Flamenco Chord Voicings

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Flamenco Chord Voicings www.armoniamoderna.com

José Antonio Pérez Álvarez Page 1

Flamenco Chord Voicingswww.armoniamoderna.comJosé Antonio Pérez Álvarez

© October 2012

1. Flamenco chord voicings.2. Flamenco keys.2.1. E phrygian key, “por arriba”.2.2. A phrygian key, “por medio”.2.3. F# phrygian key, “ dos por arriba” or “por Levante”.2.4. B phrygian key, “dos por medio” or “por Granainas”.2.5. G# phrygian key, “cuatro por arriba” or “por mineras”.2.6. C# phrygian key, “cuatro por medio”.

2.7. D# phrygian key, “seis por medio”.


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1. Flamenco chord voicings.

The Jazz harmony comes from piano and wind instrument like saxophone, but Flamencoharmony comes from guitar, like Brasilian and Blues, therefore the tonalities and the vocings

more used are different. Although the tonal phenomenom is the same, there are anotheraesthetic issues that conforms each style.

The Flamenco voicings are restricted to another rules, normaly, the upper structure ismixed with lower structure, forming clusters. When a tension is forming cluster with a chord notecan be formalized with ADD sign and a number less than seven. In Flamenco poliphony almostalways the melody is in the bottom voice, and top voice is a pedal note. Most of Flamencomelodies are based on A-G-F-E, that are the fundamental notes of the Andalousian Cadence.The melody itself induces harmonize from the bottom voice with Andalousian Cadence in thePhrygian tonality. This is something that has been extrapolated to the rest of Flamenco, and itcan be heard in the other tonalites.

The open strings are very important to Flamenco sound, and usually an open string is a

pedal note in the cadence. The Flamenco sound does not accept soft and smooth chords likeCMaj7, in any case should be C/B or CMaj7/E, it needs complex chords with deep sound,otherwise it is preferably a simple triad. In Flamenco style C7b9 is not a usefull chord, butCaddb2/bB is one of the most important.

In Flamenco style avoid notes do not exist, the voicing is a matter of taste. It is acosequence of the downward harmonic continuity in Riemann sense, it is not because it be adescending cadence. And of course, it is not because Andaluosian Cadence is a modal system,it is completly tonal.

Am G F E

Am7add2,4,b6 G7add2,4,6 FMaj7add2,#4,6 Eaddb2,4,b6/b7IVm7 bIII7 bIIMaj7 I/b7

p p p VII p VII 7 I bVI+ IVm bVI Im bIII Vº bVIIm bII bVIIm Vº IIIº I


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2. Flamenco keys.

It is necessary to review all the habitual tonalities to know each possibilities, and the mostcommon voicings. They do not must be studied from key, since the "cejilla" allows to change it.The Flamenco keys must be studied from voicing, voicing and pedal notes define the colour in

absolute way, no in relative. The seven keys used in Flamenco are the keys that contain thenatural E note, evidently the first open string is the pedal note always. It should know what noteof the key is each open string. Out of key notes have interest too.

Phrygian key

String E D# C# B A G# F#E 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

B 5 b6 b7 1 2 b3 4G b3 3 #4 b6 b7 7 b2D b7 7 b2 b3 4 b5 b6A 4 b5 b6 b7 1 b2 b3E 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

Relative major key

String C B A G F E DE 3 4 5 6 7 1 2

B 7 1 2 3 #4 5 6G 5 b6 b7 1 2 b3 4D 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 1A 6 b7 1 2 3 4 5E 3 4 5 6 7 1 2

Relative minor key

String A G# F# E D C# BE 5 b6 b7 1 2 b3 4

B 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 1G b7 7 b2 b3 4 b5 b6D 4 b5 b6 b7 1 b2 b3A 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7E 5 b6 b7 1 2 b3 4


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2.1. E phrygian key, “por arriba”.

The E phrygian (RMS) key is the most common in Flamenco, is the relative key of Cmajor and A minor. The pedal note of these voicings is the tonic note that is in the open firststring, the open second string can be pedal note as prefect fifth in the key. The E phrygian key

is the most common "por Soleá" and “por Fandangos”.

Am7add2 Asus2addb6 Dmadd2/F D9/F# G7add13 G7add2,13

2 3

2 3

4

12

3

3

4

1

2

3 4

2 3

4

1

1 2

3

1

2

3

C7add2 C/Bb FMaj7add#4 F7add#4 Eaddb2 Esusb2add4

2

3 4

1

2

3 41

2

3

1 2

3 4

1


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2.2. A phrygian, “por medio”.

