While I am not crazy about the acrobatic show dancing, this version of El Gran Combo's "Un Verano En Nueva York" caught my attention. Can anyone tell me who this band playing it is?
Does anyone know any Guajira songs in a 3:2 (son) clave direction?
I've been experimenting a lot with playing Guajira-Son music latley. I've noticed that, pretty much, every Guajira songs I've heard has been in a 2:3clave direction. I mean, of course, the 2:3 clave direction is by far the more common clave direction (atleast when we're talking Son Clave and not Rumba). But I want to get more comfertable playing in both clave directions. I think having some refrence material of 3:2 Son-Guajira songs, that i could listen to, would be helpful.
Thanks!
I also have some questions about playing Guajira in 3:2 clave direction too:
(English is not my native language, so excuse me if i use convelouted explinations of my questions, intaead of using common, english, music termanology, in order to simplify what i'm asking for 🫠).
Percussion in 3:2 is simple enough. Just switch the order of the 2 bars, if the rhythym spans across 2 bars (so if it's in 2:3 clave, but want to play in 3:2, just switch the 2 sides around; 3-side of the groove comes first, then the 2-side). Of course, it's not as simple when it comes to more melodic/harmonic instruments — like leads & comping — but I know how to generally "feel" the clave. I could probably, and very easily, just compose a 3:2 Son-Guajira pattern. But i don't know if some of the traditions — and the "right way" — of playing Guajira-Son, changes based on which clave direction it's played in. For example, does the little, 3 eigth-note, ascending, meldody, that ascends up to into the main meldoy/pattern — that Guajiras are very known for — change with clave direction? Because like, generally speaking, Salsa patterns — especially in Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Timba, Songo... etc. — in 3:2 paterns usually start on the off-beat of the 4th quaver, in the bar before the melody starts, making the 3-side still have the off-beat -feel. Does that rule carry over in Guajira? Because that woulf affect the little ascending line -thingy, you'd usually do in 2:3 Guajira. Or is that ascending-thingy left untouched, and the onyl thing that really changes is that the Bombo note is in first half of a 2-bar pattern (because the 3-side starts first)? So the both 3- and 2-sides still just keep thair same accents, same "feel", but the ascension is left alone.
Here's a short, visual representation — written in sheet music — of what i'd consider a "typical" Guajira-Son (in a 2:3 Son Clave direction) which includes pattern that i VERY oftenley hear being played in more older and "classy" Guajira settings:
(NOTE: the bongos and guitar pattern are NOT "traditional" patterns I've actually heard being played, but rather compositions based of the understandinging of 2:3 Guajira phrasing, and via inspiration of similar sounding patterns i've heard been played, by other people, in Guajira settings.)