An arrangement of the Flamenco style (palo) Tientos for solo acoustic guitar. The piece is based on traditional themes for the Tientos that I have expanded and elaborated on to weave together a self-contained composition that lies somewhere between Brahms? Hungarian Dances and Dvorak?s Slavic Dances. The composition is inspired by my studies with Juan González ?Triguito? in Madrid in the late 1960s. The Tientos belongs to the Tango family of Flamenco styles and is a slow majestic Flamenco rhythm that can reach great emotional depth in the hands of skilled guitarists. The Tientos is notated in standard 4/4 measures that although seemly simple can be deceptively complex because of the nearly inexhaustible possibilities for rhythmic variation. Lots of tapping can be found in the notation together with melody and chords, but also alone at rests which I leave in the notation. The tapping is perhaps a vestige of the African origin attributed to the Tango family of Flamenco palos. The arrangement ends with a finale (macho) that moves from the Tientos through a few bars of Tango to a finish in Rumba Gitana, the fastest and liveliest member of the Tango family.The Tientos is played in a Phrygian modal that moves from D minor through C and B-flat to A or A7. This variant of the so-called Andalusian cadence is typical for gitano Flamenco palos.The piece can be played by students of Flamenco guitar at the intermediate to advanced levels and contains many essential elements of serious (jondo) Flamenco guitar playing.

ISBN 9781513455532. 8.75x11.75 inches.

The acclaimed first volume of this exciting series gave extensive insights into basic techniques of flamenco guitar playing and the two important rhythmic forms (palos) of Solea and Alegrias. This second volume continues on with an exploration of further essential rhythmic palos. The first of these is the Bulerias. Juan Martin brings his many years of experience as an internationally renowned flamenco soloist and accompanist for singers and dancers to unravelling its mysteries, explaining and demonstrating very clearly the different elements of its rhythmic structure and the various ways it may be accented and counted. He uses traditional and more modern examples of the different kinds of rhythm and melodic passages (falsetas) to provide an invaluable understanding of this wonderful palo. The second rhythmic form is devoted to the popular flamenco Rumba, then Tangos, Tientos and that most profound of all the palos, the deeply moving Seguiriyas. Juan\'s solo playing is complemented by demonstrations of the guitar\'s role in accompanying the flamenco dance (baile) and song (cante) with the help of outstanding dancers Raquel de Luna and Miguel Infante and singers Amparo Heredia (La Repompilla) and Carlos Brias. The music for solo guitar is transcribed in standard notation and tablature (cifra) and the online video contain nearly three hours of explanation and demonstrations. The series is complemented by two other best-selling Juan Martin volumes published by Mel Bay. These provide progressively graded solo material to extend the repertoire, from beginner to concert level. Includes access to online video.