The A phrygian key is another of most used in Flamenco, is the relative phrygian key of Fmajor and D minor keys. The pedal note is the first open string as the perfect fifth of the key.Bb7 and Gm6 are common substitutions of Bb, the second degree bII of the key. The A

phrygian key is the most common "por Seguiriyas" and "Soleá por Bulerías".

Gm6 Bbadd#4 Bbadd#4/Ab Bb9#11/F Aaddb2 Asusb2/G

1 2

33 4

1

3

4

1

2

3

1

2

1 1

1 2 31

2

3

1

4

Dmadd2/F Dsus2addb6 G7add13 C7add2 C9 Gmadd6

3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4

1

3 4

1

2

3

4

1

2

3 4


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2.3. F# phrygian, “ dos por arriba” or “por Levante”.

The F# phrygian key is the relative phrygian key of D major and B minor keys. It is themost common key in the "Cantes de Levante", it includes Tarantas, Cartageneras, Levanticas,Mineras and Tarantos. The pedal note is the first open string as the minor seventh of the key.

These "Palos Flamencos" have their origin in the Fandango, thereby most of musical form iscomposed in D major key, making use of diatonic substitutions and secondary dominants, andan Andalousian Cadence in last section in relative F# phrygian key. The most famous Flamencochord F#sus4addb2 belongs to this key.

D9/A D9/F# G7add13 G7add#4,13 G/F F#7sus4addb2

1

3 4

3

4

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2 32

4

2

1

DMaj9add4 F#7 Bmadd2b6 E7 A7 A7/G

3

4

1

3

2

1

3

1

2

1

4

4

1

2 32

3

1

2

1 1


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2.4. B phrygian, “dos por medio” or “por Granainas”.

The B phrygian key is the relative phrygian key of G major and E minor keys, and is thekey of Granainas. Granainas comes from Fandango, therefore the most of musical form iscomposed in G major key, and in the last section has a Andalusian Cadence to the relative

phrygian tonic. The pedal note is the open first string as the fourth of the key.

Emadd2 E7 Amadd2 D9/F# D9/A Gadd13

3

2

1

1

3

2

3

1IV

4

2

1

4

32

1

4

1

2

G7 CMaj7add#4 C/Bb Bsus4addb2 Badd4 Badd4

1

3

2

3

1

4

3

1

4

21

3 1

2

VI

4332

1

4


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2.5. G# phrygian, “cuatro por arriba” or “por mineras”.

The G# phrigian key si the relative phrigian key of E major and C# minor keys. It is called"por Mineras", but really the Mineras are in F# phrigian key. Some Flamenco guitarrists havemade contributions to this key and they call it in this way. The pedal note is E in the first open

string as the minor sixth.

C#m7add2/G# C#madd2,4 F#madd4 Badd2,4 B7add11/F# Eadd2

21 31

3 42 2

3

4

2

1IV

1

42 31

4

2 3

1

4

2

E7 Aadd2 A7add#4 A/G G#addb2 G#/F#

4

21

1

2

2

1

3

1

2

1 1

4

1 1 1

2

1 1 1


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2.6. C# phrygian key, “cuatro por medio”.

The C# phrygian key is the relative phrygian key of A major and F# minor keys. Thepedal note is the open first string as the minor third of the key, although it is not usal with thetonic first degree.

F#m7add4 B7/F# F7add#4 Eadd2 Aadd2 A7add2

1 32 3

1

42

21

3 4

3

1 21

4

1

4

3

A7add2,13 Dadd2/F# D9/F# D C#addb2 C7susb2

1

3

4

1 3

4

2 2

1

3

4

1 1

4

2

1 1

4

2 1

4

3

IV


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2.7. D# phrygian, “seis por medio”.

The D# phrigian key si the relative phrigian key of B major and G# minor keys. The pedalnote is E in the first open string as the minor second.

G#m7addb6 C#m7add2/G# C#m7add2 F#9sus4 B7add11/F# B9add11

3 42

1

3 42 2 2

1

3 4

1

2 3

1

42 3

1

432

Eadd2 E/G# Eadd2 E7add#4 D#addb2/Fx D#addb2/A#

4

2

1

1

3

4

2

1

2

1

3 4

VI

1 2

1

4

2

3

1

3

4

2

1

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Flamenco Chord Voicings