The sound of castanets is instantly identifiable - outside Spain at least! - as flamenco. Flamenco purists dismiss castanets as not being "authentic", but in fact, there are a lot of things about modern flamenco that aren't authentic - so why pick on castanets?
Look carefully at the hand position in this clip:
If you want to play castanets well, you must get the hand position correct, right from the start. Most beginners start out all right, then quickly let their hands fall into a more comfortable - but less efficient - position. Get into that bad habit and you'll never master castanets!
The other mistake beginners make is to have the strings too loose. Sorry, but you should have a nasty red groove in your thumb when you take off your castanets!
Finally, don't be tempted to buy cheap castanets just because you're a beginner. Many cheap castanets are made for tourists, not for real dancers. They're often too small, and even the correctly sized ones sound dreadful. If you buy a good pair of castanets and decide to give up dancing later, there's a good chance you can sell them on to another dancer.
Hi,
I was interested in your comment about castanets not being ‘purist’. When I was in Seville we avoided the shows they do for tourists and went to a ‘back street’ club (we managed to extract directions from the tourist information office there) which did flamenco – and yep, there wasn’t a castanet in site! And much the better for it. Just a shame that people are paying 30 euros or more to see an unauthentic show in unauthentic surroundings. Guess that’s what ‘tourism’ is all about.
Just my thoughts
Stephen.
Hi Stephen
The debate about what’s “pure” and not will probably rage forever. The truth is, nobody knows what flamenco dancing was like in its “original” form, because there’s no written records of it anywhere until the 19th century. Castanets must have come from somewhere!
I am having a problem decidng what size castanets to buy. I have very very tiny hands (smaller than most kids!). My palm from under my index finger to the top of my wrist is 3 in. The width of my hand ( right beneath my fingers) is just over 3 in. What do your recommend? Thank you!
Sorry I made a mistake in the above- the width of my hand is 2 and a half inches; the length is 3 inches (had to have my husband measure to be sure).
Hi Bonnie. I can’t tell you “buy size 6″ or “buy size 3″, because there isn’t a standard sizing in castanets – so one maker’s size 2 is another maker’s size 4.
You will probably find you need a child’s size castanet, but to be safe, email the supplier and ask for the measurements of the castanets – then choose the size which is closest to your palm size. Castanets should always be as close to the size of your palm as possible.
Thanks – I will look into it.