Alzapúa is a technique that uses upstrokes and downstrokes, generally in triplets or sixteenths, contrasting a melody on lower-pitched strings with rhythmic counterpoint on higher-pitched strings. Although the word alzapúa refers to today's thumb-only approach, it seems very likely that it is a 20th-century development of an earlier technique involving thumb-index-thumb triplets. The alzapúa technique is frequently used in the por medio position of A and B flat, as seen in the following examples of soleá and bulería from the art of Ramón Montoya, El Hijo de Salvador, Miguel Borrull, Niño Ricardo, Melchor de Marchena, Diego del Gastor, Sabicas, Juan Carmona, Manuel Morao, Paco de Antequera, Manuel Parrilla and Paco de Lucía.
This technique can be found in triplets on some of the earliest recordings. It seems to be the result of adding index-finger rhythmic counterpoint to the ancient style of thumbed eighth-note melodic lines (Juan Gandulla "Habichuela", for example). The bass-string melody is thumbed on the first and third notes of the triplets, usually using a rest stroke, and the index adds rhythmic counterpoint by brushing several treble strings, usually starting with the first string.
Ramón Montoya (1879-1949), sample 1. As early as 1913, Ramón Montoya was playing ideas like the one seen below, recorded with Antonio Chacón ("Solamente con mirarte"). Capo at the fifth fret. The idea is heard at 1:25.
El Hijo de Salvador recorded a very similar idea in 1922 with El Tenazas ("Correo de Vélez"). It sounds like only the thumb is used from the sixth beat onward. Capo at the eighth fret. The idea is heard at 1:48.
Ramón Montoya, sample 2. From his solo recordings, this track is titled "Bulerías por soleares." As we shall see in the following examples, this idea was later reworked by Ricardo, Sabicas, Paco de Lucía and many other players. In the example below, we can hear four falsetas over as many compases. Although they go out of time at a couple of points, they can easily be reworked and put back into compás.
For the first falseta, keep the C sharp anchored at the second fret on the second string with your fretting-hand middle finger, and use your other fingers to play the melody. Notice how the triplet drive is maintained throughout the falseta, creating the "sticky" counterpoint heard in the two-note figures over beats three to eight and at beats 10 and 12.
In the second falseta, the idea spills over to 14 beats, with the extra figures appearing in the last measure (he recorded something similar with Cepero). The note in parentheses will complete the pattern but is not actually heard on the recording.
In the third falseta, the simultaneous counterpoint and slur can be traced back to 1913 in Ramón's soleá with Chacón, "Nadie se arrime a mi cama," and also appears in his 1926 siguiriya with Cepero "Si no me vengo." A slight variation of this falseta is heard earlier in the same recording, at 0:24, and is noted below in sample 3. Notice Ramón's placement of rhythmic counterpoint in each measure: In the first two measures, counterpoint is used on the first and third beat, but in the third measure, it appears on the second beat, breaking the pattern and perfectly highlighting the accented eighth beat. Finally, he ends the remate with a D on the second string, which leads into the next falseta.
In the fourth and last compás, he pulls off on the open second string, making use of the out-of-place B natural, for a brief flash of chromaticism that vaguely echoes a falseta of Manolo de Huelva por bulerías. The idea seems to end out of time, depending on how you interpret his intentions, and the final remate seen below is only a convenient way to note the music. The index-finger counterpoint often brushes the first and second strings, but the notation below indicates only the first string. Check the slowed version to catch all the details. Capo at the third fret. The idea is heard at 1:39.
Ramón Montoya, sample 3. Taken from the same recording (0:24), this is a variation on the third falseta from sample 2. At beat three, the upstroke and slur theoretically happen at the same time, but he leads slightly with his left hand. I've spelled the C chord on beats six and eight in two different ways, but he probably used the second way for both beats.
Miguel Borrull hijo (1900-1976) recorded a simplified version of this falseta with El Cojo de Málaga in 1923. The falseta concludes in typical Borrull fashion, with a supercharged picado run. Capo at the fifth fret. The idea is heard at 0:58.
