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Vicente Amigo's Alegria por Baile
We're all no doubt familiar with the "classic" algeria accompaniment for baile (dance): big chords and rasgueado alternating between E major and B7, with the odd A thrown in. It's clear; it's solid; it's correct. And I'm not going to knock it (I use it a lot myself). But what do you do when a dancer or a singer tells you to put more "space" in it? Where do you leave notes/chords/entire progressions out? (And how do you make sure the bottom doesn't fall out as a result?)
Well I'm no master at this, so I'm hesitant to offer advice. But this guy--Vicente Amigo--is a master at it and this video has some beautiful examples of sparse and "space-filled" playing. Even though he "steps back" a lot, he's still Vicente, so some of this is crazily technical. But much of it is just the right note in just the right place, which isn't "technical," per se, but something you have to learn to listen for all the same. Another thing I like about this vid is that the percussionists play a clear and "straight" compás just about all the way through, so if you need to count to figure out what Vicente's doing (and it's not a bad idea!), you can use this as a point of reference.
So what do you do with a gem like this? I come back to it evey now and then and work on picking out some particularly tastely syncopation or change, then try to work it into my own playing. Of course, you can also just sit back and enjoy--it's not hard to do!
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