List of flamenco guitar techniques in alphabetical order:
Abanico
Aire
Alzapúa
Apagado
Apoyando
Arrastre
Cejilla
Cifra
Compás
Copla
Duende
Escobilla
Falseta
Golpe/Golpeador
Ligado
Llamada
Macho
Palo
Picado
Por Arriba
Por Medio
Rasgueado
Salida
Subida
Tapado
Tirando
Trémolo (flamenco)
Whether you’re a native Spanish speaker or not, there are many specific flamenco guitar terms that need defining.
Below is a list of the most common and important flamenco guitar terms and techniques. Each term includes a definition and explanation. So if you want to learn about flamenco guitar strumming techniques such as the rasgueado, this list has it all!
The goal of this page is to help you get on the same page as other flamenco artists so you can play together! If there are any other terms you’d like me to include, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment!
Abanico
Abanico – a flamenco right hand triplet rasgueado technique, usually with a quick combination sequence of ma (middle and ring together), and p (thumb). First, ma strum down together as one strong motion. Second, strum with a p down stroke. Lastly, play a final p up stroke.
The abanico technique requires significant right hand mobility for fast speed, especially in the wrist. Some players prefer to play the abanico technique using p, i (index), and m (middle). The abanico technique is also known as the “Marote” rasgueado in reference to it’s alleged creator, the great flamenco guitarist Juan Maya Marote.
Aire
Aire – literally meaning ‘air’, ‘atmosphere’ or demeanor. In flamenco, the term aire refers to the expressive quality of a flamenco performance, and even extends to an individual performer. Thus a personal aire refers to the special essence that makes an individual player’s style distinctive.
Alzapúa
Alzapúa – a technique where the right hand thumb acts like a pick and rapidly strikes single notes (or several strings in quick succession) in a series of up and down strokes. Alzapúa typically occurs in bass line melodic phrases.
Apagado
Apagado – a technique in which the player immediately mutes the sound of a chord, either by damping the strings with left hand pinky or with the palm of the right hand.
Apoyando
Apoyando – a right hand technique also known as rest stroke with the thumb.
Arrastre
Arrastre – a right hand technique where a (the ring finger) rakes across the strings from highest pitch to lowest, creating a dramatic bellowing effect. You will often hear the arrastre technique in the Tarantas form.
Cejilla
Cejilla – also known as a capo, used to move the voicing higher up the neck.
Cifra
Cifra – also known as “tablature”, a numeric notation system with a six-line staff representing the six strings of the guitar. Tabs indicate which fret and which string you should play a note.
Compás
Compás – has many meanings in flamenco, but generally refers to the rhythmic cycle of the palo and the accented beats.
Copla
Copla – a full melodic phrase, people often speak about the copla in reference to the Sevillanas form. The Sevillianas copla usually repeats three times following the introduction and salida.
Duende
Duende – when one achieves a heightened state of emotion and expression during a flamenco performance, thereby playing with a great sense of authenticity and feeling; the spirit of evocation. The term duende also refers to a goblin-like creature in Spanish and Latin American folklore. The renowned Spanish poet Federico Garciá Lorca formally developed the duende aesthetic term as it relates to art in a 1933 lecture entitled “Juego y teoría del duende” (“Play and Theory of the Duende”).
Escobilla
Escobilla – a rhythmically clear and constant accompaniment section intended to feature a dancer’s footwork. These are common melodic phrases that fall into 3/4 time, and are prominent in the Alegrías form.
Falseta
Falseta – similar to a guitar solo, a falseta is a self-contained melodic idea that can last as many compás cycles as the artist desires.
Golpe/Golpeador
Golpe – meaning to hit, is a tap on the golpeador (guitar tapping plate) with the right hand ring finger (a) below the first string, or occasionally with the right hand thumb (p) above the sixth string on a downstroke.
Ligado
Ligado – also known as the slur technique. In guitar, people commonly refer to this as the “hammer on” and “pull off” technique.
Llamada
Llamada – meaning “call” in Spanish, are a palo-specific one or two compás moment in which guitarists overtly declare the compás. Guitarists use llamadas to open or close sections, and bring attention to an artist or the compás in general.
Macho
Macho – sometimes a modulation takes place at the end of a piece in an exciting conclusion, known as the macho. The artist will transition to different palo with a faster rhythm, or modulate to the parallel major key. Tangos have rumba as a macho, tientos have tangos as a macho, and twelve-beat palos such as the soleá have bulerías as a macho.
Palo
Palo – meaning “branch” in Spanish, this refers to a branch of flamenco form (also called toque from the guitarist perspective). See my page on flamenco forms (palos/toques) for more information.
Picado
Picado – refers to the right hand rest stroke technique, most often played with the index (i) and middle (m) fingers. Single-line guitar solos and scales are usually played using the picado technique.
Por Arriba
Por Arriba – one of the most common voicings in flamenco, playing por arriba corresponds to playing in E-phyrgian mode.
Por Medio
Por Medio – another one of the most common voicings in flamenco, playing por medio corresponds to playing in A-phyrgian mode.
Rasgueado
Rasgueado – also called rasgueos, refers to flamenco strumming technique, typically executed by flicking the pinky (e), ring (a), middle (m), and index (i) fingers out in successive fashion. However, it should be noted that thumb (p) can also be included directly at the end of a rasgueado strum in certain dramatic instances.
Salida
Salida – literally meaning ‘departure’, the salida is a brief introductory melodic passage most common in the Sevillanas form. The salida is typically a fragment of the longer copla, which follows directly afterwards.
Subida
Subida – meaning “lift”, subida is a gradual or sudden acceleration in the tempo.
Tapado
Tapado – playing the guitar as a percussion instrument while the left hand fingers are damping the strings.
Tirando
Tirando – a right hand technique also known as free stroke. Arpeggios and instances where two or more notes are played simultaneously. Guitarists almost always play arpeggios phrases using the tirando (free stroke) technique instead of apoyando or picado (rest stroke).
Trémolo (flamenco)
Trémelo – a right hand technique found in both classical and flamenco guitar styles. Flamenco trémolo is played using the following right hand sequence: apoyando thumb stroke on a bass string (p), followed immediately by four notes played tirando on a treble string (i-a-m-i). These five notes are notated in one beam as a quintuplet.
The trémolo technique gives the listener the sense that they’re hearing two instruments at once, as the bass and treble parts have independent qualities of sound that blend together into one. The flamenco five-note trémolo was introduced by the revered flamenco concert guitarist Don Ramón Montoya.