The Flamenco Forms

There are more than 30 different groups of flamenco songs, relating to different regions and occupations, from the martinete of Triana performed to the sound of a blacksmith’s hammer striking an anvil to the tarantas and mineras of the mining communities of the southeast. The songs are broadly divided into two categories: cante jondo, the serious forms, and cante chico, the more lighthearted type.

For the student, the most popular forms to study are the alegrías, played in A to accompany the dance and in E as a solo; the soleares, inspiration for many great falsetas; and the seguiryas with its fascinating rhythm which alternates measures of 3/4 and 6/8.

Popular also are the various local forms of the fandango, known in Malaga as Malagueñas or in Granada as Granaínas, and from the Atlantic coast the ever popular and lively fandangos de Huelva. Also well known is the dramatic dance known as the farruca, a feature of José Greco’s worldwide tours.