Pare

A pare is a short closing figure by the orchestra at the end of a passage, a phrase or a tumbao. "Pare" literally means "stop".

🛑 What is a pare?

  • A closer: the band rounds off a piece of music together with a few unison hits.
  • Possible anywhere: at the end of a phrase, a mambo, a tumbao or a whole section.
  • Then onwards: after the pare the music continues, often with something new.

🔀 Pare, cierre and bloque

  • Pare: closes something off, at the end of a phrase or passage.
  • Cierre: a passage by the full orchestra that interrupts the ongoing rhythm, anywhere in the song; it can also mark the start of a new section.
  • Bloque: a series of unison hits in the montuno that interrupts the groove.

💃 For dancers

A pare is a clear end point in the music. Many dancers finish a figure on it or put a stop on it.

📝 Sources