Latin-American

Music
OBJECTIVE:
•Identify different traditional
instruments of Latin America.
 The music of Latin America is the
product of three major influences –
Indigenous, Spanish-Portuguese, and
African. Sometimes called Latin music; it
includes the countries that have a colonial
history from Spain and Portugal, divided
into the following areas of Andean Region,
Central America, Caribbean and Brazil.
INFLUENCES ON LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC
1. Indigenous Latin-American Music – The natives were
found to be using local drum and percussion instruments.
The indigenous music of Latin America was largely
functional in nature, being used for religious worships
and ceremonies.
2. Native American/ Indian Music - The ethnic and
cultural groups of the principal Native Americans share
many similar yet distinctive music elements. Songs had a
wide range of volume levels. Songs celebrate themes like
harvest, planting season or other important events or
occasions of the year.
3. Afro-Latin American Music - The African
influence on Latin American music is most
pronounced in its rich and varied rhythmic
patterns produced by drums and various
percussion instruments.
4. Euro-Latin American Music - The different
regions of Latin America adopted various
characteristics from their European colonizers.
Melodies of the Renaissance period were used in
Southern Chile and the Colombian Pacific
5. Mixed American Music - The result of the
massive infusion of African culture also
brought about the introduction of other music
and dance forms such as the Afro-Cuban
rumba, Jamaican reggae, Colombian cumbia,
and the Brazilian samba.
Aztec and Mayan Instruments
These are instruments that were during
the Aztec Empire (c. 1345-1521 CE) and
Mayan Civilization (1800 BC – AD 950).
Aztec and Mayan people are people who
lived in Southern Mexico and Northern
Central America Central.
Aztec and Mayan
Instruments
Tlapitzalli - this is made of
clay with abstract
decorations and designs.
Common designs are the
images of their deities.
Teponaztli - This is a
slit drum from Mexico.
It is a hollow drum
carved from a piece of
hardwood.
Conch - this is made of
a large sea snail shell. It
is a wind instrument that
is prepared by cutting a
hole near the apex so the
air can be blown like a
trumpet.
Whistles - these are
small instruments made
of bones from dead
animals.
Rasp - this is a hand
percussion notched
instrument that is played by
scraping a stick to create a
rattling effect.
Huehueti - this is a
Mexican tubular
upright drum used by
the Aztecs.
Incan Instruments
These are instrument that were being
played during the civilization of Inca
between c. 1400 and 1533 CE in Pre-
Columbian America, which was centered in
what is now Peru. The Incas built one of
the largest, most tightly controlled empires
the world has ever known.
Incan Instruments
Ocarina - this is a vessel
clay/ceramic flute with 4
to 12 finger holes and a
mouthpiece. This is a wind
instrument used by the
ancient Incan civilization.
Zampoñas - these are
ancient instruments
tuned to different scales.
It is played by blowing
the instrument across
the tube top.
Andean Instruments
These are the instruments that were
being played during the Andean
Civilization (c. 3000 BCE – 1537). This
civilization is considered indigenous and
not derived from other civilizations
mainly because they came from the river
valleys of the coastal desserts of Peru.
Andean Instruments
Wooden Tarka - these
are rainy season flutes.
These are vertical duct
flutes that is similar to a
recorder.
Quenas - these are dry
season flutes. These
are made of bamboo
with an end-notch.
Charango - The
charango is a ten-stringed
Andean guitar from
Bolivia. It is a smaller
version of a mandolin and
just the same size as the
ukulele. This imitates the
early guitars from Spain.
Pitus - the pitus are
cane flutes that are
blown sideways and
it can be played all
year round.
Chajchas- It is a rattle
made up of dried
hooves from sheep,
llama, or goat, and is
worn with a wrist
cloth bracelet.
Maracas- These are
instruments made of
gourd-like coconut shells
with beans, seeds, or
small pebbles placed
inside; they are played
by shaking.
Cajon- It is a rectangular
box made of wood and
played and used as a
drum. It is used by
tapping its front part
while the musician sits on
it. Also known as the
“beatbox”