Flamenco Fridays Sabicas y Escudero
The basic compás for Farruca is a bar of E7 with a distinctive melody (b-c#-d- b) on the second string followed by a bar of A minor.
Because the Farruca serves primarily as a vehicle for the display of virtuosic dance movement, the form of any given Farruca is shaped by the choices of the solo dancer performing the piece. The dance has an improvisatory air, and sections of the dance are fluid and interchangeable.
For example, the dance can begin with a falseta on the guitar or with solo footwork. It can start slowly, with the dancer walking dramatically across the stage, or it can begin with a flurry of virtuosic footwork, rapid turns, or a series of elegant stances.
The opening section of the dance generally ends with a characteristic llamada that leads to a new section of the dance or to the letra, which the dancer interprets impressionistically.
With or without a letra, the piece builds to a long footwork section or sections, escobilla/s, which may be marked by an acceleration – subída – from a slow, dramatic pace to rapid fire footwork.