Flamenco Guitar Tablature

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is James Manuele. I'm a classical guitarist and instructor at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. I'm here to discuss flamenco guitar tablature. The common tablature is devised of six lines representing the six strings of the guitar. It is written upside down reflecting the guitar's six strings. Different terminologies and symbols are written on the strings representing the left and right hand of the player. There are certain different terms that classical players use, and symbols, on tablature, different from flamenco players, what they use on their tablature. The tablature usually is written underneath music which they have written out for you and doubled in tablature for those that cannot play or read written notation. Tabluature, in flamenco guitar, is very helpful because the tradition of flamenco music is handed down by tradition by demonstration. Today there are very important figures in the flamenco world that have written beautiful pieces down and published books in tablature. I would like just to demonstrate a few basic beginner examples of flamenco guitar technique written in tablature. We are getting ready to do Exercise #8 out of a flamenco guitar method book, single and double stroke exercises for the index. The bottom is written in tablature representing your left hand fingerings, outlining an E Major chord. The right hand is indicating "I" which is your index playing the rhythm in 3/4 time. That example was showing single and double strokes with the index finger only. Now, Exercise #10, we will show the single and the double strokes exercise using the thumb with flamenco tablature. Using the same "E" chord, now I will demonstrate the single and double strokes using the thumb. Those are two examples that you will find in many method books out there, but better yet, I encourage you to find a teacher that will teach you firsthand flamenco guitar tablature."