''Tarantas'' and ''Taranto'' are two related styles ('' palos'') of

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

music, that originated in the ''

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

n'' province of

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

. Each is characterized by a shared

modality Modality may refer to: Humanities * Modality (theology), the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations * Modality (music), in music, the subject concerning certain diatonic scales * Modalit ...

(F-sharp Phrygian) and harmonic progression (Bm–A7–G–F-sharp), but differ significantly with respect to rhythm and meter. ''Tarantas'' is a cante libre (or toque libre, if played as a solo), meaning that it lacks both a regular rhythmic pattern ( ''compás'', in flamenco terminology) and a regular rhythmic unit (or beat). It can be sung or played, but not danced. ''Taranto'', conversely, has a regular 2/4-meter, and is danceable. When played on, or accompanied by, the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, both ''palos'' have a unique and characteristic sound that is created, in part, by dissonances that result from the use of the guitar's first three open strings (E, B, and G, respectively), in combination with harmonies and melodies based on the F-sharp Phrygian mode.

References

{{Music of Spain Flamenco styles