The Mystery at the Heart of Flamenco
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2024
- In this video I look at the huge range of influences that go into making Flamenco music what it is - the European "common practice" chord progressions, the Islamic scales, the music of Gypsies, the music of Berbers, and finally, the guitar itself.
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Research:
Evolution and Structure in Flamenco Harmony - Academic Commons
academiccommons.columbia.edu/...
Correlates between Berber and Flamenco Rhythms | Samuel Thomas
www.academia.edu/5669246/Corre...
Flamenco Guitar History Style and Context
academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/vi...
From Scarlatti to _Guantanamera Dual tonicity in Spanish and Latin American musics
www.academia.edu/9768131/_From...
Music Examples:
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• Moraito Chico - Tangos
• TARANTOS FLAMENCO Isab...
• María Terremoto por So... - เพลง
As a guitarist with a significant connection to Spanish music, I wasn't expecting this to be so incredibly accurate! I almost started watching this video only to feel superior (kinda like a native speaker of English would watch a video explaining how to speak English), but I couldn't actually pinpoint any inaccuracy or undeserved oversimplification whatsoever! :D In fact, I learned some new things, like the fact that there is a Berber rhythm so similar to the bulerias. Amazing! Thank you so much for making this and informing people about the beauty of Spanish music.
Lovely to hear, thanks so much!
@@DBruce Check the below documentary that shows the the complex historic threads of Indian/Gypsy folk, the historical Indian origins of the Romani people who were natives from India captured and transferred mostly as slaves by the Islamic invaders who invaded India repeatedly starting early 12th century
th-cam.com/video/fY-xQ_Dl5tw/w-d-xo.html
@@raconteurhermit1533
Do you know that the guitar itself developed out of the Arabic Aud instrument?
In Flamenco there are music like Zambra mora snd Zambra arab which is an Arabic moorish style beside the phrygian dominant scale.
Which means the Arabic moorish influence is so obvious aside from the gitanos one.
Flamenco has it's share from the indian rhythms as well.
Flamenco art embodies a multifaceted cultural phenomenon that extends beyond a mere musical genre; it is a rich tapestry interwoven with the histories and emotions of various peoples. Originating from the intersection of Arabian, Moorish, Hebrew, and Gitano traditions, flamenco's complex lineage reflects the diverse influences that shaped its evolution.
Within its rhythmic melodies and poignant lyrics, flamenco tells stories of resilience, defiance, and longing, serving as a medium for expression in the face of adversity. Born from the depths of sorrow and oppression, its emotive power resonates with audiences worldwide.
The intricate dance movements, haunting melodies, and passionate vocals of flamenco convey a profound sense of cultural identity and heritage. Each element, from the intricate footwork to the soulful guitar strumming, contributes to the captivating allure of this art form.
Through its fusion of artistic expressions, flamenco serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of its creators, transcending boundaries and connecting individuals across cultures and generations. It stands as a living testament to the human capacity for creativity, resilience, and storytelling.
@@Adam-adyo While slavery existed much of its support was derived from Islam, Islamic invasions were so huge & brutal that scale of people enslaved from India created an entire race of people called Roma, started in Sindh 8th & 11thcentury Ghaznavid Invasions of India th-cam.com/video/E_4S4sxxI78/w-d-xo.html
There is no musical tradition owing its roots in Islam, in fact its banned in Islam
As an north African Arab I gotta point out..
In middle east we have around 8 main scales that can be summarized in 1 word
صنع بسحرك
Every letter is a scale
Sabba
Nahawand
'Ajam
Bayat/beyat
Sika
Hijaz
Rast
And kurd aka the kurdish scale..
The kurdish scale is the same as the Phrygian mode be it in some regions there are some alterations but generally it is similar
And about the ryhtms of flamenco and morroco , this extends to the neighboring countries too ..sudan for example (my country) has a similar rhythm to Moroccan music to a degree but we differ in musical traditions ,
But yeah flamenco is interesting
I am from Bulgaria. We created those Scales. We have them all in our Folklore, which is from Orphey. We remember the time when there was no MAJOR music, only Minor.
