If you've ever delved into flamenco guitar technique and rhythm, you'll know that mastering the compás of rumba is a cornerstone skill. Yet, no matter how you approach it, you may have encountered a common challenge: the rhythmic patterns can feel repetitive and lackluster, leaving you yearning for more dynamism and flair in your playing. But don’t worry. I’ve got a solution for you that will infuse your playing with newfound beauty and depth! In my latest video tutorial, I've taken the timeless allure of rumba rhythms and combined them with the captivating simplicity of the Emadd9 chord, al ..read more

If you've ever tried to play the rumba on the flamenco guitar, you've probably realized that no matter how you choose to play the rhythm, there's a particular pattern that repeats itself every bar. Through your own experience, you may have found that your playing sounds dry and repetitive, which can be quite frustrating. No matter how well you play the rhythm, it just lacks variation and excitement! So, what are you supposed to do? How can you spice up your sound? Well, here's the secret sauce... You see, there is a certain order and structure to each specific rhythm technique, unique to eac ..read more

The rumba is a delightful rhythm to explore when initially learning flamenco guitar. As you may have already noticed, there are various variations of the rumba, including different strumming patterns. Honestly, it can be a bit overwhelming to decipher all the variations and intricate techniques involved in this particular flamenco compás. ...However, there's no need to worry—I've got you covered. In this video lesson on the rumba, I will guide you through breaking down this specific strumming pattern, taking it one movement at a time. Once we piece it all together, you'll have a beautiful ru ..read more

I've made a lot of different videos on the Rumba over the years. The most popular video by far has been the very first video tutorial I ever made, which was titled, "How to Play Rumba on the Flamenco Guitar." Since then, I've wanted to go a bit more in-depth on the mechanics involved for the right hand. I also wanted to give you, the student, more visual aids to go along with the lesson. I hope this revised lesson on how to play the rumba is helpful in explaining the fundamental movements of this particular compás. Enoy! PATREON LINKS for this Lesson: Lesson guide with TABs + standard not ..read more

You may have heard the beautiful guitar intro for the 2000 hit song performed by Toni Braxton, “Spanish Guitar.” This solo was performed by renowned studio guitarist, Dean Parks. Although Parks played this solo with a pick, I am going to show you how to play it with your fingers while using common flamenco guitar techniques, such as arpegio, picado, ligado, and rasgueados. You won’t want to miss with tutorials for the flamenco guitar. If you’ve ever been asked to play something “Spanish” on the guitar, then this solo is just what you’ve been looking for, because not only will I teach you one ..read more

Would you like me to show you how to get faster picado technique on the flamenco guitar? …Particularly in the fast picado section of “Entre Dos Aguas”? After completing this lesson, you’ll see the exact method I use to achieve faster picado on the flamenco guitar. The late, great, Paco de Lucía’s “Entre Dos Aguas” demonstrates his incredibly fast picado abilities. Most of us flamenco guitarists only dream of matching his picado, apoyado, and legado speed and precision, but that shouldn’t discourage us from striving to achieve fast picado skills like Paco. In this lesson you’ll learn a modif ..read more

I’m very excited to share with you this mega-ultra-awesome flamenco/Spanish guitar scale in E minor, which is so intense that it will give you HULK HANDS after you’ve mastered it! What’s this scale called? Well, I call it the “Escala de Gerardo” (Gerardo’s Scale), because I always heard that it was written by Gerardo Núñez; it may or may not have been written by him, but I think it sounds like his style. Anyhow, follow this lesson along closely. Watch it as many times as you need in order to get this scale in your flamenco guitar toolbox PRONTO! Once you’ve gotten to the point where you ca ..read more

This lesson is set to be an exciting one…and an interesting one too! What you will learn in this lesson is how to play the Andalusian cadence in the compás of rumba anywhere on the guitar neck! In this four-part lesson series, I will show you how to play barre chords within the Andalusian cadence chord progression even when you think you may have run out of frets! This is a valuable skill to have as a flamenco guitarist, especially when you encounter occasions when you are jamming with another musician who is playing in an unconventional key—at least from from a guitarist’s perspective. Wa ..read more

In this fourth lesson on how to play the “Danza Mora,” you’ll get the chance to use your octave skills again, and you’ll learn a beautiful arabesque legado falseta. Get ready, because there will be many adventurous slides up and down the neck on this one!   PATREON LINKS for this Lesson: Lesson guide with TABs + standard notation Audio backing/practice tracks SoundSlice interactive TABs *Note: For current Patreon Supporters: To download the lesson material for this lesson, please click the Patreon link(s) (above). Make sure that you are LOGGED INTO your Patreon account before clicki ..read more

Now we’ve made it to the part of the song where things really start taking off. The figurative “launch pad” that Paco uses to boost the tempo and rhythmic intensity is a technique called alzapúa. With this technique, you will be using your thumb exclusively.  Watch the lesson video to see in detail how it’s done. By the time we finish the lesson, you’ll have a highly valuable new tool in your flamenco guitar toolbox. Enjoy!   PATREON LINKS for this Lesson: Lesson guide with TABs + standard notation Audio backing/practice tracks SoundSlice interactive TABs *Note: For current Patr ..read more