Below lists a glossary of common flamenco terms along with the term definition.
| Term |
Definition |
| Arpegio/Arpeggio |
Technique for playing the guitar where chord notes are played sequentially with each finger (p, i, m, a) as opposed to the same time like in a strum |
| Bailaora / Bailaor |
Female dancer / Male dancer |
| Baile |
Dance |
| Calo |
Language of the Spanish Gypsies |
| Cantaor |
The male singer |
| Cantaora |
The female singer |
| Cante |
The song |
| Capo |
Device you clamp onto the guitar fretboard so that the chords can be easily played in a different key without using a barre chord on the left hand. This changes the key of the open chords. |
| Cejilla |
Barre chord where the index finger is used to press down all strings and simulate a capo (ex. cejilla 5 is a barre chord at the 5th fret). A capo can also be called a cejilla. |
| Compas |
The rhythm of a song. Guitarist, singer, and dancer all follow the compas which sets the rhythm yet allows for freedom of expression within that rhythm. This is contrasted to the libre format. |
| Copla |
Similar to a verse in a song, a cante is made up of coplas |
| Duende |
The spirit or soul of inspiration |
| Entrada |
The first steps of the flamenco dancer |
| Falseta |
A melodic phrase that is inserted between chord progressions |
| Gitana / Gitano |
Female / Male gypsy |
| Golpe |
A stomp of a dancer's foot, or a tap on the face of a guitar |
| Golpeador |
The "tap plate" on the face of the guitar to protect the wood from finger tapping. It is similar to a pick guard on traditional guitars except it surrounds both sides of the sound hole. |
| Juerga |
Flamenco party focusing on music and dance |
| Libre |
A cante format (song) that does not follow a strict rhythm as in the compas |
| Ligado |
Flamenco guitar technique where the note is played using the "hammer on" of the finger to play the note on the fret, rather than plucking the string near the sound hole. Notes can be played quicker this way. |
| Palmas |
The clapping of hands to the rhythm (compas) |
| Palo |
A flamenco music style. Flamenco has many different styles.
These styles can vary by geographic origin, compas, chords, and other such elements. It is said there are over 50 different palos which include Alegrias, Fandango, Farruca, and Sevillanas. |
| Picado |
Technique for playing the guitar where the finger plays a string and then rests on the nearest adjacent string (oposite of Tirando) |
| Pulgar |
The thumb - guitar notation shows a "p" when the thumb should play the guitar string. The thumb is instrumental in the various strums played by flamencos. |
| Rasgueado |
Guitar strumming technique where all fingers brush downwards across all strings giving a rich sound |
| Sevillana |
Flamenco song structure that is renown from Seville, Andalusia. It has four parts with three coplas, where the dancers stop at the end of each copla |
| Tirando |
Guitar plucking technique where the fingers (i, m, a) play the note in an upward stroke, and do not rest on the adjacent string (opposite of picado) |
| Tanguillo |
Flamenco song that has a structure similar to the tango |
| Tocaor |
The guitarist in a flamenco group |
| Toque |
The playing of the flamenco guitar |
| Tremolo |
Guitar technique for playing the same note with increasing speed. It can be accomplished with finger plucking by alternating playing fingers rapidly (ex. i, m; a variation is a, m, i) |
| Vibrato |
Guitar technique where the fret finger presses on a string and and moves it (shakes it) to create sound variations on the same note. It adds emotion to the note and sustains it. |
