The ultimate beginner flamenco course
Learn flamenco guitar and have fun playing new music
or
No flamenco knowledge needed
Play and impress like a pro
Improve your playing in all genres
COURSE OVERVIEW
Become 2x Better at Guitar in This Two Hour Course
for beginners and professional musicians
Be confident
You are being taught with guidance of a lifelong touring musician and teacher, who has taught thousands of guitarists – from beginners through to performing concert guitarists.Impress friends
On this course you will learn two of the most popular flamenco styles – the light-hearted rumba, increasingly used in pop and rock music, and the bulería – known as the cliffhanger!Have fun
Flamenco is known as one of the most difficult styles of guitar, but Rafael being a flamenco himself, knows how to teach while keeping it fun and engagingFeel at home
No prior flamenco knowledge is needed. No matter what, beginner guitarists and touring musicians can all benefitReduce risk of future injuries
Rafael begins with demonstrating clearly correct left and right hand technique, which will both reduce the risk of future injuries and improve your playing in other genres too! (classical, jazz, rock, indie)See common mistakes
See problems that often arise and mistakes made by an in-studio student, and how to correct themLearn fascinating history
This is a guitar course. But in it you will begin to immerse yourself in what it means to be a flamenco – a rebel, an outlier – and appreciate the culture and musical styles that have come from this way of life. You can incorporate what you learn to your own style, making yourself more versatile. Widen your horizons and open your ears
HOSTED BY RAFAEL
Rafael is a professional flamenco guitarist, composer and teacher and has inspired many stars. He is in a unique position to be able to share the authenticity of flamenco and see it from his unique perspective. To read more about your instructor, click here
Who I made this course for
01
Beginner guitarists with some experience (can play a few chords, comfortable holding the guitar)
02
Amateur musicians with some performing experience (e.g. open mic nights)
03
Professional musicians (concert guitarists, touring guitarists) who wish to refine existing technique, expand horizons and open their ears.
What my students & media say
I've been playing guitar for about fifteen years and wanted to expand my musical horizons with some flamenco lessons - Rafael managed to step change my technique in several hours and it sparked a period of rich songwriting inspiration with the new rhythms and picking styles I learned. I cannot recommend him enough; he explains it so clearly and balances the technical side with the more emotional/story side of flamenco music!
Ned Stranger (singer / songwriter), Vienna 📷
You may recognise me at the end of the course in the bonus lecture, I am the student making the mistakes you might be making too! I wish to say in addition to everyone else's comments, Rafael's course teaches not just music and rhythm, but carries with it the soul and spirit of this beautiful music 💃. Having spent many years on-and-off (and unsuccessful new years resolutions!) not getting anywhere with guitar, Rafael's course finally motivated me and put me on the right track. I now just 'get it' in a way I couldn't before when I used free Youtube videos without any structure, and that change is thanks to Rafael. After Rafael's course I am motivated to practice regularly each week, and can see a radical improvement in where I am at in just months, compared to the little progress I made years before..
Michael (software engineer), Barcelona 🐦
I saw Rafael play flamenco at a friend's birthday. Not only the performance itself was mesmerising, but Rafael improvised a full guitar lesson with detailed explanations of what he was doing and why (and where that came from). His music is soulful and alive. Talking to Rafael later, I understood why: he had been trained on the ground, with gypsies from Spain. Knowing nothing about flamenco, I feel like I learnt a whole lot from Rafael in just one or two hours! I have no doubt now his course is going to be enjoyable, efficient and very special!
Julie (researcher & open-mic singer), France
Rafael is a superb and patient guitar tutor from whom I have developed my own playing style and be inspired by Flamenco and Spanish culture.
Peter, London
I discovered a new passion for flamenco guitar through lessons with this Maestro! After years of enjoying flamenco music, I now understand much more of the rhythm that I ever believed was possible and can play enough to impress my friends! Highly recommended!
Adam Hearn (Limpopo, South Africa)
I recommend Rafael as an outstanding guitar teacher due to his patience and decades of experience. I cannot recommend the classes enough. Rafael is a master musician and has the rare ability to impart the very spirit of the mystery of flamenco.
