Someone sent a PM asking if I know of a good Zambra tutorial. I don't, but I also haven't tried to find one. I learned mostly just from listening carefully to recordings that I like and then finding how to replicate what I was hearing. That method can take a lot more time than following a good tutorial, but the extra work involved in discovering how to play something on my own seems to reinforce what I eventually learn, so that I remember it better. There also is a certain sense of accomplishment that doesn't exist where someone else shows the way. (The method also is consistent with the stubbornness most men have about things like refusing to ask for directions when we are lost - or even admitting that we are lost.)

Even though I don't know of a tutorial that could take someone who knows nothing about playing Zambras to playing well, I did remember seeing this Juan Serrano introductory video that could at least help someone get started.

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-Bob

Perfect Bob ... that is exactly the help I was hoping to find to get started.

Fernandez

Yes, the Serrano one is a good video for getting the basics with lots of sound and feel. Zamba is one that can be simplified using the E6th tuned to D, then alternating using 6th string as D and 4th D, then the melody can be played by using just the 1st string to keep it simple or you can also use the 2nd and 3rd to keep from changing positions as much. I like the E tuning because it comes to me more natural to play the E then ligato to D# for the basic Moorish feel on the rhythm and also use octaves on the melody. Lots of fun palo to mess with and be improvisational. Here is a video using octaves with E tuning much as I do. I use an alternating im on the E1st string (as Serrano does) which I think sounds better than the single note as shown in this video.