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Gipsy Guitar: Rumbas Flamencas ... Rumba Styles of the Flamenco Guitar
SchottFlamenco is once again incredibly popular and modern Flamenco groups like the Gipsy Kings are topping the charts with international hits like "Rumba flamenca." In Gipsy Guitar the author shows guitarists how to enter the world of the rumba flamenca, and demonstrates the techniques necessary for solo playing and accompaniment. The publication contains printed music (staves and tablature) and two excellent companion CDs. German/English text.
92 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2000
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February 12, 2024
Overview
The popularity that’s been attained by the rumba flamenca, even among people who know nothing of Flamenco and care less, is nothing short of phenomenal (indeed, to judge by the live music presented around San José’s up-scale restaurant area, Santana Row, some people make a living playing nothing else). Perhaps this should not be so surprising: the rumba is far more easily intelligible than the deeper forms of Flamenco, it’s fast, and it’s exciting. To be able to play a rumba well, then, will get you invited to far more parties than the ability to play a seguiriya.
Gipsy Guitar is an addendum to the author’s two-volume Flamenco Guitar Method, and is devoted entirely to further material on the rumba flamenca. It consists of a book, and two CDs. There are also a version with a Windows CD-ROM, and a newer version with a double-sided PAL/NTSC DVD. The CD-ROM and DVD have the same content as the book. The DVD is available as a separate product.
Presentation
The CDs are bound with the book, in paper sleeves. The book is not spiral-bound, but is relatively slim and opens flat fairly easily. The printing and photographs are both very clear.
Content
The text of the book is in German and (good) English throughout. After the standard Preface and About the Author, we have a section on terminology, with the parts of the guitar and the fingers of the hands clearly labelled (in this case, in Spanish as well). This is followed by a brief history of the rumba.
The musical material, which (quite reasonably) assumes absorption of the material in the previous volumes, or at least of flamenco guitar technique generally, consists of five different rumbas, each of which is written out in its entirety in staff notation and cifra. Second guitar parts are also given, sometimes as chord symbols (and associated fretboard diagrams) with rhythms, and sometimes written out like the first guitar part. Each piece is prefaced by a detailed explanation, with photographs, of the techniques it introduces. The fingering is thorough.
CDs
The first CD consists of the five rumbas played at normal speed, and the second of exactly the same thing, but more slowly. Each rumba is presented with all instruments, then without the rhythm guitar, then without the solo guitar, making fifteen tracks in all. The two last-named versions have clear rhythmic lead-ins enabling you to play along with no trouble. The total times for the two CDs are 58'04" and 73'51" respectively.
The pieces are idiomatic and quite attractive, and not technically demanding (although neither are they beginner’s pieces — but this is not a beginner’s book). In fact, if you program the five full-instrumentation, full-speed versions, they make decent listening music. The playing is solid, rhythmic, and professional.
Website
I availed myself [in 2008] of the author’s invitation to visit his website. A trifle to my surprise, in view of the immaculate English and Spanish in his publications, I found it to be in German only. It was only by accident I found there was a separate English-language site.
The details of his various publications were nicely laid out, with links to vendors in different countries, but I found navigation a bit of a problem, requiring frequent use of the Back button. Also, the site does not distinguish clearly between links and other graphics.
Summary
Gipsy Guitar is an extremely thorough job, confirming the impression made by the author’s earlier opus. In fact, I find it hard to imagine a better one. I found the three (as I write) negative reviews on amazon.com totally incomprehensible. If you can master the material here, you should easily be able to go on to pieces such as La Lola, (recorded on Paco Peña’s second flamenco album, on CD as Flamenco), photocopied transcriptions of which have been floating about for years.
Disclosure
I received a free copy of this item for review.
The popularity that’s been attained by the rumba flamenca, even among people who know nothing of Flamenco and care less, is nothing short of phenomenal (indeed, to judge by the live music presented around San José’s up-scale restaurant area, Santana Row, some people make a living playing nothing else). Perhaps this should not be so surprising: the rumba is far more easily intelligible than the deeper forms of Flamenco, it’s fast, and it’s exciting. To be able to play a rumba well, then, will get you invited to far more parties than the ability to play a seguiriya.
Gipsy Guitar is an addendum to the author’s two-volume Flamenco Guitar Method, and is devoted entirely to further material on the rumba flamenca. It consists of a book, and two CDs. There are also a version with a Windows CD-ROM, and a newer version with a double-sided PAL/NTSC DVD. The CD-ROM and DVD have the same content as the book. The DVD is available as a separate product.
Presentation
The CDs are bound with the book, in paper sleeves. The book is not spiral-bound, but is relatively slim and opens flat fairly easily. The printing and photographs are both very clear.
Content
The text of the book is in German and (good) English throughout. After the standard Preface and About the Author, we have a section on terminology, with the parts of the guitar and the fingers of the hands clearly labelled (in this case, in Spanish as well). This is followed by a brief history of the rumba.
The musical material, which (quite reasonably) assumes absorption of the material in the previous volumes, or at least of flamenco guitar technique generally, consists of five different rumbas, each of which is written out in its entirety in staff notation and cifra. Second guitar parts are also given, sometimes as chord symbols (and associated fretboard diagrams) with rhythms, and sometimes written out like the first guitar part. Each piece is prefaced by a detailed explanation, with photographs, of the techniques it introduces. The fingering is thorough.
CDs
The first CD consists of the five rumbas played at normal speed, and the second of exactly the same thing, but more slowly. Each rumba is presented with all instruments, then without the rhythm guitar, then without the solo guitar, making fifteen tracks in all. The two last-named versions have clear rhythmic lead-ins enabling you to play along with no trouble. The total times for the two CDs are 58'04" and 73'51" respectively.
The pieces are idiomatic and quite attractive, and not technically demanding (although neither are they beginner’s pieces — but this is not a beginner’s book). In fact, if you program the five full-instrumentation, full-speed versions, they make decent listening music. The playing is solid, rhythmic, and professional.
Website
I availed myself [in 2008] of the author’s invitation to visit his website. A trifle to my surprise, in view of the immaculate English and Spanish in his publications, I found it to be in German only. It was only by accident I found there was a separate English-language site.
The details of his various publications were nicely laid out, with links to vendors in different countries, but I found navigation a bit of a problem, requiring frequent use of the Back button. Also, the site does not distinguish clearly between links and other graphics.
Summary
Gipsy Guitar is an extremely thorough job, confirming the impression made by the author’s earlier opus. In fact, I find it hard to imagine a better one. I found the three (as I write) negative reviews on amazon.com totally incomprehensible. If you can master the material here, you should easily be able to go on to pieces such as La Lola, (recorded on Paco Peña’s second flamenco album, on CD as Flamenco), photocopied transcriptions of which have been floating about for years.
Disclosure
I received a free copy of this item for review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review