Reviewed by:
Norman Paul Kliman
web site

Chicuelo La guitarra flamenca de... Encuentro Productions 2002 PAL format See details Buy NTSC format See details Buy

	Introduction

Encuentro Productions offers us another chapter in its series of instructional videos. On this occasion, we travel to Barcelona to see the accomplished young player Juan Gómez, known as Chicuelo. An experienced professional and skilled musician, his harmonies, techniques and general approach reflect his modern vision of solo and dance-oriented guitar. This is a great opportunity for experienced players to study the development of the art form in the 21st century.

	Materials included

The 130-page book includes standard notation and tablature for Chicuelo's taranta, taranto-tangos-rumba, soleá-soleá para baile-soleá por bulerías-bulería, tangos, soleá por bulerías, alegrías-silencio-bulería, cantiñas and bulerías. As usual, notation and symbols are all standard stuff (see my review of Encuentro Productions' video and book on Rafael Riqueni for further technical details). Chicuelo's comments during the video are translated to German, English and French at the back of the book, and there is a glossary of terms in these languages and in Spanish. The notation maintains the format of one compás per staff, avoiding confusion as to starting and stopping points. All the falsetas and slowing-down of difficult passages are indexed in minutes and seconds in relation to their position on the video. The performances are transcribed from beginning to end, including the rhythmic figures between falsetas that are Chicuelo's take on more classic ideas for each style. The parts that are repeated slowly are abbreviated to a certain extent, and do not include these classic rhythmic figures. This music is appropriate only for experienced players, due to the challenges arising from Chicuelo's highly developed technique and his enormous scope of harmonic and rhythmic situations. His comments are limited to indications of what he is going to play next, and there are absolutely no explanations offered as to how things are done. Nonetheless, the perfectly clear images of both of his hands in action should be all that the student needs.

	Playing style

Chicuelo has quite a bit of playing experience, a great deal of it accompanying dance, and this is reflected in the highly rhythmic compositions included in this video. He makes use of most all right- and left-hand techniques, but harmonic structures bear little resemblance to traditional playing. In this sense, his left hand very rarely follows the well-worn paths of traditional flamenco guitar. Although he does not appear to be particularly large-perhaps this is the reason for his artistic name-, he gets considerable mileage out of his left-hand span, constantly redistributing chord notes over a space of five or more frets. This usually involves interesting inversions of modern but familiar chords, rather than forcing jazz harmonies into flamenco in an unnatural way, although there are some occasional references to modern fingerstyle guitarists. His right-hand techniques are all well-developed and vigorously employed. The moderate use of arpeggios and generous amounts of driving thumb, rasgueado and alzapúa offset the complexity of the rich harmonies of his vast left-hand vocabulary. The balance resulting from this combination maintains the flamencura in his playing: His left hand has a lot to say, and his right hand speaks with force and elegance. The compositions are very modern, with roots that do not seem to go much deeper than twenty years into the past, but the music is all very beautiful, and played with great technique, vigor and rhythmic drive. Several composite pieces progress through different styles as would the accompaniment for modern dancing. Although Chicuelo's skills as a guitarist are very highly developed, his playing is very musical, and he does not use his great technique for displays of virtuosity. Picado runs and the like are kept to short bursts that punctuate the conclusion to passages of inspired playing. Nonetheless, this is some very difficult guitar, appropriate only for experienced players, who will find many interesting new situations that Chicuelo develops with good taste and solid musicianship. In summary: highly developed playing skills in a tasteful modern approach to solo and dance-oriented guitar.

	Performances

Performances (numbers in parentheses indicate durations of entire piece and segments)

Taranta in F sharp (1:55)
A beautiful and solidly composed piece of music, it is the only style present in the video that is not set to rhythmic meter. This is a good way to get things started, and Chicuelo's talent quickly becomes evident. The whole piece is repeated slowly.

Taranto-tangos-rumba in F sharp (4:17)
Very modern-sounding composition with unusual chording. There are several moments that are reminiscent of the work of modern fingerstyle guitarists, and it seems clear that Chicuelo's influences are not strictly limited to traditional flamenco guitar. The different styles making up this composite piece are combined with coherence and good taste, and are indicative of his inclination towards dance-oriented guitar. The piece remains in F sharp throughout, with many incursions in interesting harmonies. The moody introduction (1:50) includes neat little right-hand mechanisms that perk up a constant arpeggiated pattern. The presence of Paco de Lucía can be felt in the tremolo (0:37). The tango section (1:00) includes muted strumming patterns (included in the notation) and strong rhythmic picado, thumb and alzapúa, and is repeated slowly. The rumba conclusion (0:50) also begins with muted strumming patterns. It is full of clever chording and syncopation-as is all of Chicuelo's playing-, and is repeated slowly.

Soleá-soleá para baile-soleá por bulerías-bulería in E (6:28)
An aggressive soleá kicks off this composition, pushing through three nervous falsetas comprised almost entirely of sixteenth-notes. The piece includes constant syncopation and odd harmonies, occasional references to more traditional soleá, string-bending, and a nice rasgueado finish. This was not one of the high points of the video for my taste, and I found it to be a bit top-heavy with technique. Most of the introduction, three falsetas, and conclusion (3:28) are repeated slowly (for some reason, the endings of some falsetas are not repeated slowly). The soleá para baile (1:38) relaxes the pace in a way similar to the silencio segment of the alegrías. The brooding arpeggio sequence is not repeated slowly. The soleá por bulería (0:40), with off-camera knuckle-rapping, contains more echoes of modern fingerstyle guitar, and is repeated slowly. The bulería conclusion (0:42) includes highly syncopated arpeggios, and is repeated slowly. In this last segment, the knuckle-rapper appears on cajón: Ricardo Espinosa has contributed to other Encuentro videos with his knowledge, skill and good taste, and his accompaniment of Chicuelo on this occasion is no exception.

Tangos in A (2:34)
Impressive alzapúa and clever right-hand techniques with cajón accompaniment. All four falsetas are repeated more slowly. Although this is the second tangos in the video, the different keys used result in different situations (the first was in F sharp and this is in A).

Soleá por bulerías in A (2:12)
This is only slightly less modern-sounding, and echoes of Paco de Lucía can be heard. The introduction and two falsetas include cajón accompaniment, and are repeated more slowly. Again, the repetition of a style in a different key offers new situations to study.

Alegrías-silencio-bulería in E and A flat (6:38)
This is a very nice piece of music brimming with ideas. Dense with rasgueados and alzapúas, some of the passages are quite challenging, but there is an overall cohesiveness that makes this more of a composition than a series of falsetas. Paco de Lucía is once again present during moments of the four falsetas (3:30) offered here, which are repeated more slowly. The silencio (1:48) slows things down with its lush arpeggios, and the two falsetas in the bulería conclusion (1:20) use the mineras key of A flat. The transition is seamless but the harmonies involved are captivating. Both falsetas are repeated more slowly, and the whole piece includes cajón accompaniment. One of the better performances on the video.

Cantiñas in C (1:26)
This is another example of how a different key offers new situations. Although this is called "cantiñas," it offers the same setting as the preceding alegrías, but in the key of C. There is an introduction and one falseta that is repeated slowly, and Ricardo Espinosa adds his invigorating palmas throughout. Nice ideas and unusual inversions, with harmonies that do not stray very far from familiar forms.

Bulerías in A (2:48)
The four falsetas include cajón accompaniment and are repeated more slowly. Some of the ideas heard in the tangos are recycled here.

	Rating

The material is suitable for experienced players looking for a very modern reading of the possibilities of solo and dance-oriented flamenco guitar.

Norman Kliman