Cuban Guitar Course- Four Sessions

Autumn term 

Saturday 12th of September 12pm, Saturday 19th of September 12pm, Saturday 26th of September 12pm, Saturday 3rd of October 12pm

Location 

The Drum Labs, 25-27 Curtain Road, EC2A 3LT 

Playing Level 

Improver +

What this course is

This program is all about taking the guitar, and making it produce sounds that are a step to the left from the traditional blues, pop or rock sounds that it might normally produce.

You’ll be working across a range of tracks, several from the legendary Buena Vista Social Club album but with plenty of pitstops across lesser-known tracks such as Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz.

The joy of playing in a group is rarely felt more keenly than when playing music that was written to move to. So, we’ll be utilising the group aspect that sits at the heart of all Guitar Social sessions; some will play the chords, others the melody and, for those that want to try something different, there are a range of percussive instruments for you to try out including the Clave, Güiro and Maracas.

In between the playing there are discussions on the expansive history of Cuban music and, in the final session, we’ll be trying out some cocktails enjoyed in the region in both alcoholic and alcohol-free forms.

Some of the original members of the Buena Vista Social Club, an ensemble that delivered Cuban Music into the global mainstream

Key areas of learning 

Key areas of learning

We'll begin by exploring the rich history of Cuban music and the styles that have shaped it over the last two centuries. You'll discover the differences between Son Cubano, Bolero, Guajira, Cha-cha-chá, Danzón, Mambo, Salsa and Timba, and see how each genre has influenced the music that followed.

One of the most important concepts in Cuban music is the clave. You'll learn what the clave is, the difference between 2–3 and 3–2 clave, how to feel it naturally rather than count it, and how to avoid the common mistakes that catch out many musicians new to the style.

From there we'll look at Cuban rhythm guitar, learning the distinctive guajeo patterns that give the music its unmistakable feel. You'll work on syncopated chord patterns, anticipations, off-beat accents and, most importantly, how to play with the percussion rather than over it.

You'll also expand your harmonic vocabulary with the chords that appear throughout Cuban music, including triads, sixth chords, ninth chords and diminished passing chords, as well as the simple jazz harmony that gives the style its colour.

As the course progresses you'll begin creating your own melodic guajeos, learning how to build repeating syncopated guitar figures, improve your voice leading and write parts that fit naturally into the music.

Although this is a guitar course, we'll also spend time understanding the percussion that drives Cuban music. You'll become familiar with the rhythms of the clave, conga tumbao, bongo martillo, timbale cascara and cowbell, helping your guitar playing feel far more authentic.

We'll explore melody and improvisation through major and minor pentatonic scales, Mixolydian and Dorian modes, chromatic approaches and traditional call-and-response phrasing, all with an emphasis on rhythm and groove rather than speed.

Throughout the course you'll learn a selection of classic Cuban songs, including Chan Chan, Lágrimas Negras, Guantanamera, El Cuarto de Tula and Son de la Loma, with each piece introducing a different aspect of the style.

Playing in an ensemble is at the heart of Cuban music, so you'll learn how to support singers, trade parts with other instruments, leave space in your playing and lock in with the bass and percussion.

Finally, we'll bring everything together by looking at improvisation over montuno sections, developing rhythmic variation, building memorable motifs and learning how to create solos that stay firmly inside the groove.

Ray Berretto, a prolific percussionist in the Latin Jazz world. His piece, Acid, features in this course. 

Playing level

This program is defined as improver level + by Guitar Social standards. To learn more about what that means, head here.

Practice

Upon signing up to this course you’ll receive a pack of resources featuring song sheets, tabs, exercises and videos. Head here to see a sample of those materials. You will benefit from this course by doing five 20 minute practice sessions a week.

Song Sample

This playlist provides a mood board for this course.  We will be encountering some, but not all of these songs. You can also put forward your own song ideas once the course starts. 

Events

By signing up to this course you get free entry to all of The Guitar Social's events. These include our weekly open mic, monthly movie and book clubs, and ad hoc events like jams in parks (in the summer) and themed events such as our blues workshops and album study sessions.