An Overview of Cuban Music
When visiting Cuba, you will hear drums and see people dancing from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep.
Cubans are known for their Afro-Caribbean music of salsa, cha-cha, son, rumba and many more music styles influenced by both Spain and Africa. Cuban music is dance music, so if you are planning to go to a Cuban nightclub be prepared to dance or move off of the dance floor.
Cuban music can be traced back to the cabildos, African slaves that were brought to the island. Cabildos maintained their Arican cultural traditions, despite being forced to unite with the Roman Catholic Church after the Emancipation in 1886.
During this time Santería was spreading like wildfire across Cuba and to other Caribbean islands in proximity. Santería is an Afro-Cuban religion consisting of deities that have specific colors and drum patterns known as toques. As a result, Santería influenced Cuba’s music and became popular among the people.
Cuban Music Genres
Cuban music is diverse, each having its own unique sound and dance to match its rhythms. These are the genres of Cuban music:
- Conga
- Conga is the music played by comparsas, large ensembles of musicians, singers, and costumed dancers that perform at street carnivals.
Danzón
Danzón is a Cuban salon dance played by wind groups and then played by the charanga orchestras. The main characteristic of this music in the cinquillo rhythm of quarter-eight-quarter-eight-quarter.
Cha-cha
Cha-cha stems from the Danzón genre. Cha-cha is structured with an introduction, followed by a chorus and ending with a rumbita.
Son
This music genre is an Afro-cuban hybrid. Son features syncopated rhythm (claves), a lead vocal (ideally improvised), and a chorus. Son used to be played by sextets, septets or conjuntos including trumpets instead of violins; claves, bongos, or bass.
Rumba
Rumba was derived from the son. The rumba is a combination of three different dances, the yambu, the columbia, and the guaguanco. The dance is performed by the male thrusting his pelvis towards the female dancer but not actually touching. Instruments used in Rumba are conga drums, metal shakers and ‘cata’, slit-tube percussion.
Guajira
Guajira is country music made by Cuban farmers or guajiros. The music involves rural life, and lyrics are most often improvised and in a decima form, meaning 10 line stanzas. Typically guajira music involves instruments such as tres, guitar, and percussion.
Charanga
Charanga typically involves a flute and strings, but also conga drum, timbales, piano, giro, and up to three singers.
Changui
This music genre developed in Guantanamo. It is a faster variation of son. The instruments are similar to those used in son, but the maracas are pitched higher than in son. Also, the bongo is pitched low due to the bongo pair having larger drumheads. The tres is tuned differently and the quiro is made out of metal instead of wood.
Salsa
Salsa music is a popular dance music genre that initially arose in New York City during the 1960s. Salsa is the product of various musical genres including the Cuban son montuno, guaracha, cha cha chá, mambo, and to a certain extent bolero, and the Puerto Rican bomba and plena.
Timba
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on popular Cuban music along with salsa, American funk/R&B, and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music.