Hot Licks: Guaguancó Quinto Solo

Guaguancó is one of the styles from the Afro Cuban popular music genre called rumba. It is often played at a medium to fast tempo. Like all forms of rumba, guaguancó has drummers and singers, and often is accompanied by dancers. The songs are secular in nature, yet often find themselves weaving through references to Orishas or Christianity. 

Instruments that are important to the sound of guaguancó as well as other rumba styles include the following:clave—wooden dowels for timekeeping; cata—hollowed log or bamboo played with sticks; salidor—large tumbadora; tres dos (3/2)—medium tumbadora; quinto—small tumbadora; shekere—gourd with beads attached.

This Hot Lick is written as a quinto solo practice tool. The phrasing is based around rumba clave and will create a sense of tension and release. I like to think of the tension as floating (upbeats) and the release as being grounded (downbeats).

Here are a few listening suggestions to get a better