If you are considering taking Flamenco guitar lessons, you might want to give some thought to the type of instrument you will need. At first glance, the Flamenco guitar looks very much like the classical guitar. There are, however, important differences.
For instance, one might disregard the importance of mere wood, but it makes a big difference in the tone quality of the instrument. Light-colored Spanish cypress wood is the material of choice for the sides and back of the Flamenco guitar, whereas dark Brazilian rosewood is usually what guitar makers use to craft classical guitars. The difference in material, combined with differences in the wood's thickness, the internal struts, and in the size of the guitar, gives the Flamenco guitar its penetrating brilliance, as well as its vibrant response. The classical guitar, in contrast, has a mellower sound.
Traditional Flamenco guitars have pegs for tightening the strings made of ebony, rosewood, or other easily-worked hardwoods. Many modern-day Flamenco guitars, though, have machine heads for tightening the strings, making it easier to fit and more simple to tune. Many players, however, prefer using pegs. Pegs are lighter and more durable, producing a tone which has more Flamenco character.
We should not leave Shopping World without questioning our initial assumption, that here we are in the modern agora. The agora of the classical Greek city was similar, in being the market-place and yet serving as much more, indeed as the most important public space. When a citizen left the privacy of his home, wishing to engage in public life, most likely he went to the agora. Shopping World at its most general is a public space. It answers to one of the most basic of human needs, that for society in the sense of a defined space among people in which to see and be seen, in which to move and to meet, to linger and to evade, a space at the same time in which to conduct some of life’s important business—in this case shopping. The Greek agora, however, was different in one crucial respect, a difference that highlights a momentous development in modern life. It was surrounded by civic buildings and temples; it served as the daily centre not only of commerce, but also of religious, political, judicial, and indeed general social life. To be in public in ancient Athens meant to be a citizen, and likely enough to be engaged in civic duties. In modern life, by contrast, the areas of political action have become so remote that to be in public for a person has lost all connotation of being a responsible citizen with duties to his community.
—John Carroll (b. 1944)
The Flamenco guitar's soundboard has some similarities to the classical guitar, but also some distinct differences. Called a "tapa," the soundboard comes in close-grained spruce or cedar, similar to a classical guitar. To protect the delicate surface of the tapa from the player's fingernails, players fit Flamenco guitars with tapping-plates, called "golpeadores." Usually these are made of transparent plastic, occasionally from opaque white plastic.
Guitar makers use cedar or hardwood to fashion the neck, while ebony is used to manufacture the fingerboard. Brazilian rosewood is used to make the bridge. The nut and bridge-saddle are hewn from bone. The bridge of a Flamenco guitar is shallower than that of a classical guitar.
The Flamenco guitar differs from the classical guitar in its fingerboard as well. Its fingerboard slopes in the portion which overlays the tapa, causing its strings to lie nearer to the fingerboard. Guitar makers use polyurethane lacquers, usually stained deep orange, in order to put a brilliant, long-lasting finish on the body and the neck. Some craftsmen, however, prefer the spirit-based finishes, which yield a lighter, mellower color. The Flamenco guitar has a faster action and response, enabling it to produce a ringing brilliance in both its tone and its attack.
classical art, in a word, stands for form; romantic art for content. The romantic artist expects people to ask, What has he got to say? The classical artist expects them to ask, How does he say it?
—R. G. (Robin George)
Although there are marked differences between the classical guitar and the Flamenco guitar, you should never postpone taking Flamenco guitar lessons until you have a true Flamenco guitar. You can learn the fundamentals of Flamenco technique using any classical or Spanish-type guitar. When the fundamentals are mastered, however, a true Flamenco guitar will help transform your sound and make it easier to play more advanced techniques.
Los Angeles Guitar Academy Online features online Flamenco guitar lessons as one of its signature programs. Its world-class faculty unpacks the language of Flamenco music, explaining it in an easy-to understand format. Lessons proceed in a step-by-step manner, allowing students to master one concept before moving on to the next. For students who live near Los Angeles, LAGA has studios located throughout the metropolitan Los Angeles area.