Cuba Mama: A Latin Music Lesson

Okay, so Cuba Mama, indicative from the title, we're going to be playing some Latin music with Cuban influence, a nice mambo.

It's really, really nice, and I enjoy it a lot. We're starting up with a lovely tom fill, reminiscent of a timbale fill, which is very common in Latin music.

The Starting Fill

• Confidence: When you play those flams, be really confident.
• Introduction: This fill at the start is like "Right, okay, we're going in."

Here we go!

Piano Intro

We've got a nice piano intro. It's your job to kick everything off. So be confident and, you know, have a bit of fun with it. It's a really cool feel.

Mambo Style Beats

We're going into a classic mambo style.

• Bar 5 Beats: You'll notice that, as opposed to a Western backbeat on 2 and 4, the accents with the left hand are going to be on 2 and then 4 and 4.
• Make a Big Deal: Make a big deal of that.

Remember, the four and is more important than beat four. Feel free to accent that beat four and more if you like; it's not indicated on the chart, but it sounds really cool.

Syncopated Latin Feel

This really adds something to that syncopated Latin feel.

• Bar B: When we get to B, we're playing just four to the floor on the kick drum and eighth notes on the hi-hats.
• Maintain Crispness: Keep them nice and crisp, and don't get put off by that offbeat piano rhythm.

The piano is playing something quite similar to perido alto or something thereabouts. Don't get thrown off by the fact that the piano is not playing the same rhythm as you.

Embracing Complexity

Latin music is made up of loads of different rhythms that all mesh together and create this beautiful cacophony of rhythm. It can be quite intimidating if you're not versed in the music, so take it slow, trust in the chart, and practice with a metronome.

I mean, I will say that a lot across this Rock School course, but I mean every word of it.

Bar 17: Ride Pattern

Getting to bar 17 on the ride:

• Same Mambo Beat: We have the same mambo beat, more or less, but with a pedaled hi-hat on beats two and four.
• Practice Slowly: Be careful with that! Practice it really, really slowly and try to avoid flamming between the ride, hi-hat, and snare drum.

You know, I'm looking for complete unison there, and it will really make a difference to your groove.

Finishing Up

Finishing up, we have a very similar tom fill followed by a unison figure on the snare to finish.

• Same Tom Fill: The tom fill is actually exactly the same as the one at the start.
• Nail Your Timing: Look at you getting a free feel for nothing, except without the pedal hi-hat.

So again, be confident in your timing and really nail that unison figure at the end. Practice it with a metronome.

Recommendations

Other than that, it's a great idea to check out some Latin music.

• Suggested Artists:
  • Buena Vista Social Club is a great reference.
  • Tito Puente is really worth listening to as well.

The drum kit really emulates a lot of different percussion instruments in Latin music, so it's worth checking out the roles of each of those instruments and then trying to replicate that on the kit as you progress.

Have a great time! I've really enjoyed playing this track, and I hope you enjoy playing it too!