Video: Gabriela Quintero of Rodrigo y Gabriela on Percussive Rhythms and Metal Guitar

Gabriela Quintero is easily one of the coolest musicians we've had a chance to catch up with before her soundcheck here in Chicago. Gabriela's style is extremely dynamic, incorporating percussive notes and rhythms with metal guitar technique.

As a kid, Gabriela was always drawn to percussive instrumentation. But since she started learning to play guitar, she never thought of herself as a percussive player. What ended up inspiring her to incorporate those elements into her playing was watching how various Flamenco groups and players were able to work percussion into their own playing.

When Gabriela started playing with Rodrigo on the streets of Barcelona, she was playing conventional metal with a pick. But as she explains in the video above, a certain feeling that their group was missing the percussive element gave her pause. She made the shift to an entirely new style of playing, taking over duties as both the rhythm guitarist and, in a way, as the drummer of Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Make sure to flip on your captions if you don't speak Spanish, but take a look at the video above to hear more of her playing and to learn about her upbringing, her style, and why she fell in love with guitar.

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