The flamenco piano
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In order to learn the flamenco piano, one needs a good methodological approach, and a well-developed systematization, both of which are completely nonexistent to date. It is not a mistake to start off by imitating the guitar technique by carrying it over to the piano in order to subsequently come to the point where it is possible to create, taking advantage of the harmonic opportunities that are provided by the piano.
What skills are required to play the flamenco piano? None in particular. It may appear shocking, but I don't believe that the student needs to contribute anything other than his own desire to learn. The methodological approach is the feature that is flawed. Or rather: it is not flawed, because it does not exist.
A large degree of the reason for the fact that there are no more flamenco pianists than there are and that, consequently, the piano is not incorporated once and for all into flamenco is, in my view, due to a lack of systematization. My current work goes in this direction, developing a teaching method and regulating the contents of the flamenco piano syllabus.
Before illustrating the details of the most relevant aspects in the learning of the flamenco piano, a reflection concerning this matter is required. In the process of learning how to play the flamenco piano, there are two different phases that must be clearly distinguished: A first phase, or "IMITATION phase", during which one attempts to reproduce the sound of the guitar, playing the piano. And a second phase, or "CREATIVE phase", whose foundation lies in the previous one and consists in bringing flamenco to the piano using the piano's own technique, as well as, most importantly, taking advantage of the new harmonic opportunities that are offered by the instrument.
One shouldn't forget that the harmony that is traditionally used in flamenco is a result of the tuning of the guitar, which is the quintessential instrument for accompaniment. Thus, a different kind of tuning, or a different kind of arrangement of the notes in the instrument, will give rise to another, different, harmony as well as to a different technique. This harmony will nonetheless continue to be flamenco, as it is not an entirely new harmony, but rather a harmony that has been enriched with new nuances in its sound and new arrangements of its chords.
Even in the "imitation phase", we are already obliged to carry out an adaptation of the different techniques of the guitar to the piano by the different arrangements of the position of the notes in the two instruments. Arrangements that are relatively simple using a guitar may turn out to be absolutely impossible to put into practice on a piano, and the same thing may happen the other way round.
Basic technical differences between the guitar and piano
The main technical difference between the guitar and piano lies in the different functions that are carried out by the hands on each of the two instruments. This is the difference that has the most important implications during the "creative phase".
The hand position when playing the guitar
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In the guitar, one hand -the left one, in the case of right-handed musicians- selects the note that must be played, whereas the other -the right one- is the one that actually plays it. This fact has the effect, for example, of making it impossible to accompany a falseta (that is, a melody that is found between sections of accompaniment). rhythmically with chords.
This is not the case for the piano, in which both hands carry out a similar function, even though, as a result of the fact that the more acute register tends to be reserved for the melody, the right hand is usually responsible for the melodic part and the right one executes the accompaniment.
Thus, playing a falseta while doubling the melody, that is, playing it with both hands at the same time, is possible on the piano. Likewise, it is also possible to play the melody of the falseta with the right hand while we accompany it, both harmonically and rhythmically, with the left one. Therefore, the existence of a distinctive technique will give rise to a distinctive sound.
The flamenco piano in schools
By and large, the teaching of flamenco piano playing -understood as a form of accompaniment for singing and dancing- must inevitably pass through the "imitation phase", in order to subsequently be able to venture into the second phase, or "creative phase". Therefore, imitating the sound of the guitar is not equivalent to falling into a trap, as has sometimes been suggested: in my view, it is a step that is absolutely indispensable in order to be able to develop a new distinctive sound for the flamenco piano later on.
"A large degree of the reason for there not being more flamenco pianists lies in the lack of systematization". |
Likewise, before being able to accompany singing or dancing, we must acquire a good foundation of skills: starting from the initial learning of guitar techniques adapted to the piano, we will continue with the rigurous learning of each palo (flamenco form), divided into Introductions, Variations, Falsetas and Cierres (the closing of a rhythmic phrase).
Furthermore, as the goal is to be able to accompany singing and dancing, it will be indispensable to study everything that has been mentioned above in every tonality because, unfortunately for pianists, it is impossible to fix a bridge (an accessory that, in the case of the guitar, make it easy to transpose what one is playing from one tonality to another).
This transposition is possible if we are playing using an electric piano, but this didactic approach is meant for the acoustic piano. If we consider that an acoustic grand piano is normally used in concerts that have a certain importance, this leads to the disappearance of the option of electronically transposing anything, and we will have to resort to our own piano playing skills.
Moreover, learning how to play everything in all the available tonalities will provide us with a knowledge of the keyboard that will prove exceptionally useful for gaining an internal understanding of the music, that can be applied to any musical situation.
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