Palo pa la campana - Tromboranga Examples – Music
Salsa tends to be easier to understand than timba, making this a helpful starting point.
Although this is a salsa song rather than timba, I’ve included it here because Joaquín Arteaga — timbalero and bandleader of the salsa orchestra Tromboranga — posted a YouTube video explaining the musicality and basic structure of “Palo pa' la campana.”
- Intro: Horns playing intro melody while rhythm section plays a salsa groove.
- Bridge: Rhythm changes to Oriza rhythm.
- Verse: Singer starts telling the story of the song.
- Bridge: Rhythm changes again to Oriza rhythm.
- Verse continues: Singer continues the story (back to salsa rhythm).
- Bridge
- Verse continues: Singer continues the story (back to salsa rhythm).
- Bridge
- Montuno section
- Mambo section: Starts with piano and bass.
- Little bridge: Piano plays a steady guajeo.
- Bongo bell solo: Piano keeps playing a steady guajeo.
- Second mambo: With chorus on top.
- Second montuno
- Ending & Coda: With Oriza rhythm, chorus, and inspiring sonero.
- Credit roll
Videos
Joaquin Arteaga explaining "Palo pa la campana"
Lyrics video
🎧 About the song
Palo pa' la campana is on Tromboranga's album Salsa Pa' Rato from 2014, as the second track.
🎺 Tromboranga
Tromboranga is a salsa orchestra from Barcelona. Bandleader and timbalero Joaquín Arteaga moved from Venezuela to Barcelona and started the band together with trombonist Vladimir. In 2011 the group broke through with songs such as Agua que va caer. The musicians come from Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Spain, and the sound is hard-hitting salsa dura led by the trombones.