Came here from Nahre Sol's video on flamenco -- this is amazing I'll be checking out all of your videos!!
Isabel Bowman metoo fantastic
Same
So did I. And it's wonderful. Thank you David and Nahre
ᗺƎИ ⅃ƎVIИ
Me four!
Most mentioned is that the "Gypsies" came from Rajasthan in India. One look at kathak dance the traditional classical dance of North India will leave you with the impression that Kathak and Flamenco are nearly the same except that Flamenco is performed with dance shoes. When I was a UCLA in the 1980s I knew two different women who were studying Flamenco and Kathak dance. See "Latcho Drom" The vocal delivery in Flamenco singing seems to embody Rajasthani singimg. The "Compa-s" (time cycles) in flamenco in 12 might be derived from Indian "Taal-s" in 12. One big feature of Indian "Taal" is points of primary and subsidiary stresses within the time cycle. The Phrygian scale and Phrygian dominant (Hijaz) are contained within the vast Raga and parent scale system. Using 2 different versions of a note are also a feature of Raga-s in their ascending and descending structures.
Couldn't have highlighted this connection better. Thanks
Listen to some pakistani Qawwali too, and you'll hear that it is very similar to Flamenco singing (handclapping included).
By the way, the castanets derive from the "khartal" of Rajasthan.
Exactly...ornamentation is also essential to carnatic and hindustani musical traditions
It should be noted that vast majority of these musical features also exist in Arabic music and Turkish classical music (which the Roma definitely picked up on on their westward travels) and many have existed in all "old world music" since Hellenic times. It's also very likely that Hindustani music has heavily cross-pollinated with Hellenic music it bordered with long before the Roma were displaced from ancient Punjab region by Ghaznavid conquests, which explains the everpresence of heptatonic modes and many similarities between various Eurasian musical traditions.
Here i send a link where the old Kathak is replicated by new flamenco form of dancing. The difference is the expresión of gentiles of Kathak and the powerful expresión of flamenco after of more then 1000 years of evolution through diferentes countries, cultures and the hard side of life: th-cam.com/video/Go7CxmezEsA/w-d-xo.html
Flamenco is so beautiful and rich with emotion. I’m so happy it exists. Its creation is even more interesting.
Vsauce - Michael
Vsauce2 - Kevin
Vsauce3 - Jake
Vsauce4 - Adam
Vsauce5 - David
Loved this episode. Could you do a similar one for Fado, the Portuguese traditional music? I always thought that the arabic influence is clear in the melismas, but I would love for you to give a foreign and theoretical look into it. Love your stuff, man. Keep doing what you're doing!
Emanuel Viçoso I am Portuguese too and this is a great idea. The bibliography of the history of fado is quite big (in both forms of fado, the fado from Coimbra and the fado from Lisbon).
An episode about Fado would be awesome!
YEEEEESSS!!!! Would like to have such an issue, too!
@@franciscorosa3845I love Lusitanian music worldwide, astonishing that one can hear the heritage with so much water between these countries! But I did not realise that there are two distinct forms of Fado. Kind thanks for the pointer!
Oooo yes please!
Fantastic video, thank you.
Recently I was at a world music festival, and one of the most astounding acts was a collaboration between a Spanish flamenco group and a band of folk musicians from the deserts of Rajasthan, India. The idea of the collaboration was to see how the Spanish group, through the influence of the gypsies, mirrored the music of the Rajasthanis and vice versa. Neither group could communicate with one another, nor could they speak English. So with guitar and cajón on one side, harmonium, sarangi and tabla on the other, we witnessed these two musical cultures coming together - and it was pretty fluent! The melisma was a shared attribute of both styles.
I once heard a musicologist say that flamenco singing was similar to some singing style in India (unfortunately I forgot which part of India but I believed he said Punjab) rather than similar to Arab singing styles. I was curious if this video would clarify that.
Detest melismas.
Sounds awesome! Do you know their name ?
Keep um up! you and Adam Neely are the best subscriptions I have on youtube right now hats off to you both
Thanks! Huge fan of Mr Neely here, one of my initial inspirations for joining TH-cam. Slowly trying to find my own style (-:
I find Neely's style very fatiguing. Yours is more comfortable.
