<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="65001"%> Salsa Passion Bordeaux | Cours de Salsa Cubaine
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Les Instruments de la Musique de Salsa

  • Guiro
  • Bongo
  • Conga
  • Timbales
  • Guitar/li>
  • Clave
  • Maracas

guiro picThe guiro is a South-American instrument, over 200 years old, traditionally made from a hollowed-out gourd.  Parallel grooves are carved onto one side and they are often decoratively painted. 

The scraper, or pua, is scraped up and down the ridges in long and short strokes to make different rhythmical sounds, usually emphasising the 1, 3, 5 and 7 in each bar.  The instrument is normally played by a singer, who holds it in their left hand, holding the pua in their right.

Read about the origins of salsa music

Bongo drums originated in Cuba in the 1900s and came from African roots.  They are two small, joined drums of slightly different sizes.  The smaller, or minor, drum is called the “male”, whilst the larger, or major, is the “female”.  The drummer sits down to play the bongos, holding the drums between his knees.  He can produce different sounds, depending on which, and how many, fingers he uses to strike the drums.

The conga drum comes from Africa, where it began as a hollowed-out log, standing on its end, with a skin nailed on top. 

It still has this tall, thin shape today and comes in a variety of sizes, from the niño to the tumba.

timbales picThe timbales are a salsa drum set, which was developed in Cuba, based on the tympani from Europe. 

They consist of two tuneable drums that differ in pitch, two cow bells, cymbal(s) and often a woodblock and they are played with two sticks and the bare left hand. 

 

The drums are not only played on top, but the metal sides of the drum are also played to make the characteristic cascara sound.

The modern guitar was developed in Spain in the 15th century but had four strings until a century later. By the next century it had also become popular in the rest of Europe, where it was known as the "Spanish guitar" we know today.  It was brought to Puerto Rico by the Spanish colonists.

The player on the right is holding a smaller guitar. This is known as the tres. This instrument has three pairs of strings and is a key instrument in Cuban music.

clave pic The word "clave" is spanish for key, which is an appropriate name for the instrument that holds together the other instruments in setting out the basic rhythm for the song.]

Each instrument, either closely follows the clave, or complements it with a rhythm that fits around that of the clave. Even singers can be heard fitting their lyrics to the rhythm of the clave.

The clave is played by hitting one wooden rod against another in a particular fashion. The most popular and well-known rhythm is to sound on the 2 and 3, then 3 beats that span the 5, 6, 7 and 8, fitting in between beats.

maracas picAlways played as a pair, the maracas create a well-known characteristic sound we regularly hear in Latin American music. 

The body of the maraca is traditionally made from a small, round, dried fruit, which has small pebbles or seeds poured into it through two holes bored through the hollowed, dried shell.

A handle is fitted to seal up the holes and make the maraca easier to hold.