Relationships Between Spanish Flamenco and Hindustani Classical Music

William Carpenter

INSTRUMENTATION AND STYLE IN "PALMAS Y GUITARRA (BULERIAS)"
 

“Palmas y Guitarra (Bulerías)” places a forceful emphasis on beat and rhythm, like most flamenco music. For this reason, the guitarra flamenca has evolved as an instrument separate from the classical guitar, which has its roots from the sitar. While a classical guitar is constructed from a larger piece of cedar, the guitarra flamenco is a smaller version constructed from rose wood. The guitarist, Paco Pena, grew out the fingernails on his right hands in order to strum with more control and to pluck faster, like finger picking on the guitar. The extended fingernails allow him to pluck louder. The gitarra flamenca uses six metal strings, rather than having three made of nylon. The physical characteristics of the gitarra flamenca are not only cheaper than a classical guitar (since the primary musicians were nomadic gypsies), but it allows for a brighter, more percussive sound. Also, Ely “La Gambita” uses castanets to precisely clap the compás, the beat of the song, while the bailaor dances with shoes that click on the heel and toe, similar to tap dance shoes. Pena plays the melody on the guitar, while the castanets and dancing hold the beat in unison.

In flamenco music, there are different sub-genres of style to express different emotions. Most flamenco is fast, with a tempo of 240 to 300 bpm. This song is in the most cheerful style, the bulería, which comes from the Spanish word burlar, or “to joke.” Each measure is in 12/8 time, with accented notes on beats 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12.

The guitarist opens with the main, minor strumming theme without percussion. The accented notes change the meter within each measure, switching from triple to duple meter. After one phrase, the dancing and clapping enter and maintain the beat of about 265 bpm throughout the entire song. After each variation on the main theme, the guitarist plays solos of descending runs and arpeggios, which is also characteristic of flamenco. Because the percussionists keep solely the beat, the guitarist can improvise both the rhythm and length of the solos as long as he finishes before the next measure. At 1:56, a man yells “¡Ole!”—the highest compliment one can give to a flamenco performance.