Flamenco Guitar – Foundation Course

This course is designed for students who already have some experience playing the guitar. While no prior knowledge of flamenco guitar music is assumed, familiarity with the instrument is necessary. You should have listened to a lot of flamenco music, be committed to learning new guitar skills and developing a feel for compás. If you are unsure whether this course suits your level, consider booking an advisory audition (see FAQ).

Course Details

Description

The Flamenco Foundation Course is based on the original preparatory training course (Vooropleiding) at Rotterdams Conservatorium. On this course, you will have access to study materials from the original course, along with transcriptions from various sources, including my own falsetas and arrangements. Much of this material is either unpublished or previously unavailable in tablature.

Every effort has been made to include as many aspects of the original conservatory course as possible, including essential theory and rhythmic training. Other subjects may be offered as separate courses, with a discount for foundation course students. These additional classes will be optional; for example, while reading music is not an essential skill for a flamenco guitarist, it can be beneficial nonetheless.

Each lesson will be accompanied by professional worksheets featuring musical notation (including detailed fingerings), tablature and video links for you to download or watch online. The interactive nature of the course is important, with time set aside each week for questions, progress monitoring, and individual advice.

In addition to learning the basic compás, lessons aim to develop techniques suitable for all styles of flamenco. During the first half of the year, we will focus on playing 'soleares'. Afterward, we will move on to 'bulerías' (slowly at first). Being able to play soleares and bulerías was an entry requirement for the 1st Year at the conservatory. Examples from other flamenco styles may also be introduced to illustrate specific techniques.

Class size is limited to 8 students to ensure personalized attention.

Requirements

For further information on this course please email: nick@123flamenco.com

Nick's Flamenco Guitar Foundation has been an amazing experience. It has provided invaluable insights into flamenco guitar. Nick has an enormous amount of knowledge and excellent material. Nick has a fantastic approach to teaching, which makes going through the course enjoyable. The attention to detail and the guitar technique is something that Nick has taught me well this year on his course and the results are impressive. Before starting the course, I was feeling frustrated for years as I was making very little progress on my guitar playing. But since starting the course with Nick, the improvement has been dramatic and I have enjoyed playing guitar this year like I never have. There is a gradual increase in difficulty, and it quickly picks up the pace. Also, the PDFs are very well made and an amazing resource to have such a collection of beautiful falsetas. Thank you Nick for this wonderful resource. I will be joining next academic year and I can't wait.

‐Guillermo Guerra

I have recently completed Nick Wilkinson's 9 month Foundation Course. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and my playing and my understanding of flamenco has improved enormously as a result of taking it. The course provides a structured and progressive programme covering all the fundamental flamenco guitar techniques within the context of learning the Soleares and the Bulerias styles. Nick presents a huge amount of high quality material including a good mix of interesting repertoire and technical exercises to improve every aspect of playing. He includes a wide range of material to suit players from beginner level up to more experienced intermediate students. The course is taught in a relaxed and informal manner and is well paced, providing constant challenges to improve without being overwhelming. The course is well resourced with very high standard transcriptions and videos of all the materials provided to work through as well as the weekly 90 minute live Zoom lesson. I am very glad I made the commitment to working through this course and have got so much out of it that I have no hesitation about signing up for the follow up Year 1 classes. I think that players of all levels of experience will benefit from the teaching on the Foundation course and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about studying flamenco guitar.

‐Nick Swift

Beyond the Foundation Course

First Year (tientos, seguiriyas, tangos)