Flamenco Scale Picado Exercises in Phrygian Dominant

Flamenco technique on the Phrygian dominant scale

The right hand makes the flamenco sound:
picado, tremolo, thumb and arpeggio, all on one scale.

Flamenco guitarists play their scale runs, melodies and arpeggios mostly in E and A, over the harmony of the flamenco mode. The exercises on this page use E Phrygian dominant, the scale behind that sound, so the left hand stays in familiar shapes while the right hand learns the technique.

Under every tab the letters give the right-hand fingers: p thumb, i index, m middle, a ring. Every exercise is original and has its own player with Loop and Tempo; the Key menu moves it to any key, and the player on top holds all twelve.

Picado exercises: index and middle alternating

Single notes, i m i m, never two strokes in a row with the same finger:
first on one string, then across two.

Picado is the flamenco scale run, played by alternating the index and middle fingers, usually with rest strokes for a full, clear tone. Keep the alternation going even when you cross strings: that is where most players repeat a finger without noticing.

Picado on the 1st string

E F G# A and back on the high E string: the right hand only alternates.

E|0-1-4-5-4-1-0-1-4-5-4-1-0-1-4-0-|
B|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|

Picado in groups of four

Four-note groups that climb one step at a time on the 2nd and 1st strings.

E|----4-5---4-5-7-4-5-7-8-5-4-----|
B|5-6-----6-------------------6-5-|
G|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|

Picado across two strings

Three-note groups on the G and B strings, crossing on a different finger each time.

E|--------------------------------|
B|----0-1---0-1-3-0-1-3-5-1-0-----|
G|1-2-----2-------------------2-1-|
D|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|

Flamenco tremolo, p i a m i

A bass note with the thumb, then one treble note four times:
the melody seems to ring without stopping.

Flamenco tremolo plays five strokes per group, p i a m i, where classical tremolo usually plays four, p a m i. Keep the four treble notes even in volume and time; the melody lives in them, the bass only marks the beat.

Tremolo melody on the 1st string

G# A G# F E over a moving bass.

E|--4-4-4-4---5-5-5-5---4-4-4-4---1-1-1-1---0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0---|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------0-----------------------------------------|
A|----------0-------------------0-------------------------------|
E|0---------------------------------------0---------0---------0-|

Tremolo melody on the 2nd string

F E D C on the B string, F in the bass under C, home on the open B.

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--6-6-6-6---5-5-5-5---3-3-3-3---1-1-1-1---1-1-1-1---0-0-0-0---|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------0---------0-------------------------------|
E|0---------0-----------------------------1---------0---------0-|

Tremolo with a falling bass

Melody and bass falling together through A, G#, F and E.

E|--5-5-5-5---4-4-4-4---1-1-1-1---0-0-0-0---1-1-1-1---0-0-0-0---|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------3-----------------------------------------|
A|0---------------------------------------3---------------------|
E|----------4-------------------0-------------------0---------0-|

Thumb melodies and the road to alzapua

The thumb alone on the bass strings, with rest strokes:
the strong, round sound under every flamenco melody.

Alzapua uses the thumb in both directions, down and up, mixing melody notes and chord strokes in a pattern of three. Before that pattern, the thumb needs to play clean melodies on its own. These three exercises use only downstrokes, resting on the next string after each note.

Thumb climb over three strings

From the open low E up to F on the 4th string and back to D.

E|----------------------|
B|----------------------|
G|----------------------|
D|------------0-2-3-2-0-|
A|------0-2-3-----------|
E|0-1-4-----------------|

Thumb rest strokes on the 5th and 4th strings

Eighth notes, each stroke landing on the next string.

E|----------------------------|
B|----------------------------|
G|----------------------------|
D|------0-2-3-2-0-------------|
A|0-2-3-----------3-2-0-------|
E|----------------------4-1-0-|

Thumb melody over the low E pedal

The open low E between every melody note: the thumb jumps over and back.

E|----------------------------|
B|----------------------------|
G|--------------2-------------|
D|--2---3---6-------6---3---2-|
A|----------------------------|
E|0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|

Arpeggio patterns on the E and F chords

Thumb on the bass, fingers on the treble strings:
the bII to I move of the scale in every group.

These arpeggios use the E and F shapes of open position, the half step that closes every flamenco cadence. p i m a goes up, a m i p comes down, and p a m i prepares the hand for tremolo.

Arpeggio p i m a on E and F

Thumb, index, middle, ring up the E and F shapes.

E|------0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0---|
B|----0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0-----|
G|--1-------1-------2-------2-------2-------1-------|
D|--------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------|
E|0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0-------0-|

Reverse arpeggio a m i p

The same shapes from the top string down to the bass.

E|0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0-------|
B|--0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0-----|
G|----1-------1-------2-------2-------2-------1---|
D|------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------|
E|------0-------0-------1-------1-------1-------0-|

Arpeggio p a m i

The bass, then ring, middle and index down the treble strings.

E|--0-------0-------1-------0-------4-------0-------|
B|----0-------0-------1-------0-------5-------0-----|
G|------1-------2-------2-------1-------4-------1---|
D|----------------0---------------------------------|
A|--------0-----------------------------------------|
E|0-----------------------0-------0-------0-------0-|

Rasgueado over the Phrygian dominant chords

Strumming with the fingers flicking out one after another:
practise it on the chords of the scale, not on single notes.

In rasgueado the fingers of the right hand flick out from a closed fist, little finger, ring, middle and index in turn, so one strum becomes a roll. Practise it on the E and F chords of the scale, then on the I bII I vamp: the chord progressions page has a player for every progression in this scale.

A daily flamenco technique plan

Fifteen minutes, one exercise of each kind,
slow first, then five BPM faster every few days.

Play one picado, one tremolo, one thumb and one arpeggio exercise each day, three minutes each, at a tempo where every note is even. Loop them in the players. Spend the last three minutes on rasgueado over the E and F chords. Change the exercises every week.