What Unplugged Flamenco Sounds Like

Rarely do you get to see a flamenco guitar solo up close and personal. The cante was equally impressive, and it was a treat to be present to what was for me a feat of modern flamenco interpretation.

What really struck me Sunday at a popup show in a dance studio, was a sensitivity to every note and the reverberation of passion in the room.

Guitarists: David Vargas and Ángel Ruiz
Cante: El Londro
https://www.theatreflamenco.org/calendar-1/2017/5/21/flamenco-cante-song-and-guitar-concert-with-spring-season-guest-artists-from-spain-el-londro-and-david-vargas

The quality of the guitar was superior and that was seen in the refined technique and posture these guitarists have cultivated in order to become great communicators in flamenco. There is no better reminder than witnessing sheer mastery of the guitar.

Some things I noticed:

* shifting the guitar position for strategic comfort in playing certain techniques. bar chords can be more comfortable with the guitar body resting on the knee, the arch in the air. Same may be said about picado. In my opinion, when the guitar is most secure is when it has more contact with the underarm
* balance, again this is a prerequisite. You have to know your preferred positions to be able to shift the guitar during a song
* dynamic, shifting the volume as required for emphasis of the guitar or an extreme moment in the cante
* efficient thumb technique, using the wrist and inertia to bring the thumb into contact with the string