Drum set
The drum set (batería) is the Western kit with kick drum, snare, toms, hi-hat and cymbals. In Cuban dance music it became important with the songo of Los Van Van, and it is now a fixed part of timba.
Los Van Van developed songo in the early 1970s. Blas Egües was the band's first drummer; his successor José Luis "Changuito" Quintana turned songo into a worldwide phenomenon. Songo was the first Cuban dance rhythm to blend rumba and North American funk, and it put the drum set on an equal footing with the other instruments. The funky rhythms of today's timba grew out of songo.
🔧 A hybrid set-up
In songo and timba the drum set is rarely "just" a drum set. It is a blend of timbales and drum kit:
- from standard timbales with only a kick drum underneath,
- to a full drum kit augmented with timbales, a woodblock and various cowbells.
💥 The kick drum: the difference from salsa
According to Kevin Moore, there is one critical difference between the rhythm section of timba and that of salsa: timba has an independent kick drum part. You hear that bombo clearly in gears such as the bomba and the mecánica, where the kick drum carries the groove together with the bass or the piano.
💃 For dancers
Listen to the kick drum: when it changes or is suddenly left on its own, the band often shifts to another gear, and the dance changes too.
📝 Sources
Timba is the music this site is dedicated to exploring. It emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s and crystallized in the early 1990s — born in a moment of social crisis, built on the full accumulated history of Cuban music, and still evolving today.
Lees meer >Songo is a Cuban music and dance style that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It bridges Afro-Cuban rhythms with modern influences like funk, rock, and jazz.
Lees meer >Songo is the direct bridge between traditional Cuban music and timba. Developed by Los Van Van in the early 1970s, it rewired Cuban popular music by absorbing funk, rock, and jazz into the Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation — and laid the groundwork that timba would build on.
Lees meer >Rumba is the most African-rooted of all Cuban music and dance forms — born in the streets, courtyards, and docks of Havana and Matanzas in the late 19th century, with no European instruments, no salon setting, and no pretense of European propriety.
Lees meer >The timbales (pailas criollas) are a pair of shallow, metal-shell drums mounted on a stand, played with wooden sticks. They are the rhythmic engine of charanga orchestras and play a critical role in timba.
Lees meer >The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
Lees meer >Timba, the explosive and rhythmically rich genre of Cuban dance music, transformed how the bass functions in popular music. In Timba, the bass is not just foundational — it’s fiery, funky, and free.
Lees meer >The mecánica is a timba moment in which the band is stripped back to the skeleton after a cierre: the percussion goes silent, the piano keeps playing its tumbao and the kick drum (bombo) plays two hits per side of the clave.
Lees meer >Known for its complexity and rich fusion of musical influences, incorporates a variety of rhythmic and stylistic shifts known as "gears" or "cambios de marcha". These gear changes are pivotal in adding dynamism and excitement to the music, often leading to a heightened response from the audience, especially dancers. While Timba gears can vary widely from one band or song to another, reflecting the genre's emphasis on creativity and innovation, there are several identifiable types that are commonly employed:
Lees meer >The 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.
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