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new soleá falseta collection
Flamenco Guitar Transcriptions
Fandango
27 December 2020
Short ideas
Falsetas
01a | 01b | 02a | 02b | 03a | 03b | 03c | 04
05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

Here are some falsetas and, I hope, some insight on how to put them together within the context of the fandango rhythm. Most of the falsetas are in the style of Niño Ricardo. The material is presented below in three groups: short ideas to play before or after the falsetas, some falsetas that start on beat 1 and others that start on beat 5.

01-04: short ideas for putting together the falsetas

Short idea 01a: a basic strumming pattern.

fandango 1a

01b is in the style of Niño Ricardo. Like 01a, it sets up falsetas that start on beat 1.

fandango 1b

02a and 02b set up falsetas that start on beat 5.

02a is also in the style of Ricardo. If the rhythm doesn't seem clear at first, notice that it starts with a tap on beat 6, a slur onto the open D string on beat 1 and the open A string on beat 3. Notice how it concludes over 5-6-1-2-3, starting at 0:03. We're going to see more examples of this later.

fandango 2a

02b Another in the style of Ricardo. It ends in the same way as 02a.

fandango 2b

03a-03c begin with E, C and A octaves. The conclusion (fifth-string slur) starts on beat 4 rather than beat 5, so it's important not to confuse these falsetas with the others. You can use these ideas to separate longer falsetas or to end a falseta that returns to E on beat 5. The rhythm in the audio files is much more relaxed, like a fandango libre.

03a: Ricardo. This brief falseta has inspired many guitarists over the years.

fandango 3a

03b and 03c are from a recording of Juan Maya Marote with Fernanda de Utrera. You can substitute the octaves at the beginning with beats 1-3 of the basic E7-Ami rhythm (short idea 01a).

fandango 3b-c

fandango 3b-c

04: Ricardo. The fifth-string slur starts on beat 5, unlike short ideas 3a-3c.

fandango 4
05-08: falsetas starting on beat 1

Falseta 05: Ricardo. The audio file starts with short idea 01b. The arpeggios run in cycles from beat 1 to beat 5. In order to break the pattern and resolve to E on beat 3, the second Ami arpeggio, heard at 0:20, is a little longer (similar to short idea 02a). Notice that from 0:22 onward, the ideas run in cycles starting on beat 5.

fandango 5a

Falseta 06: Antonio Moya (with Gaspar). I end it with an adaptation of an idea of Sabicas heard in falseta 07.

fandango 6

Falseta 07: My (slow) version of a Paco de Lucia falseta, heard on "Punta Umbría" from his "La fabulosa guitarra..." album. It ends with an idea of Sabicas.

fandango 7

Falseta 08: Paco de Lucia, also from "Punta Umbría." The audio file starts with short idea 01b. Like falseta 05, all the arpeggio patterns are in six beats, starting on 1 and ending on 6. The pattern is broken with the extended arpeggio heard at 0:19, which allows the resolution to E on beat 3.

fandango 8a
09-10: falsetas starting on beat 5

Falseta 09: Ricardo. Notice the idea heard at 0:18, which probably inspired Paco de Lucía for a similar idea heard in falseta 08 just after 0:22. Both ideas start on beat 4, so you can use them to finish just about any falseta that resolves to E on beat 3. From 0:18 to 0:27, we can hear the complete ending of the Ricardo falseta that appears at the end of falseta 05. At 0:30, we can hear part of the idea in short idea 03a.

fandango 9

Falseta 10: Melchor. The transcription starts with six beats that set up the arpeggios. The quintuplet arpeggio at the end is similar to an idea recorded by Paco de Lucía.

fandango 10
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