What is a flamenco palo?
A palo is a flamenco style. Each palo has its own rhythm (compás), its own harmony, its own kind of lyrics and, above all, its own emotion. Soleá is solemn and deep. Alegrías is bright and elegant. Bulerías is playful and fast.
Flamenco has dozens of palos, but you don't need to know them all. A handful of main palos cover most of what you will hear in a class, a tablao or a recording.
For a dancer, understanding the palos is not theory for later. Every palo asks something different of your body. You can't dance a seguiriya the way you dance tangos. The sooner you can recognise a palo by ear, the sooner you'll know what the music is asking you to do.
[IRENE: one or two lines in her own words on why palos matter to a dancer.]
How the palos are grouped
There are two useful ways to group the palos: by their rhythm, and by their emotion.
By compás (rhythm)
The 12-beat soleá family. Soleá, alegrías and the other cantiñas, soleá por bulerías and bulerías all share a 12-beat cycle with accents on beats 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12. What changes is the speed and the feeling.
The seguiriya family. Seguiriya and serrana also count 12 beats, but the accents fall in a completely different place, on 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11.
The 4-beat tangos family. Tangos, tientos, farruca and taranto are in a binary rhythm, counted in 4s.
The 3-beat palos. Fandangos de Huelva and sevillanas move in a ternary rhythm, counted in 3s, the most traditional rhythm of Spanish folk music.
Cantes de ida y vuelta. "Round-trip" songs, such as the guajiras, travelled to Latin America and came back to Spain transformed.
By character
Jondo (deep): soleá, seguiriya, farruca, tientos. Serious, solemn, often sad or painful.
Festero (festive): tangos, bulerías, alegrías, cantiñas, sevillanas. Joyful, playful, born to be shared at a party.
Some palos sit in between. Tientos starts sad and ends in tangos. Soleá por bulerías has the weight of soleá and the playfulness of bulerías.
The main flamenco palos at a glance
Tangos · 4 beats · Joyful, sensual, festive · Andalusia (Cádiz, Triana, Málaga, Granada)
Tientos · 4 beats, slower · Sad, melancholic, ends in tangos · Cádiz
Farruca · 4 beats · Very solemn, sad, melancholic · Associated with Galicia
Taranto · 4 beats · Dark, intense, tragic · Almería mining region
Alegrías · 12 beats · Joy, rhythmic play, good humour · Cádiz
Cantiñas · 12 beats · Joy, party, playfulness · Cádiz
Soleá · 12 beats, slow · Sober, elegant, sad, solemn · Seville and Cádiz areas
Soleá por bulerías · 12 beats, mid-tempo · Playful with rhythm, weighty, self-affirming · Jerez and Seville
Bulerías · 12 beats, fast · Festive, fast, born at family parties · Cádiz, Jerez, Seville
Jaleos · 12 beats, close to bulerías · Playful and rhythmical · Extremadura
Seguiriya · 12 beats, different accents · Painful, raging, powerful, a release · Gitano (Romani) tradition
Serrana · Seguiriya compás · Solemn, serious and less raging than Seguiriya · Ronda
Fandangos de Huelva · 3 beats · Simple dance, lyrics about life's truths · Huelva
Sevillanas · 3 beats · Festive, joyful, a celebration of life · Seville
Guajiras · 12 beats · Coquette, feminine and joyful · Cuba (ida y vuelta)
The palos one by one
Tangos
Tangos are joyful, sensual and festive. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with the Argentine tango. Their 4-beat rhythm is the same as most pop music, which is why they are the palo most beginners start with. Many cities have their own tangos: from Cádiz, Triana, Málaga or Granada.
Tientos
Tientos are tangos slowed down. They are sad and melancholic, with a heavier, more syncopated rhythm. A tientos usually speeds up at the end and finishes in tangos, so the dance travels from melancholy to celebration.
Farruca
Farruca is very solemn, sad and melancholic. It is traditionally associated with Galicia, in the north of Spain, and was long considered a man's dance. In farruca the guitar takes centre stage: there is usually only one sung verse, so most of the dance lives in the conversation with the guitarist.
Taranto
Taranto comes from the mining region of Almería and belongs to the cantes de minas, the songs of the mines. Unlike its cousin the taranta, which has no fixed rhythm, the taranto has a 4-beat compás, so it can be danced.
Practise it with our Taranto Practice Track.
Alegrías and cantiñas
Alegrías (literally "joys") and the other cantiñas come from Cádiz. They transmit joy, good humour and a playful spirit, with plenty of games with the rhythm. They use the 12-beat compás of the soleá, but faster and in a major key. The cantiñas family also includes romeras, mirabrás and caracoles.
Practise it with our Alegrías Practice Track.
Soleá
Soleá is sober, elegant, sad and solemn. It is often called the mother of flamenco rhythm: its 12-beat compás, with accents on 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12, is the base of many other palos. It is danced slowly, and every movement carries weight.
Practise it with our Soleá Practice Track.
Soleá por bulerías
Soleá por bulerías sits between soleá and bulerías. It plays with the rhythm, but it has weight. It is very flamenca, and when danced it carries a strong sense of personal self-affirmation.
