# name this famous guitar intro - spanish bullfight music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701 "2008-03-25T18:50:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/1 "2008-03-25T18:50:06Z")
Trying to describe this famous piece of guitar music we’ve all heard but no one I’ve spoken to can name… It’s the simple intro most of us Americans associate with a bullfight… here’s the basic rhythm of the intro. strum. strum. strum. strum-strum-strum. strum. strum. strum-strum-strum. strum. strum. And yeah I’m pretty sure most of you know what I’m talking about now. =) But… who wrote it? What’s it from? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/2 "2008-03-25T19:06:09Z")
I figure it’s some type of flamenco guitar, but I’m not sure if there is a particular song that is typically used, or if it’s any flamenco guitar piece and it just sounds the same to you? ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/3 "2008-03-25T19:09:43Z")
[QUOTE=Kinthalis] I figure it’s some type of flamenco guitar, but I’m not sure if there is a particular song that is typically used, or if it’s any flamenco guitar piece and it just sounds the same to you? [/QUOTE] No, it’s a specific piece… if there any guitar players out there, the chords are: E. E. E. E-E-F. F. F. G-F-E. E. E. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/4 "2008-03-25T19:20:00Z")
Song has been found: > **[España cañí](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espa%C3%B1a_Ca%C3%B1%C3%AD)** > > "España cañí" (meaning "Gypsy Spain" in Spanish) is a famous instrumental Spanish piece of pasodoble music by Pascual Marquina Narro (1873–1948). The song was written around 1923 and first recorded in 1926. In English it is also known as the Spanish Gypsy Dance. > Its main refrain (eight bars of arpeggiated chords that go from E major to F major (with added 4 instead of 5) to G major and back) is arguably the best known snippet of Spanish music and is popular worldwide.\[citation needed\] > Several a... ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/5 "2008-03-25T19:25:02Z")
Ahh, what confused me is that I have typically heard this piece done with wind instruments, not guitar. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/6 "2008-03-25T19:27:50Z")
Then here’s a good link for you. =) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qpx7WqbHRo4/hqdefault.jpg "Espana Cani Guitar Ensemble") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpx7WqbHRo4) ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/7 "2008-03-25T19:29:33Z")
[QUOTE=filmyak] Then here’s a good link for you. =) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qpx7WqbHRo4/hqdefault.jpg "Espana Cani Guitar Ensemble") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpx7WqbHRo4) [/QUOTE] Wow. Too. Many. Guitars. Must play… ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/8 "2008-03-25T19:37:36Z")
That is a cracking link. The best version of that pretty ubiquitous music by far. _ETA:_ Couldn’t pass this one over [Wow at 00:43 indeed!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXpzswg_0Fc&feature=related). Complete with extended bum-wiggling! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/9 "2008-03-25T20:55:33Z")
Also known as the Spanish Gypsy Song (English translation). The song is also strongly associated with the Paso Doble, which is a dance styled after a bullfight in which the lead moves like a matador and the follow like his cape. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-famous-guitar-intro-spanish-bullfight-music/442701/10 "2008-03-26T00:02:44Z")
That’s also one of about 7 or 8 ballpark organ melodies that I’ve been trying most of my life to identify.