Do You Need a Flamenco Guitar to Play Flamenco?
This is another question that I get asked quite frequently.
Here is a short answer: no
Now, keep reading
I am not well-versed in lutherie, so I cannot tell you the exact difference between classical and flamenco guitars in terms of materials and structure.
But I can share with you my experiences with both types of instruments and how they respond to classical and flamenco playing.
Let me speculate here that 70 percent of the sound comes from the player. So, give Paco de Lucia the cheapest guitar that can stay in tune and you will hear the 70 percent of the sound you are accustomed to hearing from him. I never actually observed this in a controlled setting but I do have anecdotal evidence (a Spanish luthier told a student of mine) that such is the case.
Therefore, the sound quality of a high-end instrument may sometimes be overrated. If you feel you are not getting that punchy / percussive flamenco sound when you play, look for the culprit in your technique first.
As for the difference between flamenco and classical guitars, they are built differently for sure. The soundboard of a flamenco guitar vibrates differently than a classical. It's not a huge difference but especially that 'snare drum' buzz that you get when you pound on the basses is a quality specific to the flamenco guitar. A combination of materials and the thickness (thinness, rather) of the wood causes this. You don't want that kind of buzz in a classical guitar, for obvious reasons.
Also, flamenco guitars have lower action, that is, the distance between the strings and the fretboard is smaller. This makes flamenco guitars easier to play but you get more string buzz sounding as if the strings are a bit too loose. Maybe this is why Victor Monge "Serranito" uses Ramirez classical guitars.
One remedy for flamenco players with classical instruments is to reduce the action by filing down the saddle. But you have to do this carefully, possibly with an extra saddle handy in case you ruin the first one. You can also shave down the nut (the white piece at the headstock end) but this is even trickier. So, do the saddle first and if you still find it hard to play in the first position take the sand paper to the nut.
It is best that such modifications are done by an experienced luthier with proper tools. But, who has access to such a luthier, no?
You can switch to flamenco strings too. I don't know if they use different raw materials to manufacture flamenco strings but one big difference is that flamenco strings are usually medium/low tension. This contributes to the buzzy sound as well as allowing for easier rasgueados. I have mostly used D'addario black treble type. La Bella is also pretty good.
Conversely, if you wish to sound more classical on a flamenco guitar, go for hard tension strings. This works against the low action and reduces the buzz.
If you want an instrument on which you can play both genres of music, then I recommend a "negra" guitar. Negras have rosewood back and sides as opposed to cypress commonly used in "blanca" guitars. The use of rosewood, I presume, increases the depth and sustain of the sound bringing the resulting sound closer to a classical tone.
Here is me playing classical guitar music on a Hermanos Conde FP17 negra flamenco guitar:
Here is a short answer: no
Now, keep reading
I am not well-versed in lutherie, so I cannot tell you the exact difference between classical and flamenco guitars in terms of materials and structure.
But I can share with you my experiences with both types of instruments and how they respond to classical and flamenco playing.
Let me speculate here that 70 percent of the sound comes from the player. So, give Paco de Lucia the cheapest guitar that can stay in tune and you will hear the 70 percent of the sound you are accustomed to hearing from him. I never actually observed this in a controlled setting but I do have anecdotal evidence (a Spanish luthier told a student of mine) that such is the case.
Therefore, the sound quality of a high-end instrument may sometimes be overrated. If you feel you are not getting that punchy / percussive flamenco sound when you play, look for the culprit in your technique first.
As for the difference between flamenco and classical guitars, they are built differently for sure. The soundboard of a flamenco guitar vibrates differently than a classical. It's not a huge difference but especially that 'snare drum' buzz that you get when you pound on the basses is a quality specific to the flamenco guitar. A combination of materials and the thickness (thinness, rather) of the wood causes this. You don't want that kind of buzz in a classical guitar, for obvious reasons.
Also, flamenco guitars have lower action, that is, the distance between the strings and the fretboard is smaller. This makes flamenco guitars easier to play but you get more string buzz sounding as if the strings are a bit too loose. Maybe this is why Victor Monge "Serranito" uses Ramirez classical guitars.
One remedy for flamenco players with classical instruments is to reduce the action by filing down the saddle. But you have to do this carefully, possibly with an extra saddle handy in case you ruin the first one. You can also shave down the nut (the white piece at the headstock end) but this is even trickier. So, do the saddle first and if you still find it hard to play in the first position take the sand paper to the nut.
It is best that such modifications are done by an experienced luthier with proper tools. But, who has access to such a luthier, no?
You can switch to flamenco strings too. I don't know if they use different raw materials to manufacture flamenco strings but one big difference is that flamenco strings are usually medium/low tension. This contributes to the buzzy sound as well as allowing for easier rasgueados. I have mostly used D'addario black treble type. La Bella is also pretty good.
Conversely, if you wish to sound more classical on a flamenco guitar, go for hard tension strings. This works against the low action and reduces the buzz.
If you want an instrument on which you can play both genres of music, then I recommend a "negra" guitar. Negras have rosewood back and sides as opposed to cypress commonly used in "blanca" guitars. The use of rosewood, I presume, increases the depth and sustain of the sound bringing the resulting sound closer to a classical tone.
Here is me playing classical guitar music on a Hermanos Conde FP17 negra flamenco guitar:
And here is flamenco on a low-end Manuel Rodriguez classical guitar:
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