Newcomers to flamenco may wonder how such a freewheeling, dynamic, spontaneous art-form can be bound by so many rules, the \u201ccanon\u201d as my friend Faustino calls it. But in actual fact, it couldn\u2019t be any other way. In a society without laws, chaos reigns, and orderly life is impossible. Flamenco\u2019s norms and rules, which are few but rigid, are not barriers at all, but rather keys to unlocking the joys of this genre which make it so special, while also providing a common language for interpreters to easily interact with one another.<\/p>\n
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But not everyone agrees on certain sticking points, or sometimes the line between right and wrong is blurred. The following issues, just a few of hundreds that could be cited, fuel heated debates at bar counters and numerous internet groups devoted to flamenco.<\/p>\n
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When siguiriya is accompanied por arriba <\/em>(E), is that serrana? Does sole\u00e1 accompanied por medio <\/em>(A), become sole\u00e1 por buler\u00eda?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPor arriba\u201d and \u201cpor medio\u201d are finger positions on the guitar. Although each position (and there are others), has its own \u201cvoice\u201d, never are flamenco song-forms defined by finger positions\u2026.nor by tempo, nor specific poetry. The forms, or \u201cpalos\u201d are defined by their respective melodies. Expressed another way, the Happy Birthday song will always be exactly that, regardless of how it\u2019s accompanied, or how fast, or with what instrument. And the same holds true for flamenco singing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is taranto free-form, or does it conform to a steady, danceable beat?<\/strong><\/p>\n We often hear or read that taranto is the rhythmic version of taranta, but in actual fact, these are distinct song-forms. Singers such as Fosforito, Juan Villar, El Gallina and a few others who spent years singing for dance, gravitate towards a rhythmic rendition of taranto even when they sing \u201calante\u201d (solo). However, the vast majority of recorded tarantos without dance, are sung free-form. When I asked maestro Fosforito his opinion on the subject, his response was \u201cit\u2019s better to sing taranto with comp\u00e1s\u201d. He clearly accepts either interpretation, but prefers to maintain the rhythmic distinction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How many \u201cays\u201d does the ca\u00f1a have? Are the \u201cay\u201d phrases 6 beats or 7?<\/strong><\/p>\n For those who don\u2019t know the ca\u00f1a, it\u2019s a songform somewhat similar to sole\u00e1, and which includes a characteristic chant-like passage without verse between musical segments. The number of chanted \u201cays\u201d may be 5 or 6, you hear it both ways, but if there\u2019s a dancer, that person will have the say. It becomes more complicated when we compare the custom of older guitarists to allot 7 beats for each of the first two \u201cays\u201d, as opposed to younger ones who clean things up and play the more palatable 6 beats. That modification may have been Paco de Luc\u00eda\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAlegr\u00edas de C\u00f3rdoba\u201d or \u201ccanti\u00f1as de C\u00f3rdoba\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n Decades ago, the word \u201ccanti\u00f1a\u201d was little used by flamenco fans. Everything that sounded like alegr\u00edas, went down as alegr\u00edas, and \u201ccanti\u00f1as\u201d was a word for books. The great C\u00e1diz singer Manolo Vargas was once interviewed regarding a recording of his which contained both alegr\u00edas and canti\u00f1as. When asked to explain the difference between the two, he answered: \u201cNone\u2026the record company wouldn\u2019t let me put two alegr\u00edas\u201d. He probably wasn\u2019t joking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alegr\u00edas de C\u00e1diz are four lines of 8 syllables, and a few precise melodies laid out in quite a straightforward fashion. Canti\u00f1as by contrast are a grab-bag of odds and ends, fragments of popular or folk songs, invented bits, unexpected twists, etc. Some famous members of the canti\u00f1a group are caracoles, mirabr\u00e1s, romeras, rosas and yes, canti\u00f1as<\/em> de C\u00f3rdoba and canti\u00f1as<\/em> del Pinini, although by tradition many of us still say \u201calegr\u00edas de C\u00f3rdoba\u201d and \u201calegr\u00edas del Pinini\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Can buler\u00edas include loose phrases of 6 beats?<\/strong><\/p>\n Using \u201corphan\u201d phrases of six beats (as opposed to maintaining strict twelves straight through), is a dangerous game if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing. But yes, you sometimes hear it, especially in older, pre-Paco guitarists, not as a mistake, but rather a compensation or adaptation that fits the moment for a variety of reasons usually related to dance or voice. When done by experienced interpreters, it just happens and nothing sounds out of place. A simple example we\u2019ve all seen is the standard marking step most people use to begin a buler\u00edas dance bit. The complete step occupies 6 beats, but no one\u2019s counting, and an extra 6 here and there may actually enhance the moment.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The eternal debate: <\/strong> can a malague\u00f1a del Mellizo be ended with abandolao (verdial, ronde\u00f1a, etc.)?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n This one\u2019s simple. If you\u2019re from C\u00e1diz, the answer is no. From Jerez, it\u2019s a maybe. From elsewhere, do as you like. The bottom line is artists and local preferences need to be respected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Flamenco\u2019s norms and rules, which are few but rigid, are not barriers at all, but rather keys to unlocking the joys of this genre which make it so special, while also providing a common language.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":30447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estela-flamenca"],"yoast_head":"\nTop image: Fosforito, Fernando Qui\u00f1ones and Antonio Mairena. Photo: Sonidos negros<\/h6>\n