| Official Luthiers Forum! http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/ |
|
| Flamenco , classical differences?? http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=15964 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Jody [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Flamenco , classical differences?? |
Is there any difference between classical and flamenco guitars ? Body style/size? set up/scale lenght? or is it like the violin/fiddle where it amounts to the difference being the person playing it and the style of music being played ? Thanks Jody |
|
| Author: | David LaPlante [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:01 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flamenco , classical differences?? |
Originally in the 19th century, they were all just "Spanish" guitars and the differences were based on how expensive they were to build and buy. Cypress was a locally available wood and cheap in contrast to imported and thus expensive rosewood. Pegs were also cheap unlike expensive tuning machines that came from places like France (Jeromes) and elsewhere. The less the adornment, the less expensive as well so the two types were not distinguished from one another. In the 20th century "classical" guitar became a distinct musical entity and its major proponent, Segovia purportedly wished to distinguish it clearly from the more common folk music of the Flamencos. Thus the high class and expensive guitar with a rosewood body and mechanical tuners became the standard for this "high brow" musical form. The Flamencos adhered to the traditional less expensive form of the guitar (cyress/pegs/simple adorment). As things developed the two forms diverged simply as a result of their musical usages. The flamenco guitar became more lightly made, percussive, with a bright brashy "rasp" and low action for fast solos and rapid strumming to accompany the dance. The classical guitar became sophisticated and developed to be loud and sonorous and with a higher action for solo playing of all types of concert pieces. Body size varied with both types having both larger and smaller variants. With the advent of the "Flamenca Negra" a rosewood Flamenco design and cypress (now expensive) classicals, these distinctions are now blurring once again. |
|
| Author: | Michael Dale Payne [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flamenco , classical differences?? |
In term of today's definition Flamenco is a more percussive instrument than what is referred to as a classical. Body shape there is little difference. Flamenco tend to be a tad shallower and built for a brighter more percussive sound and usually will have double pic guards to allow body tapping without excessive wear on the finish. |
|
| Author: | WarrenG [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flamenco , classical differences?? |
FWIW, the only thing I've noticed playing them is that the action is way lower. i.e. you can't fit your fingers between the soundboard and the strings near the bridge... |
|
| Author: | Peter J [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flamenco , classical differences?? |
The major physical build differences are weight, top braces and string height off of the top. Build as light as you can; the flamenco guitar is the snare drum of the guitar world. Some builders use spaced, varying sized, tentallones on the top rather than continuous kerfing. (Think small, large, small, large with an appreciable space between each one to save weight and "free up the top." Scale lengths vary beween 650, 655 and even 660 in some of the experienced Spanish builders. Bridge height is usually about 7 to 8 mm to the top of the saddle slot; in contrast to 10 - 12mm for a classical. This allows the saddle to keep a bit of height for adjustment and still keep the strings about 10 - 12 mm off of the top. Neck width at the nut can be as wide as 54 mm. in lieu of the std. 52 due to the fact that many players like a bit more room between the strings. The first string is usually at least 3 mm from the edge of the fingerboard to allow for the pull-offs that are std. flamenco technique amongst the more experienced players. Top thickness can vary appreciably from piece to piece... as we all well know.... but the primary objective should be to minimize sustain with as light a top and bracing style as possible while still maintaining good bass and treble response. A difficult objective but that's what separates the men from the boys in the flamenco world. The professional players disdain any appreciable sustain because of the rapid picado runs and machine-gun tempo of many of the pieces. A bit of string buzz is acceptable as a trade-off for low string action. The golpes (taps on the top using the 3rd or 4th finger of the right hand) are more easily accomplished when the action is low and the strings are close to the top of the guitar. If you are building for authenticity then use Spanish Cypress and a Spanish Cedar neck. Watch a few of the Sabicas, Tomatito, Paco deLucia pieces on YouTube to get a feel for what I've tried to explain. Good luck with your build. YMMV |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 5 hours |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|