Cuba has a unique musical and cultural foundation. With it’s blend of African and European culture, music is a fusion of the rhythmic concepts of Africa and the harmonic concepts of Europe.
Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its cultural context and inside these pages you will discover the world of Cuban music and instruments. Unlike the usual information you may find elsewhere, these pages will emphasize both the cultural and practical. Many myths and misinformation will be discussed as well as examples and practical usage of Cuban musical instruments, Cuban musical styles and Cuban cultural issues that affect Cuban Music.
Culture affects the music and vice versa. On these pages we explore the unique and not so unique aspects of Cuban culture and how they affect the music and dance of Cuba.
By Jon Griffin
Casino Rueda (Rueda de Casino) is a group dance and features two or more couples who exchange partners based on someone calling the turns. Rueda means wheel in Spanish and Casino is the term in Cuba for what we call in the US, “S...
The term Afrocuban-Music includes music of ritual, festive-religious as well as secular events. These are directly tied to the musical cultures of Africa. These African musical traditions were all included in one form or another when Cuban music w...
Santería
By Olavo Alén Rodríguez © 2008-2009 Jon Griffin
The Yoruba slaves, brought to Cuba during the latter end of the 18th century, recreated many forms of life, traditions and customs in this part of the New World just as they had ...
Cuba is home to many unique instruments, and these pages will explore them. You will learn about not only the instruments, but also the context in which they are used and musical examples.
By Olavo Alen Rodriguez and Jon Griffin
The batá drums are the sacred instruments of Cuban Santería. They are made up of three hourglass-shaped drums of different sizes that perform specific musical functions. Their main religious function is th...
Cuban Bongo
By Olavo Alén Rodríguez
© 2009 Jon Griffin
This Cuban musical instrument was born in the context of the complex musical styles that pertain to the Son, in the mountainous regions of the eastern extreme of the country. It consists of...
By Jon Griffin and Olavo Alen Rodriguez
The claves are a musical instrument of Cuban origin and are classified as a member of percussion family. The instrument is comprised of two separate wooden sticks that are cylindrical in shape. To play the i...
The Cuban laud is a 12 string instrument originally from the Arabic ood, although it is much changed since then and bears little resemblance today.
The main use of the instrument historically was playing punto guajiro music which was traditionally p...
By Jon Griffin
The first thing to understand about the Cuban tres is that it is a rhythm instrument. Even though it looks like a guitar, the actual playing of it is rhythmic with melodic lines. Chords are seldom “strummed”, and in many styles the...
By Jon Griffin
Here are some more examples of patterns and parts the Cuban tres would play.
Son & Son Montuno
Son and Son Montuno are basically the same thing. The main difference is that the Son does not have two distinct sections.
Like...
By Jon Griffin
The Marimbula belongs to sansa family of that originated from the Bantu cultures of sub-Saharan Africa. The sansa instruments create sound by plucking or striking the metal fingers. Sansas also include the Kalimba or African thumb piano....
Cuba has many musical sub-styles, but only a few major genres. These include, Afro-Cuban music, rumba, danzon, the son complex and punto.
In these pages we explore many of these sub-styles like nengón, cha-cha-chá, guaguanco, changüi and more. The ...
By Jose Antonio Rodriguez
Translation © 1999 Jon Griffin
The nueva trova is a phenomenon born in the second half of the 1960's in Cuba. It is the continuation of previous movements called trovadorezcos, traditional trova and feeling (filín). T...
By Jon Griffin
Changüi was born in Guantanamo Province, Cuba (specifically the Baracoa area) from the style called Nengon .
There are some conflicting answers you will receive when you ask the question, "What is Changüi"? The answer from an ...
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 t...
By Jon Griffin
Kiriba is a style of Son from a different area of Cuba. It mostly originated in the Baracoa area, which is also where the Changüi was created. In fact where the fusion of Kiriba and Nengon takes place is where Changüi is invented...
By Jon Griffin
Nengon was the precursor to both Son and Changüi . It evolved into Son in Santiago de Cuba and Changüi (when it fused with Kiriba ) in Guantanamo province.
Nengon was traditionally played with a Tingotalango or Tu...
By Jon Griffin
Punto Guajiro (also called Punto Cubano) is the country music from the Western and Central provinces of Cuba. This style began to become popular around the end of the 18th century, mainly as a social event. Remember that in the ...
By Olavo Alén Rodríguez
© 2007 Jon Griffin
During the 19th century different forms for presenting songs appeared in Cuba, all of which were marked with elements that offered national pride. Among them the Cuban lyrical songs were emphasized: ha...
By Olavo Alén Rodríguez
© 2007 Jon Griffin
NG La Banda
In 1993, the Cuban musician José Luis Cortés travelled with his group NG La Banda through a tour of Japan. At that time this important musician tried to achieve a different sound from what...
