What is salsa music?

[Rigo ILARRAZA]

What is salsa music? That is a matter of opinion, musicologists
included. You could apply salsa footwork to a number of songs with
common (4/4) time of the proper tempo. Some would argue that you would
be dancing salsa, others would not. Should you really care if you were
all having fun?
What is regarded as salsa music would seem to satisfy loosely, a number
of criteria. Salsa is played in common time, that is four beats in every
bar. The music is played in two bar phrases, thereby forming an
eight-count.
Bass Rhythm
An eight-count is usually played on a tall narrow drum called the conga.
In the diagram a chachachá rhythm, played by a number of percussion
and bass instruments (including the conga) is used as an example [1].
The chachachá rhythm is quite common, but is by no means the only one.
The first beats of every bar, numbers 1 & 5 of the eight-count, are
louder as represented by the larger dots. Occasionally beats 1 & 5 can
be differentiated from each other as well. The second beat of every bar,
numbers 2 & 6, usually bears an accent caused by striking the conga skin
sharply. The fourth beat, numbers 4 & 8, is a clear "double tap" (two
syncopated beats) played on a different conga resulting in a different
tone, as represented two dots off the line. The double tap is part of
the signature rhythm of the chachachá that lends the rhythm its name.
 
Tempo
Another give-away is the speed at which the music is played. The
chachachá is sometimes described as mid-tempo music whereas songs that
fall under the up-tempo category would be considered salsa. That's like
asking how long a piece of string is. There is no sharp dividing point
between them. Suffice to say that the faster the track, the more likely
it is to be salsa.
 
Clave
As yet the most robust criterion for defining a piece of music as salsa
music is that it should obey the clave. The clave is a rhythm that is
played by striking one wooden stick against another. The sticks are
called clave too. The clave (rhythm) comes in two flavours: 2-3 and 3-2.
The 2-3 clave has two beats in the first bar of the phrase, and three
beats in the second bar: beats 2, 3, 5, &, 8 (where & is equidistant
between beats 6 and 7) [2]. The 3-2 clave is the converse [3]. Musicians
and singers alike should obey the clave, playing notes or stressing
syllables to highlight most or all of the clave beats. They should do
this even if no clave rhythm actually being played, performing to an
imaginary beat. Songs used to be of only one clave flavour; with
musicians and singers tending to get a bit upset if a song changed clave
intentionally or if cued in incorrectly by the band leader. This is no
longer the case. Songs containing changes in clave are becoming
increasingly common and musicians are becoming more adept at playing
them [4]. The changing clave lends to the dynamism of the song, but
renders it less accessible to the novice dancer.  
Percussion layers
The beats of the eight count are usually determined by a number of
percussionists playing in together using smaller instruments. This
includes non-percussion instruments assuming a percussive role; a
percussion instrument like the conga can skip beats, with other
instruments filling in the gaps. The non-percussion instruments would be
playing on an imaginary beat. The cooperative role of the musicians are
a reflection of the African roots of the music. Consequently, listening
to the music as an entire piece instead of any one particular instrument
is the most reliable way of deriving timing. In my experience non-Latin
Americans/ non-Africans tend to encounter more difficulty in "picking
out the beat". This is not because they lack the "rhythm" gene. More
likely they are used to listening for an obvious beat, played on a
whacking big drum, by a specialist drummer. Once they understand that
there is no one beat to pick out, and to listen to layers instead, all
notion of the phantom rhythm gene is exorcised (Hurrah).
 
