The compas of Alegrias is based on a 12-beat pattern identical to that of Soleares, with accents on beats 3, 6, 8, 10, 12. We may, therefore, write it as:
Counter-rhythms (contratiempo) with complex syncopation are common in modern versions.
Sequence 1 (continued)
We will begin by studying just the first two of the three 12-beat composes in this first sequence. The music starts with the chord of A major on the first seven beats. The left hand position for this chord was shown in photo 5.1 and its chord diagram is shown below. A 4-stroke rasgueo leads on to beat 8 and this is played on the chord of E7 (the dominant seventh in the key of A major). The left hand fingering was shown in 3.3 and its chord diagram is also shown here (right).
The right hand is in the 'basic' playing position and the thumb rests lightly on the 6th string. The rasgueos in the first two composes are similar to those you met before in Soleares, but it will be a good idea now to try to learn to combine golpes with index downstrokes where these are
indicated in the music.
A major
E7
D major In these first two composes and elsewhere in the solo
you will see that the square symbol for golpes is written over certain accented beats played with index down-
strokes. Here they occur on beats 3 and 6. The movement of the 3rd finger of the right hand previously described for the golpe is performed at the same moment as the index finger makes a downstroke in its usual way. The impact of the downstroke on the strings and the impact of the 3rd finger on the golpeador must both coincide exactly with the beat. There should be no movement of the rest of the hand and the wrist stays relaxed. The move- ments of the two fingers are independent but simultaneous.
The next compas of rasgueo (the third in this sequence) introduces a new chord, D major (the subdominant in the key of A}. This uses only the top four strings. There is also a new rasgueo technique for the right hand in this compas.
The chord of D major is shown in photo 6.1. The 5-stroke RASGUEO
We will call the new rasgueo the 5-stroke rasgueo since 5 strokes are made by the right-hand fingers within the duration of a single beat. There are two differences from the 4-stroke rasgueo.
The first is that the accent of the rasgueo falls here on the first stroke made by the little finger, and this coincides with the beat of the music. The second is that the rasgueo ends with an index finger upstroke after the e a m i sequence of downstrokes. In notation, therefore, the rasgueo is written as a quintuplet (5 notes to a beat). Later on, in other toques, we will meet occasions where the accent coincides with the 5th stroke, the index up- stroke, but this is not the case here.
Start by playing the strokes slowly and evenly, emphasising the accent at the beginning of the rasgueo. Contrast this with the 4-stroke rasgueo where the accent falls on the fourth stroke, made by the index, with the e a m strokes preceding the beat.
6.1 D major chord position
Sequence 2: first FALSETA and rhythm COMPAS
The fa/seta is played mainly with thumb and index in triplets and is based on the chords of E7 and A major. Note that the compos is again the 12-beat pattern with accents on beats 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12. The first fa/seta is followed by another rasgueo compas based on the chords D, A, E7,
A, with 5-stroke rasgueos played on the chords of D and A. On beat 9 in this compas we meet another version of the chord of E7, this time played on just the bottom four strings. The fingering is shown in 6.3 alongside the chord diagram,
This beat and the final chord of A major in this compas are both played by downstrokes of the thumb at the same time as golpes are played with the third finger. As was described earlier for the index downstroke com- bined with golpe, the movements of thumb and third finger must be independent but exactly simultaneous.
E7
6.3 E7 on lower four strings.
FALSETA 1
Sequence 3: second FALSETA (CAMPANAS)
This begins with an example of Campanas ('bells'). Five chords of A minor and then five of E7 imitate the solemn ringing of a bell and introduce a slow passage played in a minor key (here A minor) with emphatic rhythm. It derives from the form of the baile por Alegrias. The Campanas follow a climax in the dance which the dancer completes by striking a pose. There is a brief pause and he (or she) begins slowly to move into the rhythm of the dance again before the rhythm starts to build up progressively to a faster pulse, with an extended passage of zapateado (footwork) before the finale. Sometimes you may hear the Campanas sequence referred to as silencio, but this is not strictly correct. Properly speaking a silencio is literally that, a 'silence', when the guitar is silent and the dancer builds up a gradually accelerating zapateado.
The slow chords (five chords followed by a golpe on the 6th beat of each half of the compos) of A minor and E7 in the Campanas are played with downward sweeps of the thumb. We have already met the A minor chord in Lesson 1. The melody passages are played picado with alternating i and m, except for the punctuating arpegios.
Sequence 3 (above)
In the third bar of the music above, at the point indicated, the left hand fingers take up the position of D minor and hold down the chord for three beats. The chord shape is shown in photo 6.4 and the chord
diagram beside it.
Note the six following beats played in octaves. The thumb plays apoyando, the index tirando. You will find similar octave passages often occurring in Flamenco and it is important to adopt the correct technique of playing them. The emphatic apoyando stroke with the thumb sounds the lower of the two notes very slightly before the higher note, sounded by the index. You will hear this clearly on the cassette.
In the musical notation, here as elsewhere in the book, the two notes are simply written one above the other, as if they were played simultaneously. This is to avoid unnecessary complexity in the notation.
The sequence ends with another compas of rhythm, after the music has returned to the major key.
D minor
The D note on the 2nd string can be stopped by fingers 3 or 4, according to context.
6.4 D minor chord position