guitars, but I find that my Stephen Hill has an inherently stiffer build, or whatever you want to call it so that high tension strings just feel too high for me on that guitar. But having said that, if the med tension ones feel low then by all means try going up incrementally until the left-hand to right-hand balance feels just right for you. I seem to remember that that particular guitar was a little less stiff than mine. And yeah, any new guitar means a lot of string changing to find the right set, but it's usually just a month or so of that and then you're good (unless you read too many forums about string choice and get restless again, which I stopped doing ages ago!).
As for nails, I think I'll do a blog post about that. I've been putting the same stuff on my nails for over 20 years now, so chances are you guys know better than I do what's new out there, but I'll explain what I do (basically fiberglass paper and enamel powder) and my thoughts on nail shape and all that. I'll post a link here when that's up.
Cheers,
Kai
Thanks Kai! I'll look forward to the blog post. I have lots of other question, thankfully about the music. I'll just start with one. You seem extremely relaxed when playing in the videos. That relaxed feel, and practicing (especially rasgueados) has led me to wonder how hard an attack is optimal. I'm striving for a rasgueado that has fluidity, while being clear, but doesn't routinely sound like I'm banging the strings (this is difficult to verbally describe, I realize). I also am aware that different players have different approaches and can vary their attack depending on context, but I wonder if you have a general rule of thumb about right hand attack.
It’s all about the power of the flick. Think about how little effort you use to flick a fly off your knee and how swift and powerful that little flick is. That’s what you’re going for. And the more independence you get in each finger the less strain you’ll have keeping the other fingers in your ‘fist’ as they wait their turn. Make sense?
-Kai
Kai,
I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. Yesterday was a crazy day for me. Yes that makes a lot of sense. And, of course, this is exactly what you say in the video. I think what I'm figuring out is a product of two things: as I learn any new motor skill I tend to do it "too hard" (even while trying to relax) at first. I think this is most likely a compensation for not having total control of the coordinated movements at first. Secondly, I realized that, even with hooking the thumb, you can place your thumb at different angles to the strings, which will change your fingers' relation to the strings as well. This should have some effect both on tone and how hard you (can) hit the strings in the rasgueado. Do you maintain a constant angle?
Hey - I definitely move my hand around quite a bit to change the angle and height of my fingers, but for now I would probably recommend getting as comfortable and relaxed as possible in one position before playing around too much with this. Don't worry if your hand naturally moves around a bit, but just don't think about that too much yet. And practicing relaxing is a big part of most practicing anyway, so here's a good place to start embracing that!
Cheers,
Kai
Since I'm asking questions: are you considering cover Rondeña in the future? I think it's a stunningly beautiful form.
I second that Rondeña request!!
Yes - I definitely want to get to Rondeña soon! I'll cover some more of the basic palos first, but all the Libre palos including Rondeña are definitely in the works!
Cheers
-kai
Hey Rodeña lovers - I made a Spotify playlist of a few of my favorite Rodeñas and tunes in Rondeña tuning (because you can really play anything that's Phrygian in this tuning) to hold you over until I get a lesson up.
Cheers,
Kai
This is a wonderful list, thank you. I also really love Pepe Habichuela's "Canta la Guitarra" from 'Habichuela en Rama.'
Hey Paul! Thank you so much for your request and participation in the community here on the forums! It's such a pleasure for us. You've inspired us to create a "from the forums" playlist. This is meant to be some helpful tips to help get you by until we do the full release and long tutorials and lessons. You can check out the inaugural video on Rondeña here:
https://learn.flamencoexplained.com/videos/rondena-tease
Next question! I'm having an odd problem (at least, I think that it's odd) learning the fan rasgueado. I've been very patient and in the last few days have begun to notice that I'm using more wrist rotation in a relaxed way, so that's all good. I can reliably do one triplet (plus additional upstroke) at speed, and am getting better at doing multiple triplets in a row, but always go back to doing it slowly, not forcing it, etc. Now for the odd part: this works really well when I'm practicing on muted strings, but I get easily tripped up when actually playing chords. This is even more true the more open strings the chord has. I suspect that some of this is physical (the strings are looser than when muted, so my thumb gets a little more tripped up), and some this is not hearing the triplet as well due to reverberation in the guitar. Have you encountered this problem before, and if so, how might I address it?
I wanted to mention that your articulating the "Ta-ka-ta-DOOM" in the video helped me enormously when practicing. Thanks!