Feel the Beat: Latin Music from Around the World

Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine you are at a street festival. There are colourful costumes, people dancing, and a band playing music that makes your feet want to move. The drumbeats are fast and exciting. The melody is bright and warm. What do you think this music might feel like to listen to? Think about words like fast, slow, happy, or energetic.

Latin music comes from Latin America — a huge region that includes countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Each country has its own special style, but they all share some important features. The most important feature of Latin music is its rhythm. Rhythm means the pattern of beats in music. Latin rhythms are often syncopated, which means the beat lands in unexpected places — this gives the music a bouncy, exciting feel. Some of the most famous styles of Latin music are salsa, samba, and cumbia. Salsa comes mostly from Cuba and Puerto Rico. Samba comes from Brazil and is often played at big carnivals. Cumbia comes from Colombia. Latin music uses many special instruments. The clave (say: CLAH-veh) is a pair of short wooden sticks that you tap together to keep the rhythm. The conga is a tall drum you hit with your hands. The maracas are two hollow balls filled with seeds that you shake. The trumpet and piano are also very common in salsa music. Voice is hugely important too. Singers in Latin music often call out a line, and a group responds — this is called call and response. Latin music has travelled all over the world. Today you can hear its influence in pop music, jazz, and even film soundtracks.