The form of the alegrías changes depending on whether it’s being performed by a dancer, a singer or a solo guitarist.

​When sung, alegrías consists of one to four letras, each with three or four 8-syllable lines. One distinguishing characteristic of the cante por alegrías is the familiar salida: ti ri ti ti tran tran tran refrain in which the singer imitates the sound of a guitar.

​When danced, alegrías can become much more complicated, particularly in a concert setting. Danced, an alegrías por baile would always include letras, whether or not there is a singer accompanying the dancer. It will also include one or more escobillas, sections that are devoted to footwork, and a silencio, a slow dramatic section in which the guitarist plays a traditional theme in a minor key. See Alegrías Baile below for a complete description of the dance form of the alegrías.

​A solo guitarist can imitate all or none of the forms alegrías takes when sung or danced. A solo guitar alegrías will, however, retain alegrías’ essential compás and harmony, and will often include the same falsetas and phrases the guitarist would play when accompanying singers or dancers.