Didn't really expect a reply thanks, I would say you have already found it just keep doing what you are doing it's great. Realise that asking for a video in my other comment may be a stretch, but I would be eternally grateful for any incite / links you could share with me that you think would point me in the right direction. Thanks for all the great videos!
I agree. TBH it's encouraging to think about the future of content when you hear these two. I am drawn to consider that maybe, we do live finally in a meritocratic age? Although at the same time I worry that I better get off TH-cam and churn out some mediocrity before I become obsolete.
@@bigogle that's Britain vs New York for you ;)
As Spanish and flamenco guitar player I would love to recommend you to listen to Niño Miguel, for me, the best flamenco guitar player ever (with Paco de Lucia of course). His compositions come direct from the heart. Listen to his two cd's if you have time. Best regards
Never Back Music I’m only learning flamenco guitar but the best playing I’ve seen is Vicente Amigo’s playing he did for Córdoba tourist board. Search for it. It’s the one with number 2 in the title. Unbelievable.
Paco es leyenda!
As an arab myself, I might add a few points here:
1. there are various types of Hijazi scales, some of them combine the minor 3 and a diminished 4 (practically the #2 and major 3, but I digress for now) which makes an entire scale called Hijazcar. In flamenco, however usually, the minor 3rd is either present as part of a plain phrygian or added on top of the phrygian dominant as an eighth note.
2. Unlike blues that resolves the minor 3 to major 3, the use of the minor 3 in hijaz and in andalusian cadence is not as a 3 but more like a #2 as in Jazz alt. Specifically, more often than not, it acts to ease the overly harsh passage from the major 3 when resolving down to the 1; you feel the tension deflates smoothly.
3. The arabic scale that corresponds to natural phrygian is kurd and not byat (which the same as phrygian but with a 1/2b 2nd instead of a full b2).
4. I wish you have touched on nuances of flamenco such as the use of a diminished tonic, alteration of the bII7 chord, substition with the V7 back to I7b2, use of II7 to I7 sequnces and use of dominant diminshed mode -- at least partially -- over every dominant chord. Maybe in future videos.
This dance looks just like the Indian khattak
@@AliAhmed-ve5xl I am a Flamenco student and no, it does not look like the Indian Khattak!
Excellent video, very informative! After playing rock and blues guitar for more than 50 years I moved to Andalucia in January and started learning Flamenco guitar, man it's difficult but totally doable with lots of practice, I'm loving it! I'm also interested in the culture and the history so you ticked all the boxes with your video, brilliant! Muchas gracias! 🙏
One of your best yet mate. Fastinating.
Greetings from an andalusian sub.
Excellent video. Consider talking about Klezmer music next. It seems like both styles have similar influences.
As a Flamenco musician. This video is right on! Amazing academic description. Congrats!!
I saw a concert by Ojos de Brujo a few years ago, that led me to listen to flamenco, which led me to chaabi, which led me to romani, which led me to klesma. With a side trip to zydeco and the blues.
Fascinating to learn how the roots of flamenco has been leading me on a connected exploration of music
Please, as a brazilian, do one for Baião, a typical style from Northeast Brazil. I've always noticed some similarities to eastern music and I'd love to know if they're real or not! Feira de Mangaio is a good example of how it sounds. Love your channel!
Yes! Love this stuff. Understanding the traditions and styles of music I don't play is a big help. It helps me appeciate the art of the other styles outside my usual listening (and playing) repertoir. Learning about a wider musical landscape helps me play things that I would not have otherwise.
I would have missed it, but now I can't unsee that "rogue" eyebrow...
Brilliant! There is so little real research, or ability to research flamenco, that I am very appreciative of your effort here. I fell in love with the work of Carlos Montoya twenty years ago, and still can't get enough.
Informative as always! I'd love to see you do a video on Indian or Carnatic music. 😀
Been listening to flamenco for decades. It was always a beautiful music!!!
