About Alegras

Alegras is the best known form in a family of lively, vibrant songs known as Cantias.

Cantias developed during the Peninsular War in the early 19th Century when Spanish
partisans gathered on the Atlantic coast near Cdiz to launch the first attacks against
Napoleon. The music of Cdiz blended with jotas from Aragn, and the Cantias and its
variations were born: Cantias, Alegras, Mirabrs, Caracoles and Romeras. The
Alegras has emerged as the most popular version of the song.

Alegras is a fairly simple song form and its major tonality is familiar to anyone raised on
Western music. However, it is also one of the most complicated dance forms in flamenco,
with numerous sections and changes in tempo, mode and phrase structure.

Form

The Alegras form isn't fixed. It changes depending on whether it's being performed by a
dancer, a singer or a solo guitarist.

When sung, Alegras consists of one to four letras, each with three or four 8-syllable
lines. One distinguishing characteristic of the cante por Alegras is the familiar 'ti ri ti ti
tran tran tran" refrain in which the singer imitates the sound of a guitar.

When danced, Alegras can become much more complicated, particularly in a concert
setting. Danced, an Alegras would always include letras, or sections where letras should
be, whether or not there is a singer accompanying dancers. It will also include one or
more escobillas, sections that are devoted to footwork, and a silencio, a slow dramatic
section in which the guitarist plays a traditional theme in a minor key. See For
Dancers below for a complete description of the dance form of the Alegras.

A solo guitarist can imitate all or none of the forms Alegras takes when sung or danced.
A solo guitar Alegras will, however, retain Alegras' essential comps and harmony, and
will often include the same falsetas and phrases the guitarist plays when accompanying
singers or dancers.

Comps

Alegras has a 12-count comps with accents on 12, 3, 6 (or 7), 8, and 10. To get the feel of
this pattern, try this exercise we do with our students, clapping out comps patterns with
alternating accents on 6 and 7.

V V V V V V V VV V
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

As with the Buleras, there is no hard and fast rule about when to accent beat 6 or 7 in a
given piece. Listen to the samples, and any other alegras you can get your hands on, and
 you'll hear that there are musical and rhythmical reasons for accenting one or the other at
any given moment. For example, because the chord changes in many letras falls on beat 6,
it's common to accent count 6 in letras.

For the letras, the phrases and count starts on beat 1. During the silencio, llamadas for
dancers, and the escobillas, the start is also beat 1. Like the Sola por Buleras, count 12 is
an important beat, as most dancers use it as the starting point for choreographic
sequences. See For Dancers, below for more information on this.

Palmas

The standard palmas for Alegras is:

V VV V V V V VV V VV V
12 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10+ 11+

For Dancers
Here is a description of the overall form of an Alegras when danced in a concert or tablao. Not all performances will
include all of these sections, but these are all the sections you can expect to see.
Entrada/Salida Entrance, often peformed to a guitar falseta or to the
singers entrance (salida) ti ri ti tran, tran...
Llamada The dancer's call starting on count 1, indicating that a
new section is about to begin. This can be a long
sequence of footwork or just one or two sets of comps
(12 or 24 counts). This is also the cue for the singer's
entrance.
Letra The verse sung by the cantaor/a. This is approximately 7
to 12 sets of comps long. The dancer can extend
the letra sections by adding choreography at the end of
the song. The dancer can also cue for more letras by
completing the first letra with a finish - a remate - and
add an initiation cue - a llamada - to cue the singer. by
incl
First Escobilla The first extended footwork section. The dancer displays
virtuosic footwork here while the guitar plays a
standardized arpeggio pattern. The singer doesn't usually
sing during an escobilla.
This builds to a subda, two or more sets of comps in
which the dancer builds to a climax.
Silencio This is a traditional 6-12 comps falseta performed by the
guitarist. The music is slow and in the parallel minor key.
The dancer interprets the music, usually in a lyrical rather
than percussive manner. The final comps moves back to
the major key and the original tempo, leading to
the castellana.
Castellana This is a combination footwork/remate section that leads
away from the silencio into an escobilla. Usually 4 comps
long, the singer sings the traditional 'tiriti tran tran tran"
or a shortened verse. This generally ends with one or
more sets of comps for the remate. This section is not
always performed, but is often included a completely
traditional version of the dance.

