Afro-Latin American music originated from the blending of African rhythms and instruments with European and indigenous Latin American influences during the colonial era. Enslaved peoples from Africa adapted their musical traditions, especially rhythms and call-and-response techniques, and incorporated elements of Moorish and Latin American music. Today, Afro-Latin music encompasses a variety of genres across Central and South America and the Caribbean, including styles like salsa, merengue, and cumbia, that are characterized by complex polyrhythms, percussion, and vocals used as another instrument.

1. Afro-Latin American music and
popular music: An Introduction

2. What is the history of Afro-Latin American music?
The history of Afro-Latin American music can be tracd
during the European colonization and slave trade in Africa
Latin America is comprised of different regions such as
the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and Central and South Americas
which are of diversified cultures of the European, Moors,
Mexicans, and other tribes if Africa. European countries
contributed religions and languages like Spanish and
Portuguese.
Their music is identified by their rhythms, which they
adapted from the elements of Moorish music and African and
Caribbean music in the slave trade from 1550 to 1880. The
enslaved Moors of North America in 1776 were prohibited from
playing drums, but in the Congo Square in New Orleans,
Caribbean slaves were free to play their drums for recreation
and entertainment and also for communication.

3. What are the characteristics of Afro-Latin American music?
These are the characteristics of Afro-Latin American music
1. Conversation: “Call and response” – a performance of voice interaction as an
answer to the first chant.
2. Improvisation: Non-scripted ways of singing that allow for sincere
conversations. It is a framework where the artist has freedom in creating the
musical mood.
3. The voice as an instrument: It is the manipulation of a freely controlled
piece where they can change the tone of voice, its tempo, the creation of moods,
and even changing the range and voice power.
4. The instrument as a voice: The instrument serves as a “singer” along with the
range and voice power.

4. What is African music?
African music is a rich and diverse cultural heritage that exist in
hundreds of different languages. The music in Africa always has the
technique of “call and response” in which a person leads by singing a
phrase and followed and answered by a group of singers.
They usually perform by singing and using percussion instruments played
either by hands or with sticks, drums, and others, and they them also
for communication to convey news, to teach, to tell a story, and for
religious purposes; this includes the Maracatu.

5. What are the other vocal forms of african music?
There are some vocal forms of African music that includes:
1.Blues-This is a gloomy flok music of African-american origin, which is
naturally in a twelve-bar order. This was developed in rural areas in the United
States by the end of the 19th century and became popular upon the migration of the
African-Americans in the cities in the 1940s. This urban blues gave birth to rock
and roll, and rhythm and blues.
2.Soul-This is a kinds of music combining the basics of rhythm and blues and
gospel music, which was popularized by the African-Americans. It is characterized
by vocal emphasis and an emotional and improvised delivery. The performers
associated with this kind of music are Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Otis
Redding, and James Brown.
3.Spiritual-This kind of music is always with a Christian or religious theme.
This kind of music is monophonic in nature and in a capella, which is the origin
of the music which we call blues. A spiritual song provides comfort and eases the
boredom from their daily activities. They are an expression of spiritual devotion
and a desire for freedom from bondage.
4.Call and Response-This is a sequence of two different phrases usually played by
two or more musicians. It is a direct response from the first phrase; is is a
commentary response.

6. What is Latin-American music?
The rhythm and styles of Latin-American music are influenced by the United States
and other countries in Europe like Spain and Portugal.
Latin music is the combination of four musical elements, musical styles, cultural
backgrounds, language, and geography. Some of the musical styles are tango, bossa
nova, merengue, and salsa and also other genres such as reggae, jazz, rock, and
Latin pop.
What are the different instruments used in Latin-American Music?
1. Bombo -It is a dual-headed drum made from a deep tree trunk with patches made
up of calf or goat skin; it is played using two sticks.
2. Chajchas – It is a rattle made up of dried hooves from sheep, llama, or goat
and is worn with a wrist cloth bracelet.
3. Zamponas – It is a panpipe-type of reed made up of bamboo that are tied
together.
4. Charango – This is an instrument made from the shell of an Armadillo. This is
a ten-string guitar instrument.

7. 5. Quena – It is a flute made of bones or bamboo that has a vertical-notched
reed.
6. Cajon – It is a rectangular box made of wood; it is played and used as a drum.
It is used by tapping its front part while the musician sits on it.
7. Maracas – These are instruments made of gourd-like coconut shells with beans,
seeds, or small pebbles placed inside; they are played by shaking.
8. Claves – These are a pair of hardwood sticks playe by striking them together.
What are the vocal and dance forms of Latin-America?
1. Cumbia – It is a type of dance and music similar to salsa and uses instruments
like accordions, guitars, and percussions.
2. Tango – This is a lively and spirited dance of tgwo people. It is a passionate
kind of dance that shows expression and connection, and is performed in a
traditional or modern style.
3. Cha-cha – This is a Latin-American ballroom dance with the basic pattern of
three steps with a shuffle. It has a fast rhythmic pattern.
4. Bossanova – This a style of music that was derived from samba, which is an
original Brazilian music. It gives more emphasis on percussion and melody.

