Son Group
Comprised of the following styles: son montuno, changui, guaracha, son urbano, sucu-sucu… Musical instruments: tres or Cuban tres, bongo, guiro or guayo, maracas, marimbula…Characteristic ensembles: sexteto de son, estudiantinas, septeto de son, conjunto or conjunto cubano.
Rumba Group
Comprised of the following styles: guaguanco, yambu, columbia, congas (of the comparsas in Carnaval), tonadas trinitarias…Musical instruments: tumbadoras (conga drums) with different names and skin sizes: hembra or tres-dos, macho or salidor, quinto. Also cata, (as evolucion of the performance of cascara on the wooden body of the drums) and claves.
Cancion cubana
(Cuban song) Group. Comprised of the following styles: habaneras, guajiras, criollas, claves, cancion trovadorezca, boleros…Musical instruments: guitars, tiple, claves and maracas.
Danzon Group
Comprised of the following styles: contradanza cubana, danza cubana, danzon, danzonete, chachacha and mambo. Musical instruments: pailas (or timbales) played in ensembles called charangas francesas or orquestas tipicas cubanas.
Punto or Punto Guajiro Group
Comprised of the following styles: punto libre, punto cruzado, punto fijo, tonada or tonada campesina, zapateo (dance form)…Musical instruments: laud (or laud cubano) as evolution of Spanish bandurria played in ensembles called grupos campesinos. Vocal soloists are called: poetas or poetas campesinos who improvise controversias in ten stanzas verses called decimas.
Musica afrocubana
Comprised of: bata drums (iya, itotele and okonkolo), bembe drums, guiros or achere (gourds), yuka drums, arara drums, iyesa drums, abakua drums, tumba francesa drums…
Other Caribbean musical genres
merengue and bomba (Spanish and French Caribbean), calypso, reggae and mento (English Caribbean).
Afrocuban music
A type of music that was born in Africa but evolved into a new one in Cuba.
Cuban musical styles
Types of music that were born in Cuba. These have as antecedents, different types of European and African music
Afro Caribbean music
A type of music that was born in Africa but evolved into a new one in the Caribbean.
Caribbean music
A type of music that was born in the Caribbean. These have as antecedents, different types of European and African music.
son montuno
type of son that includes improvisation
changui
type of rural Cuban party music,couples dancing.
Guaguanco
type of rumba, fast tempo, couples dance w/ vacanao
yambu
type of rumba
columbia
type of rumba
Conga
music played during Cuban Carnival celebration
Habanera
Cuban song/dance style from 1800s
Guajira
Cuban folk song style
bolero-slow
romantic style of Cuban song
contradanza cubana
Cuban adaptation of French contradance
danzon
-“Cuban national dance” – stately, dance music
chachacha
modern adaptation of danzon
mambo
1950s adaptation of danzon
punto libre
song style of Eastern Cuban peasants
bata drums
– hour-glass shaped Cuban
drums (adapted from African drums) used in Santeria
laud
type of Cuban 12 string guitar used in Cuban punto music
bongos
set of 2 small hand wooden drums used in son
maracas
set of 2 gourd shakers used in son
timbales
set of 2 metal drums used in danzon
tumbadoras
barrel shaped hand drums used in rumba music
claves
two wooden sticks used to play characteristic rhythm in son
guiros or achere
gourd scrapers used in Cuban son music