Advanced Flamenco Scales and Modal Concepts for the Modern Improvisor
The final volume in Enrique Vargas’s landmark trilogy pushes the boundaries of modern flamenco improvisation, introducing an expansive range of advanced scales and modal concepts that fuse traditional flamenco with global and contemporary influences.
Modern Pentatonic, Hexatonic, Heptatonic and Octatonic Scales in the Flamenco Modal Language
This volume deals with new scales in the flamenco modal language. Some of these scales — such as the diminished, whole tone, overtone or hexatonic symmetrical — come from modern classical or jazz. Others come from ethnic modalities which are external to flamenco.
The harmonic implications of these scales are then analyzed and their application in the flamenco environment is explained. These explanations are illustrated by numerous melodic examples, both original and by renowned flamenco artists.
Then the concept of modal substitutions is introduced and modal polytonality is explained. The notion of replicating dominant scales by minor thirds and tritones is introduced and various ways to resolve a tritone are explained.
Appendix I contains a collection of 110 licks in modern pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic and octatonic scales. Each lick is harmonized and comes with detailed guitar fingerings.
Appendix II is a complete thesaurus of vertical and horizontal guitar fingerings for every modern pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic and octatonic scales in flamenco, in every flamenco tonality.
Each lick is recorded with harmonic accompaniment and bass, and the free CD download can be found on our Audio Page.
Spiral-bound, 513 pages, Table of Contents.
Sample Pages
Endorsements From Renowned Flamenco Guitarists:
“ Nobody knows more about flamenco’s modal and harmonic language than Enrique Vargas. These manuals are a must for those who want to learn to compose or improvise modern flamenco.”
— Jose Jiménez el Viejín
“Enrique Vargas is a real expert when it comes to all these complex scales we use in flamenco today.”
— José Fernandez Torres Tomatito
“Great books from a great musician.”
— Juán José Suarez Paquete
“A true treasure; you need years and years to process all this incredible information.”
— Antón Jiménez
Enrique Vargas is a Madrid-based educator with a PhD in music, specializing in flamenco. He is known for his transcriptions in the Great Guitars of Flamenco Library and for transcribing Paco de Lucia's "Almoraima". Committed to preserving flamenco, he's in the process of founding the Caño Roto School of Flamenco Guitar with José Jimenez "El Viejín".
