Rasgueado

I was listening to a CD by the flamenco master, Paco de Lucia, in the car today, and it gave me an idea for a picture.

I had a 1:1 lesson from a flamenco guitarist when we were in Seville in May and, in the intervening months, have been attempting to learn some new techniques, but it is a style where I am firmly in the beginner class. The tutor in Seville started when he was 6 and had played every day since - he was now 34.

One of the techniques is the rasgueado - strumming the strings in rapid succession with the fingers of the right hand. Sounds easy and, when played correctly, gives that gattling-gun rattle that is so characteristic of Flamenco. It is helped by the construction of a Flamenco guitar, whose top is made of thinner, harder wood than a classical guitar, and sustains less, allowing the individual notes to sound rather than blur together. My guitar is a classical guitar, so I have a very good excuse for not sounding quite right, and I'm sticking to it