Practise it with our Soleá por Bulerías Practice Track.
Bulerías
Bulerías are festive and fast. Like tangos, they were born at family parties and gatherings in Andalusia. They share the 12-beat cycle of the soleá at a much faster pace, full of improvisation. At the end of a flamenco show, when the artists form a semicircle and take turns to dance, that is usually bulerías.
Jaleos
Jaleos are associated with Extremadura, where they were kept alive by the Gitano families. They are close to bulerías in rhythm and spirit.
Seguiriya
Seguiriya is painful, raging, strong and powerful, like a release of everything held inside. It is one of the oldest palos and comes from the Gitano (Romani) tradition. It also counts 12 beats, but its accents fall on 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11, which gives it a completely different feel from soleá.
Practise it with our Seguiriya Practice Track.
Serrana
Serrana comes from the mountains around Ronda. It began as a rural folk song and took on the compás of the seguiriya.
Fandangos de Huelva
Fandangos are typical of Huelva and the towns around it. Their lyrics are like sentences about life, short truths about life. The dance is simple, in a 3-beat rhythm, which makes fandangos a natural second step after tangos.
Sevillanas
Sevillanas are the folklore of Seville: a couple's dance, festive and joyful, a celebration of life. They grew out of the old Castilian seguidillas, and today they are danced at every feria in Andalusia. Each sevillana is made of four parts, always with the same structure.
Guajiras
Guajiras are a cante de ida y vuelta: their roots are in the folk music of Cuba, and they came back to Andalusia transformed.
Which palo should you learn first?
Start with tangos. Their 4-beat rhythm already feels familiar, so you can focus on your body, your posture and your technique instead of fighting a new rhythm.
At La Sentío Flamenco School, this is the order we usually follow:
Tangos: a familiar 4-beat rhythm.
Fandangos de Huelva: a 3-beat rhythm and a simple dance.
Alegrías: your first 12-beat compás, with a joyful character.
Tientos: back to 4 beats, but slower, deeper and more melancholic.
Soleá por bulerías: 12 beats with weight, rhythmic play and personality.
Each step adds a new rhythm or a new emotion to what you already know. New to flamenco? Read our beginner's guide to learning flamenco.
How to learn the palos by ear
Reading about the palos helps, but you really learn them by listening. The goal is to recognise a palo in the first few seconds, feel where its accents fall, and know where you are in the compás.
How to tell the palos apart
When you hear a palo, listen in this order:
The compás. Does it count in 4 or in 12? Is it slow or fast?
The tonality. Does it sound joyful or sad?
The letras. Pay attention to the lyrics, their structure and their melody.
These three clues together are what let you recognise each palo and tell it from the others.
The letras are often the hardest part for students. To help with this, La Sentío offers a monthly online group masterclass on the essential letras of flamenco, as well as private online classes on flamenco theory and compás, or on letras specifically.
Practise with real music
That is why we created the La Sentío Practice Tracks, recorded with Eugenio Iglesias on guitar and Miguel Rosendo on cante. Each track follows the standard tablao form of the palo: how the guitarist accompanies the dance, and how the cante is structured around it.
Unlike many tracks online, which are recorded behind a specific dancer with the footwork removed, ours have no odd cuts or arrangements built for one choreography. The guitar plays a standard accompaniment and the cante is set precisely to the dance compás, so any steps fit.
Tracks available so far:
The Practice Tracks are for personal practice only.
Frequently asked questions
What does "palo" mean in flamenco?
A palo is a flamenco style. Each palo has its own compás (rhythm), harmony, lyrics and emotion.
How many flamenco palos are there?
There are dozens, and experts don't agree on an exact number. A dancer works mostly with around 10 to 15 main palos.
What is the easiest flamenco palo for beginners?
Tangos. Their 4-beat rhythm is the same as pop music, so beginners can focus on technique instead of a new rhythm.
What is the difference between soleá and bulerías?
They share the same 12-beat compás. Soleá is slow, sober and solemn. Bulerías is fast, festive and full of improvisation.
What is the saddest flamenco palo?
Seguiriya is usually considered the most painful, a release of deep pain and rage. Soleá, farruca and tientos are also sad and solemn.
Are sevillanas flamenco?
Sevillanas are Seville's folk dance. They are closely linked to flamenco and danced at every feria, but they come from the Castilian seguidillas rather than from flamenco itself.
Learn the palos with La Sentío
Understanding the palos changes the way you dance. You stop repeating steps and start answering the music.
Practice Tracks: soleá, alegrías, soleá por bulerías, taranto, seguiriya and fin de fiesta, with live guitar and cante in the standard tablao form.
Live classes: learn each palo step by step, with corrections.
Videos On-Demand: practise at your own pace.
Video coaching: weekly exercises and personal video corrections.
Monthly letras masterclass: an online group class on the essential letras of flamenco.
Private online classes: flamenco theory and compás, or letras.
Explore the Practice Tracks and our classes, and start dancing each palo with real understanding.
