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Toque is the answer to cante's question. It is the paintbrush
of flamenco and colours the cante through the fingers of the guitarist, never
blurring the outlines or disrespecting the artist's moods. It is the poetry of
the fingers that are the cart to cante's ox; drawn rather than leading and guided
by the cante's path. In flamenco hands it is a response rather than a command,
and ever a faithful servant to the voice.
Jim Morris (England)
Toque is the breath of air a cante needs during a suspiro. Its arpeggios are
like water, trickling or pouring down. The gritty sound of the strings hitting
the fretboard represents la tierra... it is raw and course. Its intensity while
following the dance is like fire, spreading rapidly through your veins.
Benavidez (the United States)
Toque is the instrumental accompaniment to the feeling of freedom, first turned
into voice and dancing.
Diana Murillo (Colombia)
Toque refers to guitar playing whether it is accompaniment to cante and baile
or as a solo.
Rumin Solis Manayan (Philippines)
Toque is the food of the cantaor and the muse of the bailaor.
Alexis (Argentina)
Toque is the faithful, inseparable companion of cante and dancing; together
they set flamenco ablaze without putting it out.
Janet V. Palacios Ccesa (Peru)
Toque, objectively, is making the strings of a guitar sound in certain styles;
and, subjectively, making those delivered notes touch the sensitivity of those
who listen to them.
Adrián Mendoza (Spain)
Toque enriched cante. In the beginning the tocaores were always for the benefit
of and help to the cantaor, giving him a rest... but, starting with its such a
direct expression, a new genre is born, instrumental flamenco, which goes on contributing
enormous changes to guitar technique in general.
Eric van Santen (Holland)
Toque is hidden cante, which both wounds the soul and makes men dream.
João Tomás (Portugal)
Toque means a different way of understanding the guitar. Its main feature is
the use of rests and the percussive nature of its dynamics. Its basic harmony
is simple and accompanies the cantaor by placing a nut for the change in key (at
the top, in the middle or at the bottom), although at present it has become much
more complex in harmony.
Jorge (Spain)
Toque is defined as the action of accompaniment to cante by means of the guitar,
requiring for said end a discipline inherited in the Andalusian and Spanish guitar
tradition which, purified to the point of consolidating itself as independent,
presents diverse variants and ways to execute. It was carried out by its main
protectors, called tocaores, leading through taste and personalism to diverse
currents in the art of accompanying known as toque schools. The concertism in
the guitar, even if it is flamenco, implies not so much the idea of toque as that
of its accompaniment.
Rafael Chaves (Spain)
Toque is the complicity of feelings between a guitarist and his guitar when
the latter releases melodies through its strings.
Esther Ruiz (Spain)
Toque is the way to name the style of a flamenco guitarist, his grace and his
rhythm.
Daniel (Spain)
Toque is the action and effect of playing flamenco guitar.
Manuela Sierra (Puerto Rico)
Toque is the child of cante; it is born from its heart and accompanies it along
the path of flamenco.
Miguel (Spain)
Toque is the way to represent flamenco style through the guitar and the hands
of the tocaor, who gets across his feelings through the strings.
Álvaro Mezquita (Mexico)
Toque designates the tense entrails which comfort or cheer on the ancient grief
and eternal light of our land's joy.
Felipe Pineda (Spain)
Toque is a special, sentimental way to play the flamenco guitar.
Francisco Javier Vázquez (Spain)
Toque is the flight of the hands which caress the strings, causing harmony
in my ears and flamenco in my hips.
Marielle (Chile)
Toque is the sound of the guitar which accompanies cante or dancing in most
dances and cantes.
Elena (Spain)
Toque is the most sensual caress of Spanish guitar. Good tocaores can make
the latter cry from sadness or laugh with joy.
Paula (Spain)
Toque is the technique of playing flamenco guitar.
T.J. Steeland (the United States)
Flamenco guitar toque is the outline for everything else.
Elisabeth (Spain)
Toque is the connecting link between the guitar and the guitarist. It plays
the feelings the guitarist has towards life and towards flamenco.
María (Spain)
Flamenco is pure art. Cante is sublime expression. And toque is the ideal complement
to express the art of flamenco.
Francisco Moreno (Mexico)
Toque, more than an ensemble of specific typically flamenco techniques and
harmonies, is an essential element of flamenco feeling. In the accompaniment to
cante, the guitar is the first to sound, the signal that silence were to begin
flooding space. The cantaor's art culminates with toque, but also with it alone
the deepest feelings of flamenco unfold. Temper, harmony, strength and sensitivity,
such are the features of toque.
David (France)
cyberpena@flamenco-world.com
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