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Spanish Guitar Lesson - 5 Techniques You Must Absolutely Master

Ah, Spanish guitar.  Perhaps the most romantic style of playing.

Are you interested in taking your playing to the next level and tackling this style?  I was there once too.  I was familiar with Spanish artists but was never able to accurately replicate their smooth subtle style, until now.

Here are 5 Spanish lesson techniques for you to learn and practice. 

Golpe - This is that percussive finger tapping technique that you perform on the sound board of your guitar.  You will want to install a tap plate on your to protect its surface. 

Picado - These are single line passages that are executed by applying a lot of attack and articulation as well as speed.  Al di Meola is a perfect example of this technique. 

Tremolo -This is a common technique to but here you will perform it a little different

than a typical classical tremolo.  It is normally played with a right hand pattern of p-i-a-m-i.

Rasgueado -is a very important technique when performing Spanish or flamenco style of guitar.  It is done executing a strumming pattern using outward flicks of your fingers in order to obtain a sort of rhythmic rolling effect.  This was done to replicate flamenco dancers feet as they danced to the roll of castanets. 

Alzapua -This is a technique where you utilize your thumb like a pick, using it for single line notes as well as strumming across multiple strings.  When these techniques are used together, a rather unique sound is achieved. 

Spanish is a gorgeous and exiting art form that any guitarist should add to their arsenal.  Perfecting this technique will not only impress your friends, but can help greatly in the romance department!