8. 5. Pasodoble – It is Spain’s traditional couple dance. It uses music
that is traditionally played in bull fighting.
6. Reggae – This is a Jamaican form of music and dance with strong,
accented, and supplementary beats. In the 1960s, it was known as the ska
and is a variation of rhythm and blues. The popular artist of this genre
was Bob Marley.
7. Rumba – This is a kind of song and a dance that originated from Cuba
with a percussive rhythm and a combination of Cuba’s musical and dance
traditions.
8. Foxtrot – It is a ballroom dance of two quick slow steps and two
quick steps and is executed alternately in 4/4 time signature.
What is jazz music?
Just like other music with different origins, jazz is a type of music
with an African-American origin that started in the early 20th century
with syncopated beats, improvised sounds, and a regular and foceful
rhythmic pattern. The instruments that are commonly used in jazz are
woodwind instruments, piano, and brass wind instruments. Sometimes, it
usaes guitar and violin for swing, jazz, bebop, and Dixieland.

9. What are the different types of jazz?
1. Ragtime
2. Big band
3. Bebop
4. Jazz rock
What is ragtime jazz?
Ragtime is a popular American music in 1890 until 1915; it has a steady
syncopation and a melody with a rhythmic pattern of two-four time.
How do you describe a big band jazz?
One of the popular musical trend produced by African-Americans in the United
states Of America is the ragtime. This became popular in the late 19th century. It
is commonly uses ragged rhythm, which is syncopated in beat and also performed in
a lager group. Ragtime artist use an occasional harmony and note that we call
blues.
What is Bebop?
Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced this kind of musical genre in the
1940s.
It is performed in a smaller group rather than a larger ensemble of musicians.
The focus of this kind of music is for the solo musician to show brilliance and
harmonic knowledge. Bebop replaced jazz in popularity and pushed it into a more
knowledgeable tone to capture audience interest, and this is the start of
transition from pop music to music as an art.

10. What is jazz rock?
Just like other kinds of rock music, jazz rock—or sometimes called jazz fusion—
is a variant of a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B.
in the amplification and electronic effects of rock music, complex time
signatures were derived from non-Western music and extended, typically from
instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations.
Jazz musicians often use wind and brass instruments and display a high level of
instrumental technique. This style was developed around the late 1960s. The term
“jazz fusion” as well as for music performed by the late 1960s and 1970s era by
rock bands that added jazz elements to their music.
What is popular music?
There are many things to consider about popular music. It belongs to a variety
of genres distributed to a number of audiences through the music industry.
Popular music is commonly preferred by a certain group of people. Age bracket and
location are some of the factors that determine what type of music is popular
among certain people. Some people could choose jazz, pop, rock, or soul depending
on their preference.
What is a ballad?
A ballad is a light, simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed of short
stanzas and adapted for singing. It is a simple song, especially one of
sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sang to the
same melody.

11. How can you describe rock and roll?
Just like other genres of music and dance, rock and roll started with pride in
1950s, the characteristics of which are simple melodies with accented beats. Rock
and roll is considered a combination of white country music, rhythm and blues,
and is of a twelve-bar structure with the music of guitar, drums, and bass. one
best example is the “Jail House rock” sang and performed by the “King of rock and
roll”, Elvis Presley.
What is alternative music?
Alternative music started in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is a do-it-
yourself type of music of different musical bands. Its definition refers its
distinction from typical rock music, which is expressed by distorting the guitar
sound in a different and defiant attitude. The two most popular bands with this
kind of music are R.E.M. and Nirvana (famous for its frontman, Kurt Cobain).
Listen to the new alternative music sang and performed by Nirvana, “Smells Like
Teen Spirit”, online. 
How do you define disco music?
The word disco derives from the word “discotheque”, which refers to nightclubs
people frequent in the 1960s and 1970s. Disco music is music for dancing or for
encouraging dance. Disco music is usually played and enjoyed in nightclubs where
songs are mixed by DJs.

12. // FYI //
Did you know that the music industry generates about $4 billion in online music
but loses about $40 billion?
Due to piracy and illegal music downloads from the internet, the music industry
loses about $40 billion, and this is a threat to the health of the indusrty.