Learn flamenco guitar on your mobile

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Learn Flamenco Guitar. All opinions are my own.

You know those practice sessions? The ones where you pick up your guitar and sit staring at a wall for 20 minutes because you don’t know where to start?

We all want to get the most out of our practice (although I’m a flamenco dancer, not a guitarist, this goes for us too!) Unlike in class, where we have set material and feedback on what we need to drill, it can be hard to know how to focus and structure a practice session. What do you actually need to work on to improve?

If you’re not making progress in your flamenco guitar practice, check out the Learn Flamenco Guitar app. It’s available on the App Store and for Android on Google Play.

This bilingual app, available in English and Spanish, was launched in February 2020 by flamenco guitar performer and educator, Daniel Garcia. Originally from Spain, Garcia has been based in New York since 1998, where he teaches guitar privately and as an Adjunct at Manhattan College.

Here’s how the app works. The home screen takes you to a Classes tab where you can choose from Techniques, Compás or Falsetas. Each option provides you with a neat list of things to practise….

Techniques is exactly what you’d expect - the movements that make up the flamenco guitar - Arpeggios, Alzapúa etc.

Compás gives you a list of some of the palos or flamenco styles, each one with a video explaining the main characteristics of the style.

Falsetas also offers exactly what it claims. It’s easy navigation like this that makes the app such a cinch to use.
Say you want to practise your pulgar technique… Don’t know what that is? No worries. Firstly the video gives you an example and a quick explanation. Then Garcia talks you through the movement, breaking it down step-by-step and explaining how to execute it.

The practice exercises that follow provide you with an opportunity to build up your technique with increasing difficulty at each level. So you can perfect each technique, or work on polishing a falseta, with the satisfaction of seeing yourself move through the levels.

Each exercise comes with its own video, as well as guitar and metronome tracks to play along to, with adjustable volume and speed. Plus, the tab and musical notation for the exercise are right there, if that’s the way you want to work.

Each lesson can be saved as a favourite, which makes it easily accessible for later.

The app also includes some bonus videos on flamenco guitar, from the history of flamenco to the importance of looking after your nails.

I tested the app on a Samsung Galaxy A70. Make sure your device is up to date to ensure the app runs smoothly.

The amount of video content available on this app for free is astonishing. All the videos are hosted externally so this app won’t weigh down the storage on your phone. However this does mean you need to be on a good internet connection to access them.

In addition to the free video content, a lot of the initial practice exercises are free. An in-app purchase to access more exercises is available through a subscription. But seriously, there is so much good-to-go content available in the free version. You’ve got nothing to lose by downloading it and giving it a go.