TABLE OF CONTENTS

INDICE

Table of Contents
About the Author ............................................................................................................... i

Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. ii

Photo Credits. .................................................................................................................... vi

Author’s Introduction ........................................................................................................ iv

Part I. A Review of the Clave .......................................................................................... 1

Common Clave Patterns
6/8 Clave, Clave Campesina, Son Clave, Rumba Clave
and other patterns) ........................................................................................... 2
The Clave’s Function
(Rhythmic Design, Melodic Shape and Harmonic Structure) .......................... 8
In and Out of Clave ............................................................................................. 13
Jumping the Clave ............................................................................................... 15
Conceptual Aspects of the Clave .......................................................................... 16

Part II. Foundations of Afro-Caribbean Piano (1840s - 1950s). .................................. 19

The Cuban Danzón and its Predecessors ........................................................ 20
Trova ............................................................................................................ 29
Rumba and other Folkloric Styles .................................................................. 30
The Cuban Son ............................................................................................. 30
Basic Son Patterns .......................................................................................... 36
The Son Montuno and other Hybrids ............................................................ 37
Common Harmonic Progressions ........................................................................ 38
More Variations ................................................................................................... 48
Afro ............................................................................................................ 51
Guajira ........................................................................................................... 51
Guaracha ....................................................................................................... 53
Mambo .......................................................................................................... 54
Cha-cha-chá ................................................................................................... 61
Pachanga ........................................................................................................ 63
Bolero ............................................................................................................ 65
Feeling ........................................................................................................... 66
The Descarga & Early Cuban Jazz ................................................................. 67

Part III. From Son to Salsa, Latin Jazz & Songo (1960s - 1980s)
Salsa or Son? .................................................................................................. 73
The East Coast Sound.......................................................................................... 75
Charanga & Pachanga .................................................................................... 75
Latin Boogaloo (or Latin Soul)....................................................................... 76

viii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDICE

New York Mozambique ................................................................................. 77

Salsa is Born ................................................................................................... 79
Salsa Style Montunos ..................................................................................... 80
Salsa Romántica ............................................................................................. 87
Latin Jazz ....................................................................................................... 89
(Harmonic Approaches, Rhythmic Approaches,
Playing in 6/8, Guaguancó) .................................................................. 90
The West Coast Sound ........................................................................................ 96
Cuba .................................................................................................................... 96
Feeling & Nueva Trova .................................................................................. 97
Mozambique .................................................................................................. 98
Songo .......................................................................................................... 100
Cuban Jazz ................................................................................................... 105

Part IV. Other Caribbean Styles

Santo Domingo ................................................................................................. 109
Merengue Patterns for Piano ........................................................................ 111
Bachata ........................................................................................................ 119
Puerto Rico ........................................................................................................ 119
Música Jíbara ............................................................................................... 120
Bomba & Plena Patterns for Piano ............................................................... 122
Colombia & Venezuela ...................................................................................... 124

Part V. The 90s and Beyond......................................................................................... 127

Harmonic Expansion ......................................................................................... 127
Altered Chords ............................................................................................. 127
Upper Structures .......................................................................................... 128
Quartal Harmony ........................................................................................ 130
Sus Chords & Poly Chords .......................................................................... 131
Rhythmic Exploration ....................................................................................... 132
Arpeggiation ................................................................................................ 133
Comping ..................................................................................................... 134
Beat Displacement ....................................................................................... 136
Contemporary Montunos .................................................................................. 138
Two-Keyboard Grooves ................................................................................ 138

Appendix A. Exercises for Independence ........................................................................ 145

Bibliography. ................................................................................................................... 149

Companion CD Track Sheet ........................................................................................... 151

ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDICE

Indice
Sobre la Autora ............................................................................................................... i

Agradecimientos .............................................................................................................. ii

Créditos de las fotografías.................................................................................................. iii

Introducción. ...................................................................................................................... vi

Primera Parte. Un repaso de la clave. ................................................................................. 1

Patrones de clave comunes
(La clave en 6/8, la clave campesina, la clave de son,
la clave de rumba y otros patrones) .................................................................. 2
La función de la clave
(Diseño rítmico, forma melódica y estructura armónica) .................................. 8
En clave y fuera de clave ....................................................................................... 13
Brincar la clave ..................................................................................................... 15
Aspectos conceptuales de la clave ......................................................................... 16

Segunda Parte. Fundamentos del piano afrocubano (1840-1950)

El danzón cubano y sus precursores ................................................................ 19
La trova .......................................................................................................... 20
La rumba y otros estilos folclóricos................................................................. 29
El son cubano ................................................................................................ 30
Patrones básicos del son ................................................................................. 30
El son-montuno y otros híbridos .................................................................... 37
Progresiones armónicas comunes.......................................................................... 38
Más variantes ....................................................................................................... 48
El afro ............................................................................................................ 51
La guajira ....................................................................................................... 51
La guaracha .................................................................................................... 53
El mambo ...................................................................................................... 54
El cha-cha-chá................................................................................................ 61
La pachanga ................................................................................................... 63
El bolero ........................................................................................................ 65
El feeling ........................................................................................................ 66
La descarga y el jazz cubano primitivo ............................................................ 67

Tercera Parte. Del son a la salsa, el jazz latino y el songo (1960-1980)

¿Salsa o son? ................................................................................................... 73
El sonido de la costa del este ................................................................................ 75
La charanga y la pachanga .............................................................................. 75
El Latin Boogaloo (o el Latin Soul) ................................................................ 76

x
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDICE

El mozambique neoyorquino ............................................................................... 77

Nace la salsa ......................................................................................................... 79
Montunos al estilo de la salsa ............................................................................... 80
La salsa romántica ................................................................................................ 87
El jazz latino ........................................................................................................ 89
(Acercamientos armónicos, acercamientos rítmicos,
tocar en 6/8, el guaguancó) ............................................................................ 90
El sonido occidental ............................................................................................. 96
Cuba .................................................................................................................... 96
El feeling y la nueva trova............................................................................... 97
El mozambique .............................................................................................. 98
El songo ....................................................................................................... 100
El jazz cubano .............................................................................................. 105

Cuarta Parte. Otros estilos caribeños

Santo Domingo ................................................................................................. 109
Patrones de merengue para el piano ............................................................. 111
La bachata .................................................................................................... 119
Puerto Rico
La música jíbara ........................................................................................... 120
Patrones de bomba y plena para el piano ...................................................... 122
Colombia y Venezuela ........................................................................................ 124

Quinta Parte. Los años 90 y más allá. ............................................................................ 127

Expansión armónica ........................................................................................... 127
Los acordes alterados .................................................................................... 127
Estructuras superiores .................................................................................. 128
Armonía de cuartas ...................................................................................... 130
Acordes suspendidos y acordes politonales ................................................... 131
Exploración rítmica............................................................................................ 132
Uso de arpegios ............................................................................................ 133
Acompañamiento ......................................................................................... 134
Deslojamiento rítmico ................................................................................. 136
Montunos contemporáneos................................................................................ 138
Patrones para dos teclados ........................................................................... 138

Apéndice A. Ejercicios para la independencia ................................................................ 145

Bibliografía .................................................................................................................... 149

Lista de Canciones del Disco Acompañante .................................................................. 151

xi