Frequently Asked Questions.

No. If you’re not a music reader, have no fear. Flamenco guitar is primarily taught in the traditional Spanish Gypsy style of rote learning. CIF does provide a variety of relevant course supplements. Some are in combination of notated music and tablature as well as written out patterns for the plucking hand and chord diagrams.

We encourage those individuals who have never played the guitar before or have limited experience in classical guitar, or experience in pop/rock styles to start with a series of introductory private lessons, first.

These lessons will help to prepare you for our flamenco guitar group class which requires a minimum of one year of playing experience with basic knowledge of chord vocabulary and finger-picking style playing.

Actually, being a classical player might be the thing that fast-tracks you to becoming a skilled flamenco guitar player!

Classical and Flamenco guitar have quite a bit in common, so transitioning from to the other is not as difficult as you may think.

You will, however, learn a few new techniques such as rasgueo (to rasp the strings), abanico (to fan), and alzapúa (strumming using only the thumb), and you will learn percussive effects called golpe, which consists of striking or tapping the soundboard––but much of what you know already will serve you very well.

Not at all! In fact, as with any new skill picked up later in life, learning flamenco guitar actually helps keep your cognitive skills sharp. This key ingredient is patience. Because in this age of immediate satisfaction, lack of patience is often the barrier to achieving your goals in flamenco playing. We encourage participants to simply enjoy the process. You will learn step-by step and all the while build a knowledge base and an added benefit is a network of friends in the local flamenco guitar community and points beyond.

Please bring a nylon, six-stringed guitar to class that is in relatively good playing condition. No steel strings. We will be using primarily flamenco guitar in our classes as it has tap plate called “goleador” for the persuasive element of flamenco playing, however, classical guitar is also suitable.

If you use a foot rest, please bring one with you. Bring a writing utensil to take notes. Otherwise, all class materials are provided.

If you’re a lefty, it won’t make an impact or impede your ability to play flamenco guitar. Flamenco is a traditional art form so much of the language is geared toward right-hand playing, like classical or rock, however, it won’t take long to adapt.