Gears Function – Music
According to Kevin Moore, a gear is a specific, rehearsed rhythm-section orchestration: what the conga, the bells, the bass and the piano play together. A timba band has several and switches between them on a cue from the singer or bandleader. Such a switch is called a gear change.
The gears
- Marcha abajoMarcha abajo is the quieter marcha: the gear for the cuerpo, without bells. The timbalero plays cáscara and the bongosero usually plays on the bongó itself, so the vocals come through clearly.
- Marcha arribaMarcha arriba is the gear for the coros: both the timbalero and the bongosero play a bell, over a steady bass tumbao and conga marcha. According to Kevin Moore it is the most frequently used gear in Cuban dance music.
- MasacoteIn timba (a Cuban music style related to salsa, but with stronger influences from funk, Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz), a "masacote" usually refers to a powerful, rhythmic burst in the music. It is a short, intense moment where the instrumentation…
- BombaThe bomba is the peak of a timba song: a heavy, funky groove in which the bass takes the lead, the piano steps back, and the conga and timbal play at full power. For dancers it is the moment for despelote and free movement.
- PresiónA timba gear characterized by the absence of a bass tumbao, the absence of a conga marcha and usually also the absence of bells. The building musical tension and power, often achieved through layers of rhythm, bloques and dynamic transitions that…
- PedalPedal in timba: a form of presión in which the bass plays long, sustained tones and the percussion almost stops. Often used for a new coro.
- MecánicaMecánica in timba: after a cierre the percussion drops out, the piano keeps its tumbao and the kick drum hits twice per side of the clave.
Changes between gears are often linked by short breaks, such as an efecto, bloque or pare.
Gears in a song
A timba song starts with the cuerpo, the sung song. According to Moore it takes about 20–30% of a studio track, and live sometimes only 10%. Then comes the montuno, with coros, horn mambos, breakdowns and solos. That is where the gears change, sometimes as often as every 4 claves: for a dancer, every 4 basic steps.
- Planned or spontaneous: some changes are fixed in the arrangement, others the leader calls on the spot with a hand signal.
- A signal per gear: in 1998 Paulito FG had a hand gesture for each gear. A fist to the side with the fingers spread meant pedal, a single waving finger bomba, two fingers above the head a breakdown.
- Longer live: a studio track runs 5 to 6 minutes, live often 8 to 20 minutes, sometimes with 20 extra gear changes.