Viewing entries tagged
practice

Get Better at Improvising With This Activity | The Weekly Letra

Comment

Get Better at Improvising With This Activity | The Weekly Letra

Last week in preparation for my show, I practiced improvising more than usual as I wasn’t sure just what Alfonso would be singing for me. I wanted to help myself to feel comfortable in the moment, in the compás, and to increase the chances that I wouldn’t just do the same thing over and over again.

Following today’s bulerías letra and video of Rancapino Chico I’ll guide you through an activity to enhance your improvisation skills and train your ear.

Keep Reading

Comment

Five Things Jesús Carmona Says You Must Include in Your Flamenco Dance Practice (With Videos)

Comment

Five Things Jesús Carmona Says You Must Include in Your Flamenco Dance Practice (With Videos)

What should you do if if you have just 15-20 minutes a day to practice?

That’s what a student asked me to find out when I interviewed Jesús Carmona last month.

Here are the five recommendations he shared along with videos to help you get started on your own at home. (Some of what he advises might surprise you.)

1. Abdominal Exercises

The first thing Jesús mentioned was the need to strengthen our abs. Don't know where to start? Try this:

Keep Reading

Comment

A Piece of Advice From Jesús Carmona (Improvise)

Comment

A Piece of Advice From Jesús Carmona (Improvise)

When Jesús Carmona was here he recommended that every student of flamenco improvise a little bit each day. In honor of that, here's a guided exercise in improvisation along with a video and examples of how a letra can vary.

First, the letra:

In the video example the singer interprets the same bulerías letra in two different ways, which makes it great to practice to.

Version One (5 minutes in)

Dime niña hermosa
quién te peina el pelo
RESPIRO (one compás break, 12 beats)
lo peina un estudiante
te lo riza un artillerooooo... de la artillería
que con gracia y salero

con gracia y salero

Keep Reading

Comment