Out with the old, in with the nuevo: The influence of Paco de Lucía on modern flamenco guitar style

Through its originality, vision and virtuosity, Paco de Lucía's music and approach to playing the guitar revolutionised flamenco during the 1970s. Previous academic research on both flamenco guitar (Manuel 2002a; Banzi 2007; Bethencourt Llobet 2011) and flamenco-based musicological topics, such as the impact of other genres (Manuel 2004, 2016; Zagalaz 2012; Rodriguez 2016), have provided a suitable degree of insight in the field. However, a detailed study that focuses specifically on de Lucía's direct influence on nuevo flamenco [new flamenco] has not yet been conducted. This thesis explores de Lucía's work by providing analyses of his distinctive style - referring to specific performances and recordings - intertwined with ethnographic and historical considerations. In particular, this work examines the unique characteristics of de Lucía's guitar playing style and how these emerged and manifested between 1973 and 1976. Furthermore, it examines how both de Lucía's playing and approach to recording and technology influenced his contemporaries and the generations that followed. Although primarily focused on the role that de Lucía played in the evolution of contemporary flamenco music and practice, in addition, this thesis invites the reader to reassess existing categorisations of the genre - that is, the 'schools of toque [flamenco guitar]' - to reflect the modern age and to more aptly acknowledge de Lucía's lasting influence. Ultimately, by adopting an eclectic approach and drawing from autoethnographic insights, this work establishes new understandings of the musical content, performative concepts, and practice of flamenco guitar in present-day Spain, de Lucía being the lens through which developments are observed.