The Musical instruments of the caribbean region of Colombia Are designed and played to interpret the main genres of the area, such as cumbia, vallenato, champeta or porro.
Colombian music represents a set of knowledge, beliefs, religions, morals and customs that is implicit in the diversity of musical varieties of Colombia.
Both traditional and modern, the features of music in the different regions of Colombia are unique and pleasant.
The diversity of musical expressions found in Colombia can be seen as the result of a mixture of African, indigenous and European (especially Spanish) native influences, as well as of the more modern Americans.
Colombia has a vibrant collage of talent that plays a full spectrum of rhythms ranging from pop music and classical music to salsa and rock music.
Colombian music is promoted mainly by the support of the major record companies, independent companies and the Government of Colombia, through the Ministry of Culture.
Most used musical instruments in the Caribbean region
Each genre of music has its own instruments and genres heard in Colombia are no exception.
Below is a list of the musical instruments that showcase the traditional and modern music of the Caribbean region of Colombia.
1- Accordion
No one is quite sure how the accordion came to Colombia in the nineteenth century. Legend says that a German ship was shipwrecked on the Magdalena River and the rescued accordions went to captivate the nation.
Either way, the accordion is now the backbone of Colombian folk music.
The vallenato was born on the Caribbean coast, where the troubadours played their accordions and sang stories from town to town. Accordions are also included in cumbia music.
Each year, Colombia has the biggest accordion competition in the world, the Leyenda Vallenata Festival in Valledupar, and the instrument has inspired some of the most important stars of the country, such as Carlos Vives, Shakira, Juanes and Fonseca.
2- Guacharaca
The guacharaca is a percussion instrument, usually made from the trunks of small palm trees. It is essentially a ridged tube carved on the surface, scraped with a wire fork.
The Tairona natives of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, on the north coast of Colombia, invented the guacharaca to simulate the song of the guacharaca bird and the instrument now represents the indigenous side of vallenato and cumbia, together with the European and West african
A guacharaca interpreter is known as a guacharaquero.
3- Tiple
The tiple is a small guitar (about three-quarters the size of a classical guitar) that descends from the guitars brought by the Spanish conquerors to the New World.
This instrument was touched by artists and people of humble antecedents until gaining popularity.
The tiple is usually played alongside a tambourine and is an essential part of Colombia's rural heritage.
The Tiple and Guabina Festival is celebrated in Vélez, Santander, every August. Guabina is a genre of song, dance and music that, like the tiple, is popular in Caribbean regions and in Santander, Antioquia, Boyacá and Cundinamarca.
4- Tambora
The tambora, or bombo, is a large drum, popular among African-Colombian communities in the Caribbean regions of Colombia. It is made of tree bark and covered with deerskin, goat or sheep.
Drums are essential in cumbia music, which can be heard throughout Colombia, including the Carnival of Barranquilla and the National Festival of Cumbia in El Banco, Magdalena.
The tambora is played with drumsticks and is also part of the tradition of the marimba of the Pacific coast, where the musicians sing and play in social gatherings, the worship of the saint and the vigils.
These traditions are transmitted orally, with older musicians guiding the younger drummers.
5- Bagpipes
The bagpipe, also known as kuisi, is an indigenous wind instrument on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
It is believed that he was first touched by the Kogi people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The bagpipe is made of cactus, with a feather at one end and holes for different notes.
It has a male, female and short version, with several numbers of holes, and is used in cumbia, merengue, puya and porro music.
The bagpipe is known as the"Colombian bagpipe"because it also has an instrument of the same name in Spain, called as Spanish bagpipes.
Its most famous devotees are the winners of the Latin Grammy the San Jacinto Gaiteros, who also play drums and maracas when they perform.
6- Harp
The harp is at the heart of the music of this region, as well as in the region of the cowboy plains of eastern Colombia.
The Spanish conquerors brought the instrument with them when they traveled to the New World and soon became absorbed in the local culture.
The llanera version has 32 or 33 cords of different lengths and is usually made of cedar, pine or other hardwood.
Since its inception, the harp has inspired infusions of pop music and salsa, although its popularity in the region's traditional music is evident at the annual"Harp of Gold"festival.
7- Cowbell
The cowbell is a percussion instrument used in various styles of music including salsa, porro and infrequently in popular music.
Its name owes the honor to the bell that has been used by the shepherds throughout history so as not to lose sight of the cattle.
In Colombian music the cowbell is used within the musical genre porro palitiao.
8- Caja vallenata
The vallenata box, similar to a tambora, is one of the three main or traditional instruments of vallenata music.
Box is the slang word adopted to nick this drum. There is also a Caribbean drum called caja, used in Colombian music.
There are two types of vallenata box:
- Traditional: elliptical cylinder made of wood and a cowhide stretched over the widest and tightest opening with rustic ropes, approximately 30 cm (12 inches) high.
- Modern version: similar to a congas drum but shorter in height (about 30 cm or 12 inches). Made from wood but no ropes are used to stretch and hold the skin. A metal frame is screwed to the wooden base to support animal skin or an x-ray film (x-ray) as a skin.
References
- Burton, Kim. "The Golden Sound". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp. 372-385. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
- Raymond Torres-Santos. (2017). Music Education in the Caribbean and Latin America: A Comprehensive Guide. Google Books: Rowman & Littlefield.
- George List,"Performing Styles in Folk Music and Dance: The Mbira in Cartagena,"Journal of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 54-59.
- 98, Howard, Rob (2003) An A to Z of the Accordion and Related Instruments Stockport: Robaccord Publications ISBN 978-0-9546711-0-5.
- Marion Provenzal, Claudia Mosquera (2000). Construction of a popular Caribbean identity in Cartagena de Indias through music and baile de la champeta [Construction of a Caribbean identity for people of Cartagena through Champeta music and dance, vol. 3, pp. 98-114] (in Spanish).
- Garsd, Jasmine (Feb 18, 2015). "Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America". National Public Radio. Alt Latin. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- Jacobson, Marion (21 February 2012). Squeeze This: A Cultural History of the Accordion in America. University of Illinois Press, Chicago, IL. 2012, Pg. 61. ISBN 978-0-252-03675-0.