Difference Between Flamenco and Classical Guitars

Classical and flamenco guitars are closely related

Guitar-like instruments have existed for ages, but the modern six-string guitar is probably less than 300 years old. Four- and five-stringed instruments were used in medieval Europe, and Spain in particular, where flamenco originated as a fusion of several different musical traditions in the fifteenth century. Flamenco guitars are slightly different from classical guitars, primarily in service of the highly percussive Flamenco style of playing.

Early Guitars

Artifacts suggest that guitar-like instruments were used by the Babylonians as long ago as 1900 B.C. The Arabs introduced a guitar to Europe via Egypt that may have influenced the evolution of the Guitarra Latina, the precursor to the modern guitar. Early guitars had only four strings, but these were not capable of the complex musical patterns favored by the Spanish aristocracy, so by 1500 A.D. the vihuela had been introduced in Spain, featuring six sets of double strings, and it became widely popular. Other guitar-like instruments, including the lute, were in use throughout Europe, but these had only four or five strings. The first true six-string guitar wasn't popularized until the eighteenth century, probably in Italy.

History of Flamenco

Flamenco music involves singing, dancing and a rhythmic style of guitar playing. It originated in Spain during the period of persecution that followed the expulsion of the Moors in 1492 and brought together at least four musical cultures, including gypsy, Jewish, Moorish and Andalusian. It became a performance art form in the nineteenth century in the cafe cantantes of Seville and elsewhere, but by the end of the century, it had fallen out of popularity. Interest in flamenco was renewed in the 1950s, and with it a new generation of artists appeared.

Flamenco vs. Classical Style

Early troubadours used guitars to accompany their songs, and since these were often ballads, the playing technique was often lyrical and sparse, including strumming and the plucking of melodies. As classical music has developed, the plucking has become accentuated and more complex. Flamenco, on the other hand, accentuates the strum and includes a percussive element not stressed in classical music. This percussive syncopation is a hallmark of flamenco style.

Flamenco and Classical Guitars

Flamenco and classical guitars are closely related, having evolved from the same roots. They have a hollow body with solid wood top, a sound hole in the middle and are strung with nylon strings. Flamenco guitars usually have a solid cypress top, as opposed to the rosewood or spruce of classical guitars, which gives them a lighter, more percussive sound, and tapping plates, called golpeadores, above and below the sound hole. These protect the guitar body from the fingernail taps of the guitarist. Flamenco guitars often have push-pegs instead of gears for tuning the strings.

Expert Insight

According to Classical Guitar Illustrated History, what was probably the first modern flamenco guitar was developed by Antonio de Torres in the 1850s. His guitars used Spanish cypress for the back and side, which made them very light, and they were slightly smaller than classical guitars. The fingerboards were narrower and the action of the strings set lower to accommodate rapid fingering. The construction as a whole was simpler than that of a classical guitar, and this may have been to make them inexpensive, because flamenco players have not, traditionally, been rich.

References

• Classical Guitar Illustrated History: History of Flamenco
• Guitar Maker: A Brief History of the Classical Guitar