Emre Sabuncuoglu

You may have heard the term "Soleares" tossed about in reference to Flamenco music. You may have also learned that Soleares was but one example of a Flamenco toque. At this point, you may ask, "But what is a toque? The word 'toque' comes from the Spanish word 'tocar,' meaning 'to touch, to hit.' In this sense, it refers to the touch of the guitarist's hand on his instrument.

Approached with care, the standard vibrato is easy to play on the guitar. To practice this type of vibrato, sit with the guitar in the classical position. Since it is easiest to get results with the standard vibrato using the notes between the fifth and ninth frets, choose a note in that range. Now try the following exercise with each left-hand finger, starting with the first.

Would you like to make your music vibrate with the pulse of life? In order to move the soul, music must reflect life itself, celebrating life's joys and mourning life's sorrows. Vibrato, a method of slightly varying the pitch of your guitar, brings your music to life by employing specialized left-hand techniques to cause a string or strings to vibrate at a varied pitch.

If you run through this checklist each time you play, you will establish a solid foundation for a good left-hand technique on the Flamenco guitar. Soon, these good habits will become second nature to you, and you will be on your way toward proficiency on the Flamenco guitar.

The foundation for all right-hand movements is the "basic playing position." To play in this position, place your hand so that the line made by your knuckles lies almost parallel to the strings of your guitar, placing your thumb to the left of your fingers.

Scales are the foundation on which all of music is built. A single scale, based on a particular tonal key, is one of the many building blocks that form this musical foundation. The key on which the particular scale is based, the tonic, serves as the scale's tonal center.

Most important in finding the optimum position to hold your guitar is your physical comfort. If your position is awkward or stiff, it will cause your muscles to become tense, and not function at their highest capability. Furthermore, a comfortable position will allow you to reach all of the guitar's parts without causing you to strain your muscles. Each playing style has its own guidelines with respect to the guitarist's playing position.

Flamenco guitarists use two devices which help give the music its unique flavor. If you are taking beginners' Flamenco guitar lessons, knowing about these pieces of equipment will help you get up to speed on the technical aspects of the art.

Perhaps you are taking beginners' Flamenco guitar lessons, and are curious about your guitar's strings: how they are made, what they are called, and how to take care of them. This may especially be the case when you are taking online Flamenco guitar lessons, since many programs do not offer printable auxiliary materials to augment your lessons.

As early as the thirty-seventh century B. C., people have played the ancestors of the modern guitar. Apparently, even the King of Thebes was an enthusiast of the plucked string instrument.