Second Escobilla/Seco This footwork section is often performed a palo seco,

where the guitar acts as a rhythm instrument as the
guitarist strums muted strings. The dancer can establish
the tempo with palmas and traveling steps for two or
more comps, and will continue on to perform many
intricate footwork variations.
Third Escobilla The guitar returns with traditional escobilla music while
the dancer performs more intricate footwork variations.

Cambio The traditional escobilla starts on count 1 of the comps

while the Buleras de Ca'i, the closing section, starts on
beat 12. In the cambio section, the guitarist and dancer
move the accent structure to beat 12 to segue into the
buleras.
Buleras de Ca'i Buleras de Cdiz - Buleras de Ca'i - is performed as a
finale/remate for the entire dance. The singer sings the
traditional buleras de Ca'i in a major key. This section
For Guitarists
Guitarists can find Alegras daunting at first. There are so many sections and
so few chords. Accompanying the letras is largely a matter of listening. Often,
the only chords are E and B7 (or A and E7 or C and G7, etc.). With practice,
you'll be able to hear the chord changes implied in the way singers
emphasize chord tones in the melody.
Meanwhile, practice these one- and two-comps patterns to get the feel of
accompanying Alegras.

1) Chord changes on 3 and 10 as in the lamada

E B7 E
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

2) Chord changes on 10, often used to accompany marking steps

E B7 EE
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

3) Chord changes on 6, common in letras

E B7 E E
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011

While accompanying cante involves knowing how to respond to the music of the moment,
the escobilla and the silencio are traditional or composed passages. Guitarists need an
escobilla and a silencio or two under their belt to be able to accompany dancers.
A traditional silencio.
A traditional escobilla.

Sample Cante
Here is a sample of a traditional letra.

Con mi nio/a passando When I'm out walking with my girl/guy

Cada vez que voy a Cdiz Every time I go to Cadiz
Con mi nio/a passando All of the mermaids of the seaport
Todas las sirenas del puerto Suddenly emerge, dancing!
Que salen de pronto tocando

Mi barca marinera
Tiene dos velas My ship has two sails
Una me lleva cielo, Ay! One takes me to heaven
La otra a tu vela the other envelopes you.
Alegria Accompaniment
The word alegrias is commonly translated as happiness or merriment and, as
you might expect, it is typically played at an upbeat tempo and in a major key
(usually A or E). As with the previous article in this series on Sevillanas, the goal
of this article is both to help you understand the overall structure of alegrias and
to help you learn how to tailor it to the needs of your playing situation. While the
alegrias does not have a rigid structural formula like the sevillana, it does have
relatively distinct song parts which, in more traditional arrangements, are often
assembled in a predictable order.

This Arrangement
Some of the more common flamenco textsthose by Don Pohren and Robin
Totten, for exampleargue that alegrias is usually played in A and that an
alegrias played in E is properly called alegrias por rosas. In listening and
watching performances, and playing accompaniment myself, however, I have
found that alegrias in E major is, for dance accompaniment anyway, at least as
common as its A major cousin. One reason for this is likely the more easily
exploited range opened up by making E major the home chord. In any case,
once you start moving the capo around and using different chord forms, for
example playing your E major at the seventh fret in C form, or in the A form,
the absolute pitch key becomes less and less important.

The explanations and examples given here are concieved with dance
accompaniment in mind, but many of the same principles apply to solo
instrumental arrangements as well. If youre looking for a way to get beyond just
playing "whats on the page," this is a good place to start. In developing this
article and its accompanying score, I have used as source recordings Camarn
and Tomatitos Tus Ojillos Negros (Paris 1987), Grupo de Jos Galvns
Alegrias (Solo Comps, Alegras II y Cantias), and Chicuelos Dulce Sal
(Complces).