I'm from morocco and this is the most useful video I watched this year thank you so much your channel is awesome
What a crazy coincidence, I just put my guitar down and was thinking about how whatever I write, I always seem to come back to that E to Am resolution.
I was forced into flamenco lessons when I was about 8 and never enjoyed it at the time... 15 years later and I have this pretty strange taste in eclectic metal that could only have been influenced by my exposure to both Spanish and Gypsy styles of music thanks to my mum. In hindsight, I sort of miss being on that stage in my tap shoes and little red jacket. I guess it's been so long since I've listened to flamenco that I forgot just how much it resonates with me. Thanks for another insightful video David, you always present information and connections I'd probably never have made on my own :)
Oh and your animation of Melisma made me laugh more than it should have
Thanks, it's so amazing to hear different stories and angles that my viewers have, from all over the world. It's such a thrill to be connected with people who have so many different experiences.
This was both inspiring and informative. If you ever find the time, I would love to see your take on Argentine Flamenco. There's a lot of strange crossover happening in Argentine music in general that is fascinating and shares N. African influence, like from the chaabi, as well.
I would like to suggest an episode about the mandolin. This instrument has a huge impact on brazilian choro, bluegrass, fado, and so on.
I very much enjoyed the history aspect. I'm happy any time I can learn about the building blocks of music. Historical, general influences, chords, modes, instruments or anything else you can think to share. Thank you!
I just heard about your channel the other day and the referring party did not lead me astray, this is good stuff it is not only informative but the way you put it together kept my interest without hesitation...Thank you so much
The analogy with the blues theory has always intrigued me
This is very clear, engaging, and concise. It can be useful for classroom situations
Well done. I'm a classical trained composer who went on to become a flamenco guitarist, I must say that this is very accurate description of important elements of flamenco form a composer's point of view.
lovely to hear thanks!
Your channel is a treasure.
I am an Opera singer and I must say I love how your write for the voice!! It would be wonderful if we could get to hear more of your music here in Russia.
Thank you very much for your channel
I'm legit jealous of your brows. I think they look cool gone rogue and add a lot of character. Also, very fascinating and informative video. Thank you for this.
I saw Estrella Morente perform in La vida breve, by Manuel de Falla, more or less around the turn of the century, at the Teatro Real in Madrid. I also got to see Antonio Gades dance in Bodas de Sangre, by Federico García Lorca, back in 1988. The one I never saw, among many others, was Paco de Lucía. I know Antonio Canales and have seen him dance on a couple of occasions.
I’m so glad I found your channel. I’ve been an Adam Neely fan for a bit now and finally one of your videos popped up. Absolutely love your style. You have this nice dryness to the way you speak, and I mean that as a complete compliment because every single damn TH-cam video now, especially American, has this sing-song hyper cadence and inflection that is gross. Also, the perfect amount of editing and added visuals imo to emphasize the effect or point of the topic and not added to be TH-cam a la mode. I’ve already learned so much in a week or so. Thanks!
What a lovely journey. Your videos are equally entertaining and informative.
I'm new to your channel but I already love it. I'm not a musician, but you make it really easy to understand.
Fascinating history and the content is well made. Thanks for sharing.
thank you. This video was a joy for a musician who lived in Spain for many years. the historical highlights of typical flamenco music theory have enlightened my heart.
this is great man, thnx!
So cool to see some flamenco content that is so detailed in its explanation!
Lacking a background in musical theory, I don't understand half of what you're saying, but I still enjoy your videos, because they're brought in an interesting way and expose me to new music I probably wouldn't discover otherwise.
This was brilliant!
This is a great introduction to the basics of Flamenco. Thank you.
I'm Spanish and this video from David it's just GOLD!
I can watching it 100 times and still finding relevant information.
Thanks again David !!
Well researched video. Subbed.
Loved the video! Flamenco holds a special place in my heart. My abuela danced flamenco professionally in Madrid back in the day then became a flamenco dance instructor. While I never picked it up, I love listening to and watching performances. I liked learning about the cultural and regional influences on flamenco. Thanks for sharing!
Great content and production value as always!
I loved this video, David. The amount of research you do is exceptionally impressive.
