The Most Popular MThe Most Popular Music Genres In Colombiausic Genres In Colombia
If you are a person who fancies Colombian music, here are some genres you can explore. Read on to know them all.
Learn some of our songs and phrases in Spanish before you come to Colombia. Listening to and dancing to Colombian music and interacting with locals is the best way to fully appreciate Colombian culture. We'll take you on a musical tour of Colombia right now. Here are the top 10 American musical styles and genres to explore.
Cumbia
As far as musical styles go, Cumbia is one of the most well-liked in the country. Slave couples in West Africa popularised the dance as a form of wooing. Initially, just drums and claves were used to perform Cumbia. It later integrated elements from the native Kogui and Kuna communities (flutes and percussion). European guitars from the Spanish and Germans (accordion). You've undoubtedly heard Cumbia music and watched Cumbia dancing, even if you've never been to Colombia. One of the most well-known performers in the country, Shakira, has done a lot to promote this style internationally.
Bullerengue. Women have always sung the bullerengue, a form based on Cumbia. It also owes much to African and Spanish cultures. The music is characterized by many instruments, a call-and-response exchange between the lead vocalist, or "cantadora," and a choir, and a focus on rhythm and spontaneity over melody. Petrona Martinez & Totó La Momposina are two of the most well-known bullerengue artists. Because of them, people all around the world know what Bullerengue is.
Vallenato
One of the best-known forms of Colombian music, alongside Cumbia, is called Vallenato. The indigenous Gaita flute, the Caja drum, the guacharaca, and the accordion are the standard instruments for performing Vallenato. Literary merit and narrative flair are the genre's defining features. Gabriel Garcia Márquez, a renowned Colombian author, famously remarked that his most famous work, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," was a 300-page Vallenato.
Champeta
The term "champeta" refers to more than just music or dance. It all started in Cartagena de Indias, a city with a large population of Afro-Colombian people, in the early 1980s. The original meaning of the word "champeta" referred to a specific type of knife that was commonplace in the region and used for various purposes, including as a tool, a cooking implement, and even a weapon. Then, the wealthy elites of Cartagena began using the term "champetudo" to describe the city's poorer, African-descended citizens living in the city's poorer, more peripheral neighborhoods.
Currulao
A band or orchestra is typically responsible for its performance. To generate the distinctive beat of Currulao, one must use both hands to strike the skin of an African drum known as "dunno" while pounding the drum's side with a tiny stick. The African balafon is the inspiration for the Colombian trommel, a type of wooden xylophone. Currulao has been gaining popularity among regional youth musicians in recent years. Afro-Colombian and Pacific Islander pride has inspired them to incorporate these rhythms and instruments into their modern works.
Bambuco
The Andean highlands are the birthplace of the traditional music called "bambuco." Spanish and native influences combine in this music, drawing from African traditions. As well as a bandola, guitar, or mandolin, and a little 12-string guitar called a tiple, the typical instrumentation for this piece includes a tres.
