The musical Characteristics of Latin

 Musical characteristics of Latin 

Tonality 

Latin has a mix of both major and minor tonality, but often Latin music can have a modal tonality to give a bluesy sound for example like the Bosa Nova style.

Harmony 

Latin music often features a simple chord progression such as ii-V-I and I-IV-V.

Extensions 

Latin music typically can add a 7th chord for styles like Bosa Nova and Salsa. Another common one is a flattened 5th for flamenco styled songs.

Scales 

An harmonic minor scale is used in flamenco music, major scales are used in salsa, and samba to create an upbeat dance sound.

Riffs 

Typical riffs in Latin music are syncopated, the riffs can be accented on the off-beats of percussion rhythms giving it a more exotic feel.

Rhythms 

There are many different rhythms in Latin music like the Clave which is typical in Cuban music. There are a vast amount of dance rhythms like Cha Cha, Mambo, Rumba and many more.

Melody 

Latin music usually has syncopated melodies, it often has a lot of ornamentation like trills and slides. Melodies can also include some call and response sections.

Instruments 

Typical instruments in Latin music can include bongos, acoustic guitar, timbales, trumpets, maracas and shakers. As you can see Latin music has a lot from all the music groups and Latin songs can either be full of instruments or be very intimate with only few.

Textures 

The most common texture in lati music is the homophonic texture because most Latin music is a melody accompanies by chords. However there is some polyphonic texture in Latin music specifically in Rumbas and Salsas.

Lyrics 

Typical lyrical themes in Latin music can be culture, love, celebration and political themes.

Instrumental Techniques  

Drums are often mixed with percussion to give a more fun, fuller sound and a common technique is the 2-3 Clave rhythm. A singing technique Latin music uses is bilingualism the singer can often sing in Spanish and English to reach more audiences. 

Improvisation

It is common for Latin music to have little improvised percussion fills or a guitar slide.

Important notation  

< This is guitar tab for the opening to Smooth by Santana

3 Subgenres of Latin

- 3 Subgenres of Latin are Salsa, Merengue and Tango.

- All 3 have a similar rhythmic structure, specifically syncopated rhythms and all 3 have similar instruments used. They all have a big influence on the dance world also.

- Salsa originated in the Caribbean, specifically Cuba and Puerto Rico. It developed from blending afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz. The tempo is fast and encourages improvisation, typical salsa instruments include bongos, congas, timbales, piano and a variety of Brass. - Talento De Televisión

- Merengue originated in the Dominican Republic and was inspired from festive dancing, it has a march-like rhythm which is easier to follow than the Salsa. Typical instrumentation in merengue includes accordion, Tambora and bass which combined creates a lively sound. - La Makina - Nadie Se Muere

- Tango originated in Argentina, combining African, European trad music, Tango is described as slow and dramatic which is different to the other 2. It has syncopated rhythms to create tension, the instruments can include an accordion, violin, piano, double bass and occasionally guitar. - Lucio Demare - Manana Zarpa Un Barco

Opinions on Subgenre's 

- My favourite out of the subgenres is Tango because I love the dramatic effect it has leaving the listener feeling tense and on edge.

Famous musicians in each subgenre 

- A famous Salsa musician is Celia Cruz, she is labelled the ''Queen of Salsa'' , she was a Cuban singer with a powerful voice. Her career spanned over 5 decades inspiring plenty of artists with her style, she is known for songs like La Vida Es Un Carnival.

- A famous merengue musician is Juan Luis Guerra, he is a Dominican singer/songwriter, he has earned multiple Grammy awards. His music combines merengue with other sounds like Salsa and Batcha. He is known for his album ''Batcha Rosa''

- A famous Tango musician is Carlos Gardel, he began his career performing Folk music until moving onto Tango. He is known as the ''King of Tango'', he has starred in films showcasing his talent which got exposure to the Tango style. He has got a powerful baritone voice and is known for his recording of Mi Buenos Aires Querido.

Evolution of Latin

Latin started with indigenous sounds/rhythms with instruments like flutes, drums and marimbas these were played by the Native Americans. With the Spanish colonization new European and African sounds were introduced due to songs that slaves played. Now Latin music tries to reach all audiences with lively beats and new artists. Today we still have Latin music being adapted into new sounds giving it new life yet still respecting the culture it came from.

What Latin has in common with other styles 

Latin is a very danceable genre and so is other genres like pop and hip hop. Latin can have very Jazzy, Bluesy chords giving it a rich sound. Just like other genres Latin has such a vast amount of instruments used like brass, percussion and acoustic instruments.