Instrumentos de Salsa
Brief history of Salsa music:
Salsa music originated in the mid-20th century, with roots tracing back to Cuban son and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Cuban Son is a genre of music and dance that originated in Cuba in the late 19th century. It combines Spanish guitar and lyrical traditions with African rhythms and percussion.
Afro-Cuban Music refers to a range of musical genres that emerged from the fusion of African and Cuban cultural influences. It includes religious music, such as Santería chants, as well as secular styles like rumba and guaguancó. Afro-Cuban music heavily emphasizes percussion instruments like congas, bata drums, and the cajón, and often incorporates complex polyrhythms and improvisation.
Both Cuban son and Afro-Cuban music have been fundamental in shaping modern salsa music, providing its rhythmic backbone and rich cultural context.
It evolved in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s.
It blends elements from Latin American genres such as mambo, cha-cha-chá, and Puerto Rican bomba and plena.
The genre became a symbol of Latino identity and culture, spreading globally and evolving with various regional styles.
Key Elements of Salsa Music:
Percussion: Percussion instruments, such as congas, bongos, timbales, and cowbells, are the backbone of salsa music. It’s crucial for Dancers to pay attention to the rhythms of these instruments.
Clave: a percussion instrument consisting of two wooden sticks, called claves, that are struck together to produce a sharp, resonant sound. This pattern serves as the backbone of the music, guiding the timing and rhythm for other instruments.
Congas: tall, narrow, single-headed drums from Cuba, typically played in sets of two or more. Congas are played with the hands, producing a wide range of tones by striking different parts of the drumhead and shell. The main sizes are the quinto (smallest), conga (medium), and tumba (largest). Congas provide rhythmic and melodic contributions to the music, often with intricate patterns and improvisations.
Bongo drum is a small, open-bottomed hand drum paired with another of different size. Bongos typically consist of a larger drum (hembra) and a smaller drum (macho), connected by a wooden bridge, providing a rhythmic backbone with their distinctive, high-pitched sounds.
Timbales: a set of two drums mounted on a stand, typically played with sticks. They have a high-pitched, sharp sound and are often accompanied by a cowbell, which is mounted on the same stand.
Cowbells: a hand percussion instrument . It is used to Marking the beat, Adding accents, Creating atmosphere in the music.
It is named after the bells that herders used to attach to the necks of their cows to help keep track of them. The bells would ring as the animals moved, making it easier to know where they were. Their sharp, metallic sound provides a strong rhythmic foundation and adds a distinctive character to the overall sound.
There are typically three main types of cowbells used in salsa:
Campana: This is the larger cowbell, often played by the bongocero (bongo player). It provides a deep, resonant sound and marks the main pulse of the music.
Cha Cha Bell: Smaller than the campana, the cha cha bell is often mounted on the timbales. It has a higher pitch and is used for creating the characteristic cha cha rhythm.
Mambo Bell: particularly in mambo styles. It has a slightly different tone and is often played by the timbalero.
Brass and Woodwinds: eg: Trumpets, trombones, adds a melodic layer to the rhythmic foundation. These instruments accentuate certain musical phrases and provide opportunities for dancers to interpret the music dynamically.
Piano and Bass: The piano harmonizes the melody and adds rhythmic elements. The bass guitar provides a solid foundation, anchoring the music and giving it depth and groove.
Lyrics and Song Structure: Lyrics can provides some emotions, stories. Song structure can help anticipate musical breaks, changes in tempo, and shifts in intensity, enhancing your dance interpretation.
Clave rhythm :
Clave have different meanings in different context. Clave means key in Spanish, it is also the key to Salsa. The clave is a rhythm played by a wooden stick instrument also named Clave. See the instrument in the above section.
The are two different clave rhythm 3-2 and 2-3. In salsa dance, we dance in 8 beat, falls in 2 bar phrase. The clave is 5 beats. So depends on how the 5 beats is formed, we have either 3-2 clave or 2-3 clave.
3-2 means we have 3 beats in the first 4 count, 2 beats in the second 4 count.
The 3 beat in the first measure falls on 1, 2.5, 4
The 2 beat in the second measure falls on 6, 7
2-3 means we have 2 beats in the first 4 count, 3 beats in the second 4 count.
The 2 beat in the second measure falls on 2, 3
The 3 beat in the first measure falls on 5 6.5, 8
Piano Montuno:
Montuno is a repetitive riff used in Afro-Cuban music, like son, mambo, salsa, and Latin jazz. The montuno serves as the rhythmic and harmonic foundation over which other instruments can layer their melodies and improvisations. is typically played by the piano.
Key Characteristics:
Repetitive Pattern.
Even though the montuno pattern is repetitive, pianists often add variations and improvisations to keep the music dynamic and interesting.
Rhythmic Structure: It often emphasizes the "clave" rhythm. The montuno pattern is designed to fit within the clave structure, creating a cohesive and driving rhythm.