Authors caveat: This article inevitably represents my playing experience and the style in which
musicians and dancers in my area perform. As such, I want it to be clear that Im not presenting
this information as an absolute explanation of how alegrias works, but simply as one way (and
in my experience a common way) that it can be performed.

Structure and Comps

The basic structure of alegrias por baile (for dance) can be schematized like
this: This order draws on the Grupo de Jos Galvn Solo Comps alegrias, on my
own experience playing alegrais for Rubina Carmonas dance classes and for La
Pea Flamenca de Seattle, and from Chuck Keysers Flamenco Forms webpage.
Other sources will describe alegrias differentlythere are lots of possible ways to
conceptualize itthis is just the breakdown I feel works best with the examples
Im providing.

Intro
Copla (verse) & Falseta (guitar melody)
Footwork
Silencio
Castellana
Escobilla
Buleria
Though this is a common order for alegrias, these sections can be rearranged,
doubled, or eliminated altogether. The comps of alegrias is based in 12s and, like
sole, is accented on the 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12 beats. It can be counted like this: 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. The examples given here (and in the PDF transcription) are
blocked out in 12 beat phrases, starting on 12:

The Details
Many well intentioned sources give the structure and comps of alegrias and
seem to assume that thats enough. In order to make your own musical
interpretations build and move purposefully, however, it helps to get a sense of
how these pieces fit togetherand how, exactly, to play them. What follows is a
detailed description of each of these sections, with musical examples, that will
address both the whys and the hows of alegrias. In some cases I have included
illustrations directly in the text, but remember that all of these examples are
drawn directly from the PDF. The letters next to the section subheadings
correspond to the rehearsal letters in the PDF score.
Intro
Guitar Intro (A)
In this case Ive chosen a falseta, this one based on the falseta Tomatito plays for
Camarn on the Paris 1987 album. You could also play a traditional four comps
marking progression that moves through the basic alegrias chords (as well see
an example of this progression later in the footwork rehearsal letter L), or begin
your alegrias with the temple (as well see next!).

Temple (B)
The temple is traditionally the cante (singing) intro, usually a melodic string of
nonsense syllables, most commonly Tirititrn tran tran. In this arrangement
the temple section is four compses of alegria rhythmic marking with some
melodic variations. For an instrumental or accompaniment arrangement, this
temple could also serve as an introduction. The first line of the temple provides
an example of the basic alegrias comps rhythm:

Lllamada (C)
Llamada literally means call and it is the signal to the singer, dancer, or
guitarist to take the lead. In this case, since there is no cante (singing), the
guitarist is calling him- or herself. Though this is not always necessary for a
choreographed piece, in this example it helps the musicians and dancers keep
track of where they are in the arrangement by clearly defining and delimiting the
different sections of the alegrias. In this arrangement, llamadas also help to keep
the different sections from running into each other; they allow the piece room to
breathe. In this sense, some of what Ive labeled llamada here might be more
properly termed entre-copla or marking compses; for simplicitys sake,
however, Ill risk the misnomer.

Coplas & Falseta

Copla (D)
The copla is the verse of the alegria. Even though there is no cante in this
particular arrangement, we can still use the copla chord progression to give the
alegrias some substance and a sense of movement. The copla gets us away from
simply alternating between the E and B7 chords. This first copla moves through
the base alegrias chords (E, B7, A) and is played to a traditional alegrias rhythm,
echoing the rhythm used in the intro falseta. In the second copla well see some
rhythmic and chord variations that can be used to make this basic pattern more
interesting.

Llamada (E)
As discussed in C above, the llamada here is more of an articulation from one
section to another than a call properly speaking. When used as a transition in
this way, the llamada still ends on the ten countand still closes the musical
phrasebut it also leads into the next section. More open, legato, rhythm playing
(versus abrupt contratiempo) will help to achieve this effect.

Parts F through I can be thought of as variations of the copla/llamada structure

seen above and can be used to give length and variety to an accompanimentor
eliminated, as you see fit.