Excellent, many thanks. More like this, please!
Loved this one. Keep up the great work! Cheers
Sooo well done! Thanks 🙏
Beautiful.Thank you for this upload.
Awesome video!
fantastic video. Very interesting topic.
Fantastic. More of this please Bruce!
this is amaaazing, thank you!
So glad I stumbled on David Bruce! This is fascinating, thanks.
Love it! And especially loving the multi-national comments below. Creates a more 360 degree education. Nice.
👏👏👏👏👏👏 Loved this episode!! Well done!!
Excelent!!! Thanks a lot, Bruce for this summary.
Very nicely prepared and presented! This is one of my favourite videos on TH-cam now!
Thank you for taking the time to make this. I really enjoyed the inclusion of both of history and theory.
Wonderful, thoughtful content. Thank you, Bruce.
this was AWESOME THANK YOU. Gracias por tu analisis
Amazing informative video. Subbed!
Loved this video! would love some more deep dives into genres!1
Excellent! I so appreciate videos that get to the point, relaying the essential info in a succinct way. I will be coming back several times to listen to and play along with this video in the days to come.
Very compact, informing and thoughtfull video. Thank you for this!
awesome video, thanks david
Wow! You're on fire lately!
Thanks, really enjoyed this. Very interesting.
Once again, very insightful.
Fantastic explanation, congrats from Spain!
Great to have a little crash course on a genre like this to expand repertoire. Looking forward to more!
You might be interested to know that there is a musicologist in Andalucia who analyses the 12-beat cycle basic to many of the palos, including bulerias and soleares, as actually consisting of alternating bars of 5/4 and 7/4, but starting at different points in this cycle to create different syncopations. Many palos (bulerias and alegrias, say) do not use the 'Andalucian cadence', but just alternate two chords, maybe a Bb to Ab movement against drone strings which are not really harmonic additions but an extra rhythmic part. These changes mark the change from the 5/4 section to the 7/4 section (though there are also secondary divisions into 3+2/3+2+2).
Would love to see some more videos like this!
Love this! Thanks!
Love this, adds depth to learning flamenco. Thank you
Excellent video -- Thanks for these clear explanations and illustrations!
This is one of the videos that got me into flamenco... if it wasnt for the virus I would be in spain taking a flamenco guitar course right now.
Loved that demonstration of melismatic singing! Really cool video, well done.
Excellent video. Full of fascinating information & well-crafted. Thanks
Hi Bruce, The origin of Flamenco is of course from North Africa, women used to do laundry in groups and start jumping on the bucket to clean up the cloths and at the same time, to make it more fun, they start dancing, this is the origin, from there it developed to what it is right now, in Morocco we still have the same dancing we call it al9adaa or in English the base. this is was done in the country side, Flamenco comes from Felah which means
peasant. hope that helps. Cheers!
Well done! Very interesting.
Absolutely brilliant. Makes me want to watch this as many times as it will take me to understand it in all its fascinating detail. More historical videos if you're able!
I've been following your channel for 18 months or so but this must have been just before I subscribed, because I hadn't seen it until now. Fascinating, and, at the same time, containing so many ideas that are familiar to me - I'm not a flamenco aficionado as such, but have long been fascinated by how it pulls together the various influences you describe.
Knowledge, particularly about the things we love, is so empowering! Thank you David.
A really cool analysis. Musical history is such an under-discussed topic here on TH-cam. Glad you're tackling it!
Very interesting! I liked the combination of both history and detailed musical ideas.
Great video! Very important and not so often enough addressed subject! Thank you, you're doing an amazing work by touching on things that are with us every time and everywhere but nobody dares to talk about!
Wonderful! I wish I had seen this before playing in a flamenco concert, it would have helped me a lot. Great content!
Thanks for this!
What an amazing video! I really liked it
Wow! What a great video. Easily some of the most entertaining, informational, and well made videos on the internet.
May God massively bless you !
i haven´t found many videos on music history so I´d be glad you making more of these. :) Thanks for this one.
love this!!!! muy bien hecho señor
Fantastic video. I've never learned much about music history, but this is really interesting! Just subscribed