Alegrias 2 Flamenco Guitar

Alegrias is a happy and joyful dance, as it is part of the category of Cantes de Boda i.e. wedding songs. The sister forms of Alegrias are Alboréa, Cantiñas and Romeras. They are all in the major mode, either in E major, A major, D major or C major. They all share the same rhythmic structure (compás) of Alegrias, however, the chord progressions of the cante (the singing) differs from one to the other.

Alegrías is one of the most popular forms both for dancers and solo guitarists. Because of its optimistic character (a welcome break from the usual dramatic and serious forms such, as Soleá, Siguiriyas, Tientos etc.) Alegrías is also popular because it has a large variety of mechanisms which highlight the rhythmic, melodic and virtuosic elements of flamenco guitar. It is a very well-balanced form since it includes a well-rounded array of techniques and musical possibilities. Harmonically, since it’s in a major key, it lends itself to a much more open and inclusive influences from jazz and classical.

The first falseta in this lesson is great if you want to learn something with a nice off-beat feel to it. It's mostly in triplets and uses the thumb for the most part, even in the higher register and treble strings. It also follows the traditional harmonic changes of Alegrias. A must have!

The second falseta in this lesson is richer harmonically which will make a perfect addition to your Alegrías repertoire. It also has an impressive picado ending that is bound to get a good ole! out of the crowd! The second remáte after the picado is a powerful yet a traditional ending to an exciting falseta.

In this lesson Adam del Monte is playing a Blanca flamenco guitar by the master luthier Erez Perelman