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Understanding salsa music

Salsa music is one of the most complex musical forms around - ask any musician... at it's heart is a perplexingly esoteric blend of various idiosynchratic percussion instruments - each adhering to a strict set of rules regarding the beats the instrument is allowed to play... subtract these instruments from the mix and the heart and soul of the music is lost.

Having some understanding of the role these instruments play will, at the very least, help you to get closer to the structure and shape of the music - and that can only help your dancing.

The percussion in salsa provides the perfect gateway into this powerful musical form.

Read through the references below, then go and dig into your collection or your Spotify playlists and listen for the timbale, clave, cow bell and conga that provide the building blocks that make great salsa music so enticingly seductive to us dancers...

Then go buy a clave... : )

Here's some tracks you can play 'spot the percussion with - all great salsa dance tracks - and you can listen tot he complete tracks using SPotify - go to: www.spotify.com

Guarija Flute - Tito Puente

Hong Kong Mambo - Tito Pente

Abre Que Voy - Miguel Enriquez

Hijo De Los Rumberos - La Excelencia

Deja De Criticar - La Excelencia

La Cura - Jerry Riviera

And so to the theory...

Wiki explains... - Click here

Salsa Music History

· Salsa (music) came from a cross between jazz clubs and latin clubs in the 1930s depression in new york. Latinos came from puerto rico etc, and migrated up the US coast. Jazz musicians would pop over to the clubs during their breaks just to jam, as the atmosphere was still in party mode.

· Salsa is a very hard style to play. Musicians find salsa hard. It needs attitude, energy, and an ability to play slightly off the beat (perfect timing doesn't really work for salsa)

· The timbalero normally controls the band (or at least the percussion section). He will swap around instruments, including using the cowbell, side of the timbales etc. The cowbell drives the song forward and can make the whole band play faster (show demo).

· Congas, cowbell are the base percussion instruments. Bongos and timbales are important, but don't set the key. They just overlay really... they give the spice/flavour.

· Other instruments: shakers, clave (only actually played about 10% of the time). Guero.

· Different rythms: Tumbao, Rumba (guaguanco), Cumbia, Caballo, Son, Bolero. Salsa is a mix of all of these rythms.

· Three main types of conga drums: quinto, conga, tumbao

(source http://www.danzalatina.co.nz/article-salsa-percussion-music.html)

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