Antonio Moreno (1890-1937) was an important player from Seville and one of Ricardo's mentors. He recorded this falseta in 1933 with Pastora (he and Ricardo were the witnesses at the wedding of Pastora and Pepe Pinto that same year). Although this is part of a fandango ("Al doble de una campana") accompanied por arriba, it is very obviously a version of the falseta seen above. Antonio Moreno clearly influenced the playing of his disciple Ricardo. Capo at the sixth fret. The idea is heard at 0:35.
Niño Ricardo (1904-1972) recorded many alzapúas in triplets, especially por siguiriyas, although he used this technique far less frequently than other guitarrists. In the example below, he echoed Ramón's falseta (sample 2) in a soleá with El Gloria from 1929 (the first sung line is "Yo a la tierra solamente"). The idea is very similar to Ramón's, and the figure at the end of the first compás is identical. However, Ricardo's approach to rhythmic counterpoint involves much less brushing of adjacent strings, and the concluding falseta in the third compás is typical of his own integral approach to right- and left-hand inflection. Observe the thumb-and-index grip at beat 12 of the remate. To approach Ricardo's sound, "massage" the strings with your thumb and index, keeping them as close as possible to the strings. Capo at the fourth fret. The idea is heard at 1:59.
Melchor de Marchena (1907-1980). The p-i-p form of alzapúa reached its summit in the hands of the great Melchor de Marchena. His absolute rhythmic mastery found fertile ground in this technique, which he used constantly throughout his recording career. In the idea seen below, we can observe his brilliant use of the dramatic starts and stops that characterize his playing. In 1950, he recorded this falseta with Pastora in the soleá "Las fatigas me ahogaban." The notes in parentheses are not actually heard on the recording. Capo at the fourth fret. The idea is heard at 0:14.
Manuel Morao is a master of this style of alzapúa. Below, we can see just one example of this essential part of his playing. The sample comes from a soleá by La Perla de Cádiz ("Qué cosas dice este loco") recorded in the early 1970s. Notice the use of the thumbed rest strokes in the ascending bass occurring on the last note of one triplet and the first note of the next. As in the preceding examples, the notes in parentheses would complete the pattern but don't appear on the recording. Notice that the fingering in each of the first two measures creates a rhythmic pattern but he shifts into overdrive at the end of the falseta with a burst of sixteenth notes. Capo at the sixth fret. The idea is heard at 0:06.
Paco de Antequera's playing reflected the multifaceted approach of the guitarists of his generation, influenced by several well-developed schools. He cultivated an array of techniques and approaches including the p-i-p alzapúa and was one of just a few guitarists to carry on with this fingering. Notice how this is adapted to the sixteenth notes in the falseta seen below, in which the thumb plays all but the counterpoint. He recorded this with Terremoto in 1967 ("No sé lo que le ha dado"). Capo at the third fret. The idea is heard at 0:43.
Manuel Parrilla (1945-2009) recorded this with Tía Anica La Piriñaca in 1962 ("Qué malina era tu madre"). This technique and picado were among Manuel's strong points, especially por bulerías. Capo at the third fret. The idea is heard at 2:54.
Paco de Lucía sample 1. This falseta was taken from "Solera," his 1973 distillation of the soleá. Like Ricardo and Sabicas, he "remembered" Ramón's falseta (sample 2). His index and thumb are precise and restrained here, much like Ricardo's, with very little of the brushing of adjacent strings heard from other players. Although Paco is better known for his thumb-only alzapúas (see sample 2), he has also recorded several examples of this older variation. The oddly noted figure at beat eight is just a very fast left-hand flourish. Capo at the fourth fret. The idea is heard at 2:45.
Juan Carmona recorded this with José el de La Tomasa in 1995 ("Esta candelita lenta"). Juan has always been famous for his extensive knowledge of singing styles, sensitive accompaniment and skilful playing. His development of this thumb-and-index mechanism is unparalleled, as seen here in this falseta. Although it sounds like thumb-only alzapúa, several features clearly indicate that it is fingered p-p-i-p, such as the use of single strings (no brushing across strings), the counterpoint on the second string (omitting the third string), and the lack of slurs in the ascending bass line (impossible with the thumb-only style). Check the slowed version of the audio sample to hear these details. The remate that concludes the falseta deserves special attention. Masterful playing like this is the result of an entire life played by the guitar, and few artists with such highly developed technique have dedicated their lives to sensitive accompaniment. Capo at the sixth fret (this falseta is in the por arriba position of E-F). The idea is heard at 3:47.
