Looking for advice on extended tremolo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEM5HRc7fc
I've been enamoured with Manolo Sanluca's Oracion for a long time now and every so often I try and play it. This will last until I get eventually get frustrated and go back to pieces that come more naturally. Whilst I feel it's getting better I just can't seem to get those long tremolo sections smooth at all and no matter how hard I look I can't find any advice online regarding this technique.
Have any of you come across tremolo of this nature before? Any advice or recommendations very welcome.
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Hi Tom! Flamenco tremolo is indeed a beautiful sight to behold
but also quite difficult to do well. As you might already know, the basic difference between regular classical tremolo and flamenco tremolo (like the one in your video) is that classical tremolo consists of sixteenth notes (p, a, m, i) while flamenco tremolo consists of sixteenth quintuplets (p, i, a, m, i).
However, there is of course a long way to go between understanding something theoretically and actually being able to play it smoothly like Manolo Sanlucar is doing it in the video you linked.
On tonebase, we have a couple of tremolo lessons and livestreams:
- Thomas Viloteau's "On Tremolo" (<- click)
- Scott Tennant's "On Tremolo"
- Artyom Dervoyed's "Advanced Tremolo Exercises"
And Bokyung Byun's Tremolo Workshop I hosted a few months ago.
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, none of these lessons deal with flamenco tremolo specifically - however, the principles should all still apply in the same way.
We do also have some livestreams on flamenco, namely the ones by Adam del Monte and Silviu Ciulei - however, they don't specifically deal with the question of tremolo.
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Mircea ... and Stephanie Jones lesson :-) Basic but valuable...
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Thank you for your response.
I'm particularly enjoying the Bokyung Byun video. So much joy accompanying such knowledge and skill!
...Also the depth of the Thomas Viloteau video with all that detail for tone shaping and dynamic control. He sure does analyse the hell out of a technique doesn't he.
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I'm taking some flamenco on the side. the principles are the same. Try Stephanie Jones course on tremolo, 8 Steps...
some flamenco players like to do p, i, a, m, i on the same string up and down like the one found on 8 steps course. Just do it in the flamenco style. Also practice with the 2nd and 3rd strings and always with a metronome. -
Dear friends of Tonebase, I send you a cordial greeting. I want to share a small piece I composed called Grazalema (Diorama No. 6). It is a small piece with a tremolo with some unusual elements in its use, for example, tremolo on a single string and different thumb tailstocks. I share them as a sign of friendship with the entire Tonebase community. Whoever wants to touch it and study it will be an honor for me. Thank you so much.
Best regards.
Edwin Guevara.
