Latin American Music

• Latin American Music - Refers to the music of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the entire Caribbean Colonized by Spain and Portugal
• Latin American Music styles vary by region, combining elements like:

  • Musical Style
  • Cultural Background
  • Language
  • Choreography
• Latin American styles include some dance music such as:

  • Cumba
  • Tango
  • Cha-cha
  • Rumba
  • Bossa Nova
  • Foxtrot
  • Paso Doble
• Bombo - dual headed drum made from a deep tree trunk with patches made up of calf or goat skin
• Chajchas - a rattle made up of dried hooves from sheep, goat, and is worn with a wrist cloth bracelet
• Bongos - a pair of small drums of different sizes. It is the most widespread hand drum in Cuba
• Marimba - a set of wooden bars, placed over tuned metal resonators and played with two padded mallets. Now it is considered as Guatemala's national instrument.
• Guiro - consists of hollow gourd with parallel notches cut into one side and played by rubbing the notches using a stick
• Maracas - a percussion instrument created and first used by the native Indians of Puerto Rico. It is made from gourd filled with seeds or pebbles and often used in pairs as a rhythm instrument.
• Cumba - a type of dance and music similar to salsa and uses instruments like accordions, guitars, and percussions. It started as a courtship dance practiced by the African slave.
• Tango - one of the most fascinating of all the dances. It is performed in a traditional or modern style
• Cha-cha - an energetic modern dance similar to mambo, which involves small fast steps and swaying hip movements and has fast basic pattern of three steps with a shuffle
• Bossa Nova - a fusion of samba and jazz that became popular. It is an original Brazilian music.
• the term “bossa” means “new trend” or “fashionable wave”
• Zamponas - Panpipe type of reed made of pieces of bamboo that are tied together
• Charango - A 10-string guitar made from the shell of an armadillo
• Quena - Flute made of bones or bamboo, has a vertical notched reed
• Cajon - A rectangular box made of wood, played and used as a drum. Known as a “beatbox”
• Paso Doble - Spain’s traditional couple dance, uses music traditionally played in bullfighting
• Reggae - Jamaican form of music and dance with strong accented and supplementary beats in the 1960s. Bob Marley was the most popular.
• Rumba - A kind of song and dance that originated from Cuba, has a percussive rhythm and combination of Cuba’s musical dance and traditions.
• Foxtrot - Ballroom dance of two quick slow steps and two quick steps, executed alternately in 4/4 time signature.