The Cuban Son Complex

By Jon Griffin

Description

Son is a generic term for the musical family of country music originating in Oriente de Cuba (Eastern Cuba), as well as a style within the family itself.

Traditionally, Son was played with an ensemble similar to a Changüi, but the Contra Bass replaced the Marimbula and the Guayo was replaced by the Güiro and or Maracas. Also, it is the first time that clave as we know play it is really present

Another characteristic of Son is that it doesn't generally have the second section or montuno. That is correctly called son-montuno, but in practice the terms are often interchanged.

Modern Son has taken on many offshoots including Songo, Timba and Son Moderno. These styles often mix Afro-Cuban rhythms such as Guaganco and Funk along with a much freer use of Clave and patterns. Many patterns are actually "contra tumbao" or counter tumbao.

Instrumentation

• Tres
• Bass
• Maracas
• Güiro
• Bongos
• Cuban Claves

Examples

Cuban Son Ensemble ExampLE

Musical Examples

• Con Sabor Al Guaso
• Official Retrospective Of Cuban Music

all contain some good examples of Son.

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