A flamenco guitar is a type of guitar that is similar to a classical guitar. It has lower action, thinner tops, smaller bodies, and less internal bracing. Like the classical guitar, it usually has nylon strings. However, it produces a sound that is more lively and gritty compared to the classical guitar. It is used in toque, which is the guitar-playing part of the art of flamenco.

History

Traditionally, guitar makers in Spain created guitars that could be bought at many different prices. These prices depended on the materials used and the amount of decoration added, so that people from all social classes could enjoy playing the instrument. The least expensive guitars were usually simple and made from cheaper woods, like cypress. Antonio de Torres, a famous guitar maker, did not make a difference between flamenco and classical guitars. This distinction only became clear later, after Andrés Avelar and others helped make classical guitar music more popular.

Construction

The traditional flamenco guitar is made with Spanish cypress, sycamore maple, or rosewood for the back and sides, and spruce for the top. These materials (in the case of cypress and sycamore maple) give the guitar its characteristic color. Flamenco guitars are built lighter with thinner tops than classical guitars, which creates a "brighter" and more percussive sound. Builders also use less internal bracing to keep the top more resonant. The top is usually made of spruce or cedar, though other tone woods are used today. Volume has been very important for flamenco guitarists, as they must be heard over the sound of dancers’ nailed shoes. To increase volume, harder woods like rosewood can be used for the back and sides, while softer woods are used for the top.

Flamenco guitars typically have lower action compared to classical guitars. This is because lower action makes it easier to play fast techniques, and string buzzing is not considered a problem in flamenco performance. It is often used intentionally as an expressive technique.

Unlike classical guitars, flamenco guitars often have a tap plate (a golpeador), usually made of plastic, similar to a pickguard. This plate protects the guitar’s body from rhythmic finger taps, or golpes.

Originally, all guitars used wooden tuning pegs that passed straight through the headstock, like those on a lute, violin, or oud, instead of the modern geared tuning pegs found on classical guitars.

"Flamenco negra" guitars are called "negra" because of the dark, hard woods used in their construction, similar to those in high-end classical guitars, such as rosewood or other dense tone woods. These materials increase volume and tonal range. A typical cypress flamenco guitar (called a "blanca" guitar) produces more treble and louder percussion than the deeper, more resonant negra. These guitars aim to capture some of the sustain found in concert-quality classical guitars while keeping the volume and sharpness of flamenco.

Classical guitars are generally made with spruce or cedar tops and rosewood or mahogany backs and sides to enhance sustain. Flamenco guitars are usually made with spruce tops and cypress or sycamore maple for the backs and sides to increase volume and emphasize the attack of the note. Other woods, such as rosewood, maple, koa, satinwood, and caviuna (Cocobolo rosewood), may also be used for the back and sides.

A well-made flamenco guitar responds quickly and typically has less sustain than a classical guitar. This is helpful because the fast, repeated notes played by skilled flamenco guitarists might sound unclear on a guitar with a long, rich sound. Flamenco guitars are often described as having a percussive sound—they tend to be brighter, drier, and more austere than classical guitars. Some jazz and Latin guitarists prefer this punchy tone, and some players have found that these guitars’ wide range of sounds also works well for the complex harmonies of Renaissance and Baroque music.

Techniques

Flamenco guitar is played differently from classical guitar. Guitarists use different postures, strumming patterns, and techniques. Flamenco guitarists are called tocaores (from an Andalusian pronunciation of tocadores, meaning "players"), and the flamenco guitar technique is called toque.

Flamenco players often hold the guitar near the bridge, close to the sound hole, to create a rough, rasping sound. In classical guitar, the strings are pulled parallel to the soundboard (tirando). In flamenco, the strings are struck toward the soundboard, with the finger resting on the next string (apoyando, meaning "to support"). This method can cause the string to touch the frets, making the sound more percussive.

Classical guitarists rest the guitar on their left leg, holding it at an angle. Flamenco guitarists usually cross their legs and place the guitar on the top leg, keeping the neck nearly parallel to the floor. This position helps with techniques like tremolo, golpe, and rasgueado, which are easier when the right arm is supported by the guitar’s body instead of the forearm. Some flamenco guitarists use the classical position.

Flamenco music often uses a cejilla (capo) to raise the guitar’s pitch, making it sound sharper and more percussive. The main reason for using a capo is to match the singer’s vocal range. Since Flamenco music is often improvised and uses common chord patterns, the capo allows players to adjust the key quickly without changing chord positions. Flamenco uses many open chord forms to create a steady drone sound and free a finger for melodic notes. Most Flamenco music is passed from person to person, though books are becoming more common.

Both Flamenco accompaniment and solo playing use both modal and tonal harmonies, often combining them.

Flamenco guitar techniques include:

• Tirando: Pulling or plucking the strings with the index, middle, and ring fingers during falsetas.
• Picado: Alternating the index and middle fingers to play fast, single-note scales. Other methods include using the thumb on adjacent strings or combining techniques.
• Rasgueado: Strumming with outward flicks of the right hand fingers, often mimicking the rhythm of flamenco dancers or castanets. This can be done with 3, 4, or 5 fingers.
• Alzapúa: A thumb technique with roots in oud playing. The thumb strikes strings upward and downward, often used for single notes or strumming.
• Arpeggio: Playing notes up or down the strings, or both directions.
• Ligado: Using the left hand to "hammer" notes from lower to higher frets or "pull" them from higher to lower.
• Tremolo: Repeating a single note rapidly, often after a bass note. Flamenco tremolo uses a pattern (p-i-a-m-i) for four notes, while classical uses (p-a-m-i) for three notes. It can also be used as an ornament on a chord.
• Glisando: Sliding a finger along a string to play a series of notes.
• Arrastre: Dragging the ring finger across the strings to create a quick arpeggio.
• Seco/Sorda: Damping the strings with the left hand while the right hand plays rhythmic patterns, creating a chugging sound.
• Golpe: Tapping the guitar’s soundboard with the fingers, requiring a protective plate (golpeador).

Flamenco guitar uses many rhythmic and percussive techniques. Eighth note triplets and sixteenth note runs often appear in the same measure. Swung and straight notes are mixed, and golpes are used with different rhythms like bulerias or soleas.

In terms of style, Flamenco includes:

• Toque airoso: Lively and rhythmic, with a bright, metallic sound.
• Toque gitano o flamenco: Deep and expressive, using grace notes and off-beat rhythms.
• Toque pastueño: Slow and calm, like a fearless bull in a bullfight.
• Toque sobrio: Simple and unembellished.
• Toque virtuoso: Showcasing advanced technique with complex effects.
• Toque corto: Using only basic techniques.
• Toque frío: Unemotional, the opposite of gitano or flamenco.