seguiriyas flamenco

What are siguiriyas in flamenco?

Siguiriyas ( Spanish pronunciation: [seɣiˈɾiʝas]; also seguiriyas , siguerillas, siguirillas, seguidilla gitana, etc.) are a form of flamenco music in the cante jondo category. This deep, expressive style is among the most important in flamenco. Unlike other palos of flamenco, siguiriyas stands out for being purely Romani ( Calé) in origin.

What is the best way to play seguiriya?

Like solea, buleria, and alegria, seguiriya is played in triple time. With seguiriya, however, the compas cycle doesn’t start with the long three count accents, but rather with two two-count accents: Though other musicians count this meter differently, I find the easiest is simply to start on the eight count, and use that as the “home” beat.

What is the difference between Seguiriyas and Cabales?

Another variety is the “ cabales ”, which are very similar to “seguiriyas” but in a higher tone. As singing, it has a tragic and gloomy character, enclosing main values of what is known as “cante hondo”. Lyrics are painful, tragic, about human relationships, love and death.

Where did the flamenco style come from?

The oldest evidence of this flamenco style is found in the late 18th century, even though its origin is still uncertain. “Seguiriya” derived from primitive “ tonás ”, being created between Seville and Cadiz, los Puertos, Jerez and Triana neighborhood. “ Livianas ” and “ serranas ” belong to the same group as this style.

What is a seguiriya?

seguiriya. Seguiriya is a heavy, expressive cante grande palo characterized by its stylized and ritualistic dance form and solemn, wailing song. It traces its origins to Cádiz, Sevilla, and Jerez de la Frontera in the 18th century and is one of flamenco’s oldest and deepest forms.

What string is Seguiriya on?

Seguiriya is played por medio (on the sixth string in E phyrgian, relative to the capo). It usually starts at a moderate tempo, and passes through a wide range of tempo changes to accommodate singers, dancers, and guitar playing as the composition requires.

Why is Siguiriya so difficult to do?

Siguiriya is a notoriously difficult form to accompany not only becuase of its unique compas, but also because a singer will often stretch the compas over a single letra (or all letras ), and because singers and dancers alike will speed and slow the tempo for dramatic effect. All of this requires close attention to the underlying compas and tight communication between performers.

Who is Diego del Gastor?

Diego del Gastor, modern day patriarch of the flamenco gitano tradition, offers a look into how seguiriya’s unique compas and narrow tonal palette nonetheless provides a rich foundation for musical expression.

Is cante a part of flamenco?

Though cante is an elemental part of the vast majority of flamenco forms, due to the austere nature of the basic guitar patterns in seguiriya, it can be difficult to understand solo siguiriya playing without also understanding how the guitarist and singer work together in accompanied song.

Old falseta

Here are three versions of an old falseta recorded by Miguel Borrull hijo, Ramón Montoya and Manolo de Badajoz. Other versions were recorded by Juan Gandulla in 1909, Antonio Moreno in 1933, Ricardo and others.

Javier Molina

Recorded in 1931 with Manuel Torre. As seen in the video series "Rito y Geografía del Toque," Diego de El Gastor played a version of this falseta in sixteenth notes. The D minor and A7 inversions generate chromatic movement (one fret of difference). In the first part, the fourth and fifth strings are played just before each chord change.

Ramón Montoya

This falseta appears at the beginning of a recording from 1928 with Juan Mojama ("Tanto he dormido," Gramófono AE-2499), and is heard from some of today's players. The structure of this falseta and Ramón's interpretation of it are just one example of his consummate musicianship.

El Hijo de Salvador

Not much seems to be known about this guitarist. He apparently played at the Concurso de Cante Jondo in Granada in 1922 and recorded with Manuel Torre and Tenazas de Morón in a series of promotional recordings that took advantage of the popularity of the contest.

Other siguiriyas falsetas

Paco de Lucía recorded this in 1973 as part of Camarón's siguiriya "Hermanito mío." Into the first and fourth beats, he plays an upstroke with his thumb to repeat the figures on the second and third strings. Capo at sixth fret.

Basic Seguiriya Rhythm

Seguiriya Stylistic Variations

Accompanying Dancers