The word alzapúa actually refers to the modern variation of this idea in which only the thumb is used. Although this mechanism seems to be a 20th-century development of the thumb-and-index technique used by Montoya, Melchor and Morao, it is not clear exactly how old it is or who invented it. José María Molero remembers seeing his teacher Rafael del Águila playing thumb-only alzapúas, and Juan Antonio Muñoz also remembers seeing an old guitarist using this technique. In any case, the earliest recordings of thumb-only alzapúa that I have found are those of Sabicas (using a slightly different form, see below), Diego del Gastor and Paco de Lucía.
Diego del Gastor (1908-1973) dug deeply into the alzapúa technique, looping the three-part mechanism in sixteenth-note repeating cycles (eighth-notes in the bulería transcribed below). By the early 1960s, the enigmatic gitano had reportedly developed a fluid thumb-only approach to alzapúa. The mechanism consists of a single bass note played in a rest stroke, followed by a downstroke and an upstroke with the thumb, brushing across several strings (bass, brush down, brush up). Although it is best kept to a minimum, a bit of forearm rotation adds rhythmic drive. According to Paco del Gastor, Diego played both types of alzapúa (rotating forearm and forearm kept still). The following falseta comes from an untitled bulería recorded around 1967 with Fernanda de Utrera. Remember, this is a bulería, unlike the slower soleás (twice as slow) seen in the other examples. It starts on beat 12 in the pickup measure. Capo at the third fret. The idea is heard at 4:57.
Sabicas (1912-1990) often played a kind of alzapúa that replaces the index in the p-i-p fingering with a thumb upstroke (brush down, brush up, bass). He kept his striking hand and forearm relatively still, plowing through groups of strings with his powerful thumb, producing a characteristic sound: The single bass note is now heard as a brushing of several strings, and the clear first-string counterpoint of the p-i-p style is converted into several voices that, with the upstroke of the thumbnail, are harsher in tone and take place on string sets that are closer to those of the bass line. The falseta below is from his bulerías por soleá "Ecos Jerezanos" from the 1963 album "Flamenco Puro." Notice that, although he has reworked the voicings to fit his striking-hand fingering, he is essentially playing a variation on Ramón's idea, seen above in sample 2. He adds a tap at every beat, which I have not represented here in order to improve readability, although I've tried to indicate every note actually heard on the recording. If you're not obsessed with imitating Sabicas' playing note-for-note, just look for the general idea contained in the falseta below. Capo at the fifth fret. The idea is heard at 1:29.
Paco de Lucía, sample 2. Paco has always played excellent thumb-only alzapúas, and he is one of the developers of this style. The example seen below is also from "Solera." The quintuplet figure at the third beat is unusual. It is interesting to note that, since his first recordings, he has used both kinds of alzapúa, recording both styles within the same track on several occasions ("La Tumbona" is a recent example). Capo at the fourth fret. The idea is heard at 2:07.
Today's players have taken the alzapúa technique to new heights. Although the ancient thumb-and-index technique is rarely heard today, the thumb-only version has become a very highly developed tool for expressing the driving nature of certain moments in flamenco. The preceding examples offer ways in which the ternary (three parts) alzapúa mechanism can be made quaternary (four parts), or binary (two parts) in the case of Diego's bulerías: slurring on the same bass string (Morao), adding another bass string (Paco de Antequera), or "looping" the fingering into changing patterns (Diego).
The falseta seen below is a very basic example of a modern approach and echoes the ideas of Pepe Habichuela, Paco de Lucía and many others. It starts with an eighth rest and uses rest strokes for the single bass notes. Notice how the brushing at beat eight takes place on the second and third strings, following the fourth-string rest stroke. The slurs require firm left-hand articulation and coordination of striking and fretting hands to create a smooth melodic line, particularly the "false" slur onto the fifth string, third fret.
