| Siguiriyas falsetas | |||||
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and cierres |
Montoya and Manolo de Badajoz |
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Salvador |
falsetas |
These transcriptions are written using a three-part time signature of 2/4, 6/8 and 1/4. For more information on the siguiriyas rhythm and this system of notation click here.
This falseta used to be very popular. The variations presented here are by Miguel Borrull (son), Ramón Montoya and Manolo de Badajoz, but other versions were recorded by Juan Gandulla in 1909, Antonio Moreno in 1933, Ricardo and others. These versions are arranged from simple to complex.
The falseta starts with a two-count rest, beginning on the first "long" beat of the siguiriyas compás (beat 3). This chording is nearly always used to introduce the rest of the falseta. This first version is very basic and is the simplest of the three presented here. Finish the idea with a series of slurs (ligados) as seen in Ramón Montoya's version below (Borrull's ending for this goes out of time) Capo at second fret.
Ramón begins with the chording seen in the other two falsetas. Instead of eighth notes, Ramón plays the main idea of the falseta in triplets, which adds to the flow. Notice the Dmin9 arpeggio at the end of the second complete compás and the wonderful dissonance created by the open fourth string toward the end of the third complete compás. Incomprehensibly, very few guitarists recorded this classic move using the dissonant D on the open fourth string, Instead, most have added an E at the second fret, creating a standard A or A7 arpeggio. The triplet slur starting the fourth complete compás was also a common move for old-time players like Ramón, Juan Gandullas or Perico del Lunar. This seems strange today, but it should be remembered that the tempo of siguiriyas has slowed considerably over the years. Capo at sixth fret.
Manuel Álvarez Soruve (or Sorubet, born in 1889 or 1892, according to different sources) had a great sense of rhythm and a lightning-fast thumb. He absorbed the work of Montoya, Ricardo and others, to which he applied his outstanding musicianship and excellent faculties. In the falseta below, we can see how he took this idea to its full potential. Look carefully at the slur (ligado) in the middle of the fifth complete compás. The longer beats three and four are divided into groups of different values. He concludes with his version of a Ricardo falseta, and the golpe (tap) at the end of the last measure indicates that he used a downstroke with this thumb. The scorching intensity in his playing is truly amazing. Capo at sixth fret.
Javier Molina
(Click here to read an interview with
him.)
Javier recorded this falseta in 1931 with Manuel Torre. As seen in the video series "Rito y Geografía del Toque," Diego del Gastor played a version in sixteenth notes. The D minor and A7 inversions offer chromatic motion (one fret of difference). In the first part, the fourth and fifth strings are played just before each chord change. Notice the left-hand slide at the end of the eighth complete compás. This is just one of the details that reveal Javier's smooth and intelligent left-hand fingering. The right-hand thumb is used for most of the falseta. Capo at third fret.
Click here to listen to the audio file.
Ramón Montoya
(Click here to read an interview
with him.)
This falseta appears at the beginning of a recording from 1929 with Juan Mojama ("Tanto he dormido," Gramófono AE-2499), and is heard from some of today's players. The structure of this falseta and Ramón's interpretation of it are just one example of his consummate musicianship. Imagine what this must have sounded like back in 1929! The repetition and rephrasing of ideas create an extraordinarily rich arrangement, producing a surprising amount of music with simple slurs on a C chord. The D minor and rest at the start of the second compás contrast with the F octave and sustain at the start of the third compás. The sixth and seventh compases are identical, but the eight and ninth are variations, with a B flat implying C7 in the the eighth, and the ninth ending in an oddly timed cierre that leads straight into the conclusion. Capo at fifth fret (numbers indicate whole compases).
Click here to listen to the audio file.
Not much seems to be known about this guitarist. He apparently played at the Concurso de Cante Jondo in Granada in 1922, and recorded with Manuel Torre and Tenazas de Morón in a series of promotional recordings that took advantage of the popularity of the contest. The fingering and the music of this falseta are representative of others that have been recorded by many guitarists throughout the years. Capo at seventh fret.
Click here to listen to audio file.
Sabicas played something like this. Use just your thumb and mark the accents in the compás with emphasis or golpes. Remember that the last note starts beat four which, like beat three, is longer than the others.
Paco de Lucía recorded this falseta on a siguiriya from 1973 with Camarón titled "Hermanito mío." Into the first and fourth beats, he uses an upstroke with his thumb to repeat the figures on the second and third strings. Capo at sixth fret.
This is a combination of common ideas heard from many guitarists.
This was inspired by the work of Sabicas, although I've given a twist to the harmony. It sounds strange, but eventually resolves to A. The "2" indicates that you should use your middle finger to fret, then slide up two frets, as indicated by the "s."
Here's another odd-sounding falseta inspired by Sabicas. The cierre that ends it is based on the work of Manuel Morao. Although it sounds strange, the E-flat harmony at the fourth beat is not especially exotic for siguiriyas, and can be found in the falsetas of many great players from the last thirty years (most of the notes that this harmony implies exist in classic siguiriyas harmony). Capo at third fret.
