''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...

rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows:

This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known as hemiola). For dancers, it is commonly viewed with a compas or bar of 6 counts as opposed to 12. An interesting counting method has been used by

Pepe Romero Pepe Romero (born March 8, 1944, in Málaga, Spain) is a classical and flamenco guitarist. Biography Early life Pepe Romero was born in Spain, the second son of celebrated guitarist and composer Celedonio Romero, who was his only guitar t ...

, in his book ''Classical Guitar Style and Technique'', which is 2 measures of time followed by 3 measures of time. This puts the emphasis on the last beat of each measure:
When performed, the ''bulería'' always starts on beat twelve of the ''compas'', so the accented beat is heard first. It is normally played at 195-240 beats per minute, most commonly in an A- phrygian mode (por medio) with a sharpened third to make A major the root chord. A typical '' rasgueado'' pattern involves only the A and B chords, were golpes are used to accent the chords as follows:

'' — — ''B'' — — '' — '' — ''—

Although professional players often intersperse other chords, in more traditional playing variations of chords from the

Andalusian cadence The Andalusian cadence (diatonic phrygian tetrachord) is a term adopted from flamenco music for a chord progression comprising four chords descending stepwise – a iv–III–II–I progression with respect to the Phrygian mode or i–VII–VI� ...

are utilised and modern players, influenced by jazz may use a greater variety of chord patterns and variations.
It originated among the Calé Romani people of Jerez during the 19th century, originally as a fast, upbeat ending to '' soleares'' or '' alegrias''. It is among the most popular and dramatic of the flamenco forms and often ends any flamenco gathering. The name ''bulerías'' comes from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word ''burlar'', meaning "to mock" or ''bullería'', "racket, shouting, din". It is the style which permits the greatest freedom for improvisation, the metre playing a crucial role in this. Speed and agility are required and total control of rhythm as well as strength in the feet which are used in intricate tapping with toe, heel and the ball of the foot.
(See also

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perf ...

''Cante'' (singing)

When sung, the ''bulería'' has three or four octosyllabic lines. It is sometimes subdivided into ''bulerías al golpe'' and ''bulerías ligadas''. The former is slower while the latter is frantic. There are many styles of Buleria depending on the region of Spain from which it originated. For example: Buleria de Lebrija, Buleria de Jerez (possibly the most commonly used style), Buleria de Cadiz, Buleria de Utrera etc.

References

External links

Tomatito performs a bulerías in 1980 - one of the web's more popular bulerías videosThis is a Cuadro por Bulerías, a very festive palo flamenco
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