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.
According to Wikipedia, timpani came to Cuba in the 19th century, for the wind orchestras (orquestas típicas) that played danzón:
According to EcuRed, the paila spread with the boom of Cuban music abroad, between the 1930s and 1950s, as one of the most important Cuban instruments of dance music. After that the timbales became central in mambo, salsa, songo and timba.
| Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
| Cáscara | Stick pattern on the metal shell of the drum, which is itself called cáscara; according to Wikipedia derived from the rumba cáscara. See Cáscara |
| Mambo bell | A driving cowbell pattern that pushes intensity |
| Campana | Open cowbell — signals the high-energy montuno section |
| Fills & rimshots | Sharp accents that punctuate transitions and hits |
According to Wikipedia, in the 1970s Changuito developed the technique of playing the timbales and bongo bell parts at the same time in Los Van Van; by the late 1970s that had become the norm in songo. In contemporary timba bands, drummers such as Calixto Oviedo often play a timbales/drum kit hybrid. See Drum set.
The campana/cowbell pattern changes (cáscara → contracampana → campana) directly tell dancers how much energy to use and when to explode. See the Campana page for the full breakdown.