New Children's
Flamenco class!
For children 8-12 at Ballet Arts of Bucks County
Fridays 4:30-5:30.
Register now!
Guitar lessons
for all levels with Ben Phipps: privately, or at Community Conservatory - check for available times.
Palos Flamencos
What is a palo?
The different styles within flamenco are called palos. They are almost countless when you get detailed enough. Here we will present some of the basic ones so that when you see it printed on a CD or mentioned in a review, a program, or a book, you will know. Far more important than reading about each different rhythm is hearing it, so a site like flamenco world with audio examples of each palo is also a good idea to visit.
What is compás?
Compás means rhythm, usually used to express whether or not somebody has a good sense of rhythm. If somebody says, "Élla tiene buen compás", it means she has good rhythm or she at least understands flamenco rhythm. A compás also means a measure, as in the musical definition. As follows, 'dos compáses' means two measures of music. There is an extensive series of recordings called 'Solo Compás' (just rhythm) which are a great help for anyone wishing to improve their compás in any palo.
Tangos
Tangos is a word that has nothing to do with Argentine tango, I promise. This is different. Tangos can be divided into the different cities of Andalucía from where it comes, each with a slightly different style. It is perhaps the easiest for western ears to understand and "groove" to. It is counted in 4/4. When clapping it, the one is silent (or stomped) and the two three four are clapped. Two and four are louder than three. When dancing to tangos any creativity and syncopation is acceptable so long as it keeps to the rhythm and to the structure of the letra, or verse (see examples of letras on the poetry page). Flamencos learn where the breaks and pauses will come and they become instinct -- a dancer should be able to create a phrase following the singer or guitarist without having to count out measures.
Click play under the video to see an example of some tangos footwork from one of Emma's practice sessions.
Soleares
Soleares, also called Soleá, provides the basis for many of the numerous twelve beat rhythms in flamenco. It is important to note here that the rhythm is not necessarily the distinguishing characteristic of a palo, as many palos share the same rhythm. Other defining features include the tonality, the letras, the various melodic and harmonic motifs, and the depth of expression. The soleares is at least two hundred years old and has several common variants, including the caña and the polo. It has a slow tempo and a somber tone with moments of joyfulness. The rhythmic accentuations fall on the 3, 6 (or7), 8, 10, and 12. Although the compás normally starts on 1, it is not an accentuated beat. This is true of many of the 12 beat palos. There are also a number of rhythmic variations which may occur, for example accents on 3, 6, 9, 12 (every three beats) or on 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 (every two beats). While this may sound tricky, keep in mind that many of the conventions of the soleares apply to other twelve beat palos. All the flamenco palos have many aspects in common, hence the more palos you learn the easier in gets.
Alegrías
Alegria means 'happiness' and the palo is joyful and upbeat. The compás in the same as the soleares but has a faster tempo. The tonality is in a major key, most often E major. (A note to guitarists - as a capo is often used in flamenco, the key just refers to the common voicings produced by, for example, the E major hand position, regardless of where the capo is and the resulting key). The soleares is normally in the traditional Andalusian version of E Phrygian. We have a section in progress explaining basic flamenco harmony in more detail. To quickly put it in plain language, the alegrias tonality sounds happy, relaxed, and sweet, while the soleares sounds more dissonant and, to the western ear, exotic.
Bulerías
Bulerias is one of the most difficult palos to do well or to fully grasp, although it is one of the easier ones to 'get' at an elementary level. The accents are also the same as in soleares, but the tempo ranges from fast to extremely fast. Bulerias is most commonly improvised at parties (along with tangos). The difficulty in bulerias is that it has a second underlying rhythmic pulse. The first rhythm has accents on 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12, and the guitar will mostly accent these beats, but the palmistas (people doing hand claps) will clap a simpler rhythm in groups of six. As a result, some people say they feel the bulerias compás in twelve beats, while some would describe it more as groups of six beats with varying accentuations. In any case, the general feel of bulerias is quite distinct from that of the alegrias or solea. It has more of a sense of groove and a kind of playfulness to it. The letras are often humorous and invented on the spot.
Siguirías
The Siguirias is hundreds of years old. It is certain that flamenco existed before there were written records of it, due to it being strictly an oral tradition. As a result the origins of many palos can only be guessed at. Siguirias is an example of cante jondo, or profound song, which requires great skill from the cantaor. The letras are dark and concerned with death. A well executed Siguirias can send icicles down your spine. The rhythm has twelve beats, but the accents are quite different from the previously mentioned palos. There are various ways of counting it. It can be counted as a measure of seven beats followed by a measure of five beats. With the accents in bold, it looks like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 / 1 2 3 4 5 - Or you can count it like this: 12 12 123 / 123 12. You can also use the soleares accents but starting on the 8: 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. When a siguirias is performed without dance, the rhythm is somewhat libre (free) and only intermittently goes into strict compás. The guitar accompaniment is simplistic and repetitive, yet highly ornamented and deceptively difficult.