Maria, Sussex
Taking this course has made me go back to the beginner mindset. It was an amazing reset button for my previous way of approaching guitar and music, since Flamenco wasn't a rhythm i thought i was interested about.I recommend it to anyone interested in getting in touch with a new music, new sounds, new rhythms and new emotions
A second Maria (Designer), Barcelona
Rafael plays with the soul of a gypsy
El Pais, (Spanish national newspaper) - elpais.com
What you'll learn
Posture
Rafael demonstrates different ways of sitting and holding a guitar for comfort and longevity. Good technique will save you problems and pain down the line!Left Hand Position
A timeless lesson across all genres in how your left hand should be when holding the guitar: relaxed.Right hand techniques
Rafael demonstrates right hand techniques used in flamenco music – the rasgueo, golpe and picado and others.Bulerías – the cliffhanger
Learn the fundamental rhythm and structure behind the most popular flamenco style, the 12-beat bulerías – known as the 'cliffhanger'
Rafael teaches a basic bulería pattern along with other phrases. You will learn enough parts to be able to improvise indefinitely using bulerías.Rumba
An upbeat, light-hearted style – the Rumba is the most recognisable form of 'Flamenco' with a party feel. Increasingly it influences other genres such as rock and pop. Rafael teaches a full piece which you will be able to play by the end.Common student mistakes
See common mistakes made by students on this course, such as posture, hand positioning, catching nails and other things not usually found online!Flamenco styles & history
Rafael takes you on a brief geographical tour of Spain, demonstrating the sounds and history behind the Soleá, los cantes mineros (mining chants), the lighthearted Alegrías de Cádiz and others. Well worth studying to appreciate the breadth of mood and feel in flamenco.Tips & Tricks
Beyond this course, Rafael arms you with tips to prepare you for future guitar playing: how to best make use of practice, historical flamenco guitarists to listen to and more.
Frequent Questions
Who is Rafael?
Born to Anglo Spanish parents, Rafael grew up in Spain, educated at an English school in Madrid. He is bilingual, bicultural and understands the demands and work environments of both countries very well. It puts him in a unique position to be able to share the authenticity of flamenco and able to see it from his unique perspective.Rafael has taught at many educational establishments including the Faculty of Music, Oxford University, Trinity College London, Birmingham Conservatoire, Bath International Guitar Festival amongst others.He has been credited with ‘thanks’ on the Radiohead album In Rainbows.A performer as well as a teacher, Rafael has played in the presence of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, at the South Bank Festival, Internacional de San Isidro Madrid, The Oxford Playhouse, double bill with Tamer Hosny in Doha Qatar, The Holywell Music Room, The Global Peace Conference, and at Casa Batlló, Barcelona.Rafael's music is influenced by many factors. Sources of inspiration such as Paco de Lucia, Kraftwerk or Bach, continue to excite him on a daily basis. His influences are so diverse and true to a person that has not only grown up in two countries but has travelled most of the world too. From Batak folk music of northern Sumatra to Led Zeppelin or Manuel de Falla.More information about Rafael can be found here: https://www.flamencoguitarist.com/aboutme.html
How difficult is this course?
While this is a beginners flamenco course, it is not a course for complete beginner guitarists. In other words, you should be comfortable holding a guitar and know some basic chord positions and right hand strumming techniques, as a minimum. While Rafael teaches everything you need to know from scratch – how to sit, the correct left and right hand position – someone who has never picked up a guitar before will find the learning curb very steep and is not recommended for most learners.
Does the flamenco course come with tabs or sheet music?
No.We could write tabs and sheet music. But you’ll be worse off for it.Flamenco is a traditional art form which over centuries has been passed down by watching and listening. If we provide shortcuts such as tabs, you may learn the notes, but will miss the feel and mood of the music, and become rigid. You’ll also miss out on developing an important skill – how to learn and adapt and play by listening – which all musicians playing with others must learn to do at some point.And here you will learn that: much of the left-hand in Rafael's teaching will be focused on basic flamenco chords, which you will be able to work out by watching and listening.In short: if you went to learn with any flamenco great – Paco de Lucia, Tomatito - they would not provide sheet music. You would sit there with them and work it out!
How do I get in contact?
Please email us at hello@flamencowithrafael.com and we will endeavour to answer any questions.