Heritage and influences
One of salsa's most recent and discernable predecessors is the Cuban
Son. The son is the music of storytellers; where the troubadours would
sing about anything that took their fancy: how good the harvest was,
what they had for dinner that night etc. They would improvise with
lyrics and voice to keep in the clave of the song. The technique of
improvising, called soneo, is still evident today and is a reason why
particular artists are well regarded [5]. The son played in the
older-style without the brass line-up, reveals its roots more readily
[6]. Smooth African rhythms roll in the bass lines, headed by lyrics
sung co-operatively: lead singers backed by other singers
simultaneously, or they might sing separate pieces in alternation. The
phenomenon of lead and backing singers taking turns is known as call and
response, and is evident in the majority of salsa music, though it is
found in other music forms too, like gospel. Andalusian melodies
complete the partnership. Arguably most of the Hispanic influence in
Latin America came from southern Spain. Another undeniable influence is
the impact of jazz. Introduced into Latin music via the barrios (Latin
neighbourhoods) of New York, jazz notes played on piano and brass are
testament to the days when the big jazz bands of Machito and his peers
played at the Palladium theatre in the '50s. The African / Spanish /
jazz mix is no longer localised to the first point of fusion that is New
York, but has spread to Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe,
and as far as Japan. But jazz is not the only flavour, the evolution of
the species and its diversification can observed, where charanga
line-ups featuring flute and violins [7] can be found alongside pop and
rap [8] movements in salsa. Trends suggest that salsa is beginning to
establish an identity in its own right, instead of being considered as a
generic term for songs bearing a number of Cuban rhythms. As an example,
some works by Colombian artists are now sent to New York where they are
"finished". This is done by adding extra instruments and/or remixing
during the final production stages, to ensure that they comply with a
salsa formula.
 
Cousins and the accidental salsa
The cumbia and the vallenato deserve mention as cousins of salsa, and
generally fit the criteria that define salsa. The former is
distinguishable by its slower reggae-like rhythm (apologies for not
exploring this any further), while the music of the latter is
accordion-led. Indeed many people dance salsa to them, to the dismay of
purists. The cumbia, a music form and a dance in its own right, has an
immense following in Latin America but is often overlooked elsewhere,
possibly because dance instructors don't perceive it as being as
marketable.
When applying the criteria, you might find that Latin America does not
have a monopoly of salsa music production. "Accidental" salsas can be
found in the halls of Nouveau Flamenco, Ambient Native American chants,
Irish Folk, and African music [9].
I am of the opinion that it is the inclusion, not the exclusion, of
different musical influences that has been responsible for making salsa
the phenomenon it is today. And it will be the continuing inclusion of
musical and cultural influences, such as those accidental salsas above,
that will rejuvenate and ensure its longevity tomorrow.  
Musicography
1.Strong chachachá rhythm.
Slower: Mi media mitad by Rey Ruiz.
Quicker: Soñando by Erick.2.2-3 clave.
Played: Que mala corriente by Son 14.
Not played: Pegaso by The Latin Brothers.3.3-2 clave. Played: Plaza
Herrera by Rubén Blades. Not played: Amor mío by Orquesta Pasión
Juvenil.4.Changing clave. Cali Pachanguero by Grupo Niche.
Aïcha (Wolof version) by Africando.5.Vocal improvising technique
called soneo.
Son Matamoros by Celia Cruz.6.Son without brass. Chan chan by Compay
Segundo.7.Charanga: line-ups with flute and violin. Quien sabe sabe by
Orquesta Aragón.8.Pop and rap influences. Sueltame by Dark Latin
Groove.9.Accidental salsa. Nouveau Flamenco: Mario Takes A Walk by Jesse
Cook. Ambient Music: Thunder Cloud Mountain by Raindance. Irish: The
Bonny Swans by Loreena McKennitt. African: Epuguzu by Pierre Akendengue.
 
 
©1999 Salsa & Merengue Society
University of Sheffield Union of Students, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10
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[Jimmie]

I appreciated very much the explanation of salsa music that you posted.
Cumbia and salsa are the only two dances that I have been unable to
follow adequately with an expert partner. We visit Chile sometimes,
and also have been twice to Argentina. Unless the clubs are disco-type,
the dances are almost invariably cumbia mixed with a bit of
salsa......drives
me nuts! I plan to study the explanation and see if that helps!

[freem...@gmail.com]

Is the forth beat of the 2 3 clave on the 6 and or is it variable or is it on the 6 and a?