In this video we look at the guitar itself - how it works, what we call all of the parts of it, and how we talk about where you put your fingers. Everything you need to know to get started!

In this video we look at the strings themselves and their names. We also look a little bit at whole steps and half steps. This is a good video to watch if this is all new to you. You don’t need to memorize any of this just yet, but it can’t hurt to know.

We look at tuning your guitar. You’ll probably want to use a tuner, so w take a look at some of those, too. Being in tune will make everything sounds better - we promise!

Though we don’t use a capo in this course, the capo is used all the time in flamenco. So here we take a look a how some of the different kinds of capos work, and what you need to know to use one.

There are lots of ways to hold the guitar. Here we look at some of the options and how to choose which one might be best for you. You may want to try more than one option to see which is best for you, and you don’t necessarily have to always use the same way.

In this video we look at how both hands come together to play a note on the guitar. There is some very important information about the mechanics of both the left and right hands. This is hugely important not only for your sound, but for learning to play with ease and without hurting yourself.

Once we’ve learned to play a note we have to learn how to play chords. Again, learning the proper mechanics of it will help you sound better and also play with less effort.

In this video we look at some abstract, but very important, concepts of time and rhythm. First we look at how measures and compass are organized, then we look at how beats are subdivided.

We look at how to feel the compás of Soleá before even picking up a guitar learning some palmas (handclap) patterns. Palmas are the original percussion instrument in flamenco and an essential part of the music and the culture.

We learn some of the chords that we’ll need to start playing flamenco!

Now that we’ve learned some chords and we’ve learned the basic compás of Soleá we start putting it all together on the guitar!

A word from Kai about what we’re about to do, and how to proceed if you’re a little overwhelmed at this point. Also how to proceed if you’re working from the Flamenco Explained book (https://flamencoexplained.com/shop/flamenco-explained-guitarists-survival-guide-book/) and aren’t sure how to inco...

We start playing flamenco! First we talk about Soleá, the Palo (style) that we’ll be using to learn flamenco throughout this course, and then we dive in to playing compás.

We look at a very important element of the Soleá compás called the Escobilla and we dive into one of the most distinctive and fun techniques in flamenco - the rasgueado. By the end of this lesson we’ll really sound like flamenco guitarists!

We look at another one of the main Escobilla melodies used in Soleá and we introduce arpeggio technique, which is the basis for much of our right-hand technique on the guitar. Then we recap the Escobilla material we have learned so far, and we look at how we can use some of the new material to ma...

In this video we look at a great traditional falseta that’s often used as an introduction for Soleá and we use this as an opportunity to look at the technique of slurs, which are more commonly known as hammer-ons and pull-offs. We also include a slightly advanced version of this falseta for those...

We learn another traditional falseta involving rest-strokes in the thumb, and we get into the finer points of using our thumb for flamenco. Proper thumb technique is essential to sounding flamenco, so this is a really important le

In our third falseta we look at Picado technique. These are the rest-stroke scales you’ve heard played at blinding speeds, and as with all technique we ned to learn some good fundamentals before we get going too fast, so we look at the mechanics and a few exercises before getting to our picado fa...

In this lesson we apply our new picado technique to a new falseta that uses nothing but picado.

In this lesson we review arpeggio technique and add a new arpeggio exercise. Then we learn a great traditional intro falseta that really let’s us use our arpeggio to full effect.

In this lesson we look at another of the techniques unique to flamenco - Alzapua. We break down the technique and then look at a falseta so that we can apply this great new sound to our Soleá.

In this lesson we look at how to make bar chords without stressing out your left hand. If you’re new to bar chords or if you’ve ever had any tension or pain from playing bar chords you’ll want to check this out. Plus it’s an important preparation for the falseta in the next lesson.

We look at a falseta that combines arpeggio and picado and ends in a long scale run that will make you apply all of the good habits you’ve picked up in previous lessons. This one might be a bit challenging at first, but with time you’ll nail it!

You’ll need a good way to end your Soleá, so we take a look at a few options you have for doing that.

Some advice for anyone who might be feeling a bit overwhelmed, or like progress isn’t happening as fast as you’d like.

This lesson gets to the heart of how flamenco works, which should make much more sense now that you have all the material necessary to put together your first solo. As we discuss how to arrange your own solo, we’ll learn the essence of how the flamenco mind thinks. This will help you make sense o...