Falseta (F)
This falseta is based on a passage Chicuelo plays in Dulce Sal. The main part (or
theme) of the falseta is four compses long and is followed by a two comps
remate (rematecomes from the verb rematar, to finish (something); in this
case its the tying off or finishing of the falseta). Again, the opening rhythm of the
falseta echos the traditional alegrias rhythm weve used in the introduction and
first copla.
Llamada (G) (cf. E above)
Second Copla (H)
This copla follows the same basic structure as the first copla, but introduces three
new elements to give the progression we started with above a whole different feel:

Syncopation: Instead of accenting the 12, 3, 6, 8, and 10 beats, here we can play
around those beats in order to. When syncopation is done well, it highlights the
underlying comps and in a way provides a new point of view on it. In order to
pull this off, however, you must, as a guitarist, always know where the comps is
and where you are in it. You should be able to tap out the comps with your foot
while playing a syncopated passage.
Alternate chord positions: The first and second compses of this copla are both
hanging out on the E major chord, but the chords are played in different
positions, which gives them a different feel. During the first comps, the open
position E major is played, but only on the three highest strings. For the second
comps, the E moves up to the seventh fret, here played in the C form (i.e. the
form you would use if you were playing an open C major chord). You can also
play the E major in an A form at the seventh fretor in the D form at the
ninth fret, or the G form at the twelfth (which is, however, pretty hard to grab!).
By moving your chord positions around, you not only get different sounding
chords, but youre also presented with different ways to ornament them by
grabbing the notes that the various forms put in reach.

Passing chords: When moving from the second to the third comps in this copla,
we pass through a C#7 (beat 3, bar 103) and an F#m7 (bars 104 and 105) in
order to get to the B7. E major to B7 is still the base progression, but the passing
chords give that simple movement more color. Passing chords are typically
(though not always) the seven chord one string lower (an inverted fourth) than
the chord at which you eventually want to arrive. When to use passing chords
and how long to stay on themis largely a matter of taste. Too many passing
chords and the underlying chord structure starts to get lost; not enough and you
find yourself repeating the same three chords over and over. Experiment to find
out what works best for your particular style.
Llamada (I) (cf. E above)
Footwork
Subida (J)
Subir means literally to rise or to wind up. In the subida, the dancer will
build his or her footwork both in intensity and in tempo. For the guitarist, the
subida generally starts at or slightly below the main tempo of the piece and
begins relatively softly. As it progresses, it gets faster and louder.

Desplante (K)
The desplante marks a break in the dance, generally at the high point or climax
(though not necessarily the end) of a footwork section. The dancer will signal the
desplante by raising his or her arms and taking a step or two backwards. While
the standard alegrias chords and comps will work with the desplante, a more
dramatic (and traditional) accompaniment is given here. These chords pass
through the A, breaking up the regular chord sequence, and accent the 7, 9, and
11 (i.e. play in contratiempo) during the first comps. The chords and comps
resolve as the dancer finishes his or her desplante, and the toque (guitar playing)
returns to the base comps.

Footwork (L)
Here the toque marks four compses of the basic alegrias progression while the
dancer performs his or her footwork. As with much of alegrias this section can be
stretched or compressed depending on what your dancer has in store. As
mentioned above (cf. A), this progression could also be used to introduce your
alegrias.

Cierre (M)
The cierre is the close of a section of song or dance. The cierre shown here has
more of a modern feel and is the variety used in the Grupo de Jos Galvn
alegrias. The first comps plays like a llamada, but the second comps is more
heavily syncopated and moves to the E major sooner, closing definitively on the
ten count. (Well see a more traditional cierre following the castellana at rehearsal
letter R.)

Silencio
Silencio (sencillo) (N)
Sencillo means single and refers to the most common form of silenciowhich
spans six compses. Silencio, of course, translates as silence, though rest
assuredwere not talking about total silence here, but rather the silence of the
singer. In fact, the silencio is typically a place where the spotlight (so to speak) is
on the toque.

The silencio sencillo is traditionally played much slower than the rest of the
alegrias and in a minor key, as is transcribed here. The silencio Ive arranged for
this score is adapted from the Grupo de Jos Galvn alegrias and, again, has a
more modern feel:
Many silencios resolve after six compses, upon which the guitarist moves on to
the next section in his or her alegrias. The traditional silencio can, however, be
extended another four compses by the doble.

Silencio (doble) (O)

The doble is even less common than the silencio sencillo, but is a good way to add
more texture and variety to your alegrias. The doble Ive transcribed here is
mostly arpeggio, but the doble can easily include more picado passages or chord
variations. The traditional doble is four compses long and is played in the same
major key as the rest of the alegrias.

Notice that the last comps of the doble accelerates in order to bring the tempo
back up to alegrias speed by the end of the silencio. Another alternative is to use
the next section (a llamada, for example) to pick up the pace.

Castellana
Llamada (P) (cf. E above)
Paseo Castellano (Q)
The Castellana is, again, a section that some say is becoming extinct, but, as with
the silencio, it still hangs on in some circles (and in Solo Comps recordings). As
youll notice in the score, the guitar part for the castellana is not much different
than the standard alegrias toque, such as you would play for footwork. What sets
the castellana off from other sections is primarily the cante (singing) and baile
(i.e. the way it is dancedpaso is a step or a series of steps).
Cierre (R)
The cierre given here is of the more traditional variety. Ive placed this cierre here
because the castellana is a more traditional element of alegrias, though this
cierre and the cierre above (cf. rehearsal letter M) are interchangeable.

Escobilla
Escobilla (S)
Escobilla literally means broom. The section takes its name from the
brushing/shuffling step dancers use at times during the escobilla. This section,
like the subida, often begins slowly and accelerates as the footwork builds. While
escobilla toque, like much of the alegrias, is open to interpretation, the
arpeggiated forms of E major and B7 are the most common accompaniment.
Even given this minor constraint, however, the escobilla still offers lots of room
for interpretation and embellishment. Each escobilla phrase is typically two
compses long:

Following this initial phrase are four examples of different ways the escobilla can
be played, all of which might be played in turn in any given section of footwork.
An escobilla section may be much longer than is written here. Likewise, sections
of escobilla may be punctuated by llamadas or interspersed in other sections.

Llamada (or Ida) (T)

In the example given here, the escobilla is tied off with a llamada before the song
transitions into buleras. In very old styles of alegrias, this is where the ida would
go. I feel secure in saying, however, that this is one part of alegrias that is resting
cozily in permanent retirement.

Buleria
Buleria de Cadz (U)
Like many flamenco forms, the alegrias often ends by shifting to a lighter song
form, in this case buleria de Cadz. Buleria de Cadz is, of course, played to the
same comps as any other buleria, but the chords are in the key of E major. As
you transition to buleria you will want to both increase your tempo and change
the aire of your playing. Even though youre still moving (with passing chords)
between E major and B7, whereas in alegrias the chord change typically happens
on count ten of the comps, in buleria the chords typically change on the twelve
count. Cierre (or desplante) (V) The final cierre transcribed here is another more
modern innovation to alegrias (borrowed from the Solo Comps track). One
could also (and equally as well) make the final close with a desplante or either
cierre shown above.

Interpretation and Solo Guitar

As I stated at the beginning of this article, a good alegrias accompaniment may
contain all or only a few of these elements, either in this order or in some other
order that makes better sense to the dancers and musicians involved. The
important part, of course, is that there is some sense to the arrangement, that it
builds meaningfully in some way, and that musicians and dancers are able to use
the form to say something.

Basically, the goal is to get away from simply playing notes or falsetas and instead
play the form. This is why learning how to accompany other flamencos is
important to learning to play solo flamenco guitar: flamenco is by nature an
ensemble art form; an accomplished flamenco guitar player will be able to evoke
flamenco cante and baile, even when there are no singers or dancers present. This
intuitionalong with staying in comps, of courseis a key element in the
difference between playing nice music inspired by flamenco and actually playing
flamenco.
In the next part of this series on dance accompaniment, well explore the sole.
Sole is considered by many to be the "mother of all flamenco forms." Although it
is much less structured than either sevillanas or alegiras, sole is also made up of
particular forms and structures which, once understood, offer unique
opportunities for creativity and individual expression.