Welcome to the Week Long Workshop
Our weeklong Granada Workshops are for students wanting to refine their technique, compás and fluidity, while immersing themselves in the amazing city of Granada. In addition to class, we’ll experience lots of live flamenco, eat lots of tapas, see the Alhambra and hang out.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Think of this workshop as a compás and technique bootcamp. The idea is to really drill both, so that you come out of the week with more confidence in the material you play and a greater understanding of how everything works in context.
We’ll spend a couple of hours each day working on technique and compás exercises, and we’ll spend the rest of the time applying all of this to feeling comfortable playing – to really owning the material you have and gaining a sense of mastery. And of course you’ll spend plenty of time practicing!
We may have guest teachers or possibly singers and/or dancers, depending on goals of the group.
WHAT WILL WE COVER
The focus of the week’s classes will depend on the group, but it’s quite likely that we’ll work on Solea and Bulerias, and we’ll look at one other Palo as well. And rather than give you tons of material, we’ll really work on making the most out of a little. The specifics of how much we cover will depend on the overall level of the group.
WHAT LEVELS / PREREQUISITES
The question we get the most is “Am I ready for this?” Ideally, you’ve finished the Flamenco Explained Beginner Course, and you have a pretty solid grasp of Soleá. It would be helpful to have some familiarity with other Palos as well. We likely won’t be doing anything super virtuosic, but at a minimum you should have a decent sense of compás and feel comfortable with your rasgueados.
If you’re unsure if you’re ready to get the most out of a workshop like this, just send us an email and we’ll talk it through. We’ll probably ask you for a video to see where you’re at, and we can discuss if you’re ready and even what to be working on between now and the time of the workshop.
WHAT ELSE WILL WE DO
Granada is a magical city, and in addition to the Alhambra and Sacromonte and other historic sites, it’s a great guitar city. We’ll see as much flamenco as possible, including a show in one of the caves of Sacromonte. Depending on the time of year there may be one of many festivals going on.
There are also tons of great guitar makers in Granada, so if you’re in the market for a guitar we’ll be happy to introduce you to the builders (you shouldn’t expect them to have guitars on hand for sale unless you’ve arranged this in advance, though you never know…). You can also take your guitar to get a fantastic setup from the people who really know!
But the main thing will be to experience flamenco where it lives, and to get to know and play with others who share your passion for this amazing art form.