WELCOME! LEARN SALSA & BACHATA!
  • Welcome!
    • Pay For Your Class Here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Classes!
    • Rice Village Area!
    • The Woodlands Area!
  • Dance At Your Pace!
  • Latin Lab: Levels
  • Private Lessons
    • Pay for your private here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Parties
  • SE Salsa / Bachata Bootcamp
  • SalsaEddy Music
    • SalsaEddy Music News
  • SALSAEDDY Tv
  • SE Blog
  • SE Gallery
  • Group Lessons: General Questions

12/26/2011

Traditional Latin American Music

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Traditional Latin American music is often overlooked because of the attention people give to main rhythms and styles such as Salsa, Merengue, Tango and Latin Pop.

However, there are hundreds of traditional styles that are worth to get familiar with if one wants to get a better understanding of Latin American music. Let's take a look at some of the most important rhythms and styles that define Traditional Latin music.

Zamba and Murga from The South

Besides Tango, the southern part of South America is home to very interesting traditional music. Zamba is, in fact, the national dance in Argentina and Chile.

The sounds of Zamba are produced by a combination of guitars playing along the beats of a prominent drum named bombo leguero. By contrast, Murga is more of a popular musical theater played in Uruguay and Argentina during the Carnival.

Andean Music

As its name says it, Andean music was born in the extensive region crossed by the Andes. Because of this, Andean music is very popular in countries like Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. This type of indigenous music is usually played with a set of different panpipes, charango (a small string instrument) and bombo (drums).

Choro and Sertaneja Music from Brazil

Choro and Sertaneja music are only two of the most popular forms of Traditional Latin American music coming from Brazil. Choro developed in Rio de Janeiro during the 19th century. It became popular in the 1930s but it lost its appeal during the Bossa Nova boom. Choro is usually played with guitars, flute and cavaquinho, a combination that makes this style quite pleasant to the ear.

Sertaneja music is a traditional style equivalent to Country music in the US. It is, indeed, quite popular in Brazil but not outside the country. Sertaneja has its origins in the sertao and caipira music, two traditional Brazilian music styles. In addition to Choro and Sertaneja, Brazil has many more traditional rhythms that include Maracatu, Afoxe, Frevo and Forro, among others.

Cumbia from Colombia

Cumbia is Colombia's most well known contribution to Traditional Latin American music. This rhythm was born in the Atlantic coast of the country during the 19th century. Cumbia offers a heavy percussion which is nicely combined with large gaita flutes. Despite being a Colombian rhythm, Cumbia has been extensively adopted as a musical expression in modern Mexican popular music.

Llanera Music from Colombia and Venezuela

Outside Colombia and Venezuela, very few are familiar with Musica Llanera, the music from the enormous area that includes the Colombian and Venezuelan plains above the Amazon. Llanera music takes inspiration from the country life in the plains and its rich sounds are produced by a standard combination of harp, string instruments (cuatro or bandola) and maracas.

Son and Danzon from Cuba

Cuba is by far one of the most influential countries in the making of Latin American music. It is also a land where we can find some of the most popular expressions of Traditional Latin music. Cuban Son, which was born in the Cuban country side, was originally played with guitars and percussion instruments such as clave and maracas. Cuban Son is, in fact, an essential ingredient of that musical mix we refer to as Salsa.

Danzon is one of those rhythms from which you can perceive a perfect combination of European sounds and African influences. It evolved from previous styles that included contradanza and habanera. This is definitely one of the most pleasant rhythms of Cuban music.

Plena and Bomba from Puerto Rico

Similarly to Cuban Son, the origins or Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena are also linked to country life. Both rhythms are heavily charged with African influences. Because of this, drums play a major role in the sounds of Bomba and Plena. While Bomba surged in northern Puerto Rico, Plena evolved in the southern, coastal part of the country.

Ranchera and Sones from Mexico

Overall, Ranchera is one of the most popular styles of Traditional Latin American music. It was originally played by a single guitar player but later became closely related to a full Mariachi band. During the troubling times of the Mexican Revolution, Ranchera music became a way to promote Mexican culture.

Nevertheless, two centuries before Ranchera, Mexico had developed its own Son, which was influenced by indigenous elements as well as African and Spanish traditions. Mexican Son was not a fixed rhythm but rather a flexible musical style whose sounds were heavily shaped by the different regions where it used to be played.

Besides Mexican Son and all the musical forms mentioned in this article, there is an amazing range of Traditional Latin music styles throughout Latin America. Each individual country in the region has nurtured Latin American music with its own contribution. This article is just an introduction for all of those who want to venture further in the rich universe of Traditional Latin music.

Share

0 Comments
Details

    Author...

    ... I would like to share you about certain things that might interest you.

    Archives...

    June 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Categories...

    All
    Adalberto Santiago
    African History
    African Slaves
    Afro Cuban All Stars
    Andean Music
    Anthony 'El Mayimbe' Santos
    Aventura
    Bachata
    Bachata Heightz
    Bachateros
    Back Street Boys
    Bado
    Benny More
    Beyonce
    Billboard Latin Music Awards
    Bio Ritmo
    Bitterness
    Bossa Nova
    Bronx High School
    Cachao
    Calle 13
    Carlos Y Alejandra
    Celia Cruz
    Cheo Feliciano
    Chico Buarque De Hollanda
    Cold War Period
    Cousin Max
    Criminality
    Cultural Encounter
    Daddy Yankee
    Dictatorships
    Dominican History
    Dominican Music
    Don Omar
    Drug Trafficking
    Educational
    El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico
    Elvis Martinez
    Entren Los Que Quieran
    Excellence
    Fan Favorites
    Fitting Backdrop
    Franchise
    Frank Reyes
    Frazer Harrison
    Getty Images
    Global Appeal
    Greatest Salsa Songs
    Grupo Aventura
    Grupo Niche
    Hector Acosta
    Hector Lavoe
    Hip Hop
    Hispanics
    History Of Latin America
    History Of Spanish Music
    Identities
    Ismael Rivera
    Jairo Varela
    Jazz History
    Joe Veras
    Jose Calderon
    Jose Manuel Calderon
    Juan Luis Guerra
    La Mala Rodriguez
    La Pollera Colora
    Latin American Music
    Latin Boogaloo
    Latin Grammy Award
    Latin Grammy Awards
    Latin Music
    Latin Party Music
    Latin Party Music - Top 50
    Latin Rock
    Latin Urban Music
    La Verdad
    Living In Squalor
    Los Tigres Del Norte
    Los Toros Band
    Luis Vargas
    Machito
    Mambo
    Mana
    Marlins
    Meaningful Experience
    Merengue
    Musical Expressions
    Musical Producer
    National Identities
    Obama
    Orishas
    Oscar D'Leon
    Pete
    Political Oppression
    Portuguese Languages
    Prince Royce
    Professional Career
    Racial Discrimination
    Rafael Trujillo
    Rap
    Rap And Hip Hop
    Rappin Hood
    Rap Singer
    Raulin Rodriguez
    Reggaeton
    Regional
    Resurrection
    Rica Y Apretadita
    Rita Indiana
    Romeo Santos
    Ruben Blades
    Sad Memories
    Salsa
    Salsa Music
    Salsa Songs
    September 9
    Septiembre 9
    Shakira
    Social Backgrounds
    Spanish Conquerors
    Stan Getz
    Teenage Bands
    Tego Calderon
    Tito Rodriguez
    Toby Love
    Traditional Latin Music
    Traditional Rhythms
    Tu Pum Pum
    Unsuccessful Romance
    Urban Music Artists
    Viernes Septiembre
    Wyclef Jean
    Xtreme
    Yoskar Sarante
    Zacarias Ferreira

    RSS Feed

Picture

Copyright © since 2000: SalsaEddy.com. All rights reserved.
  • Welcome!
    • Pay For Your Class Here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Classes!
    • Rice Village Area!
    • The Woodlands Area!
  • Dance At Your Pace!
  • Latin Lab: Levels
  • Private Lessons
    • Pay for your private here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Parties
  • SE Salsa / Bachata Bootcamp
  • SalsaEddy Music
    • SalsaEddy Music News
  • SALSAEDDY Tv
  • SE Blog
  • SE Gallery
  • Group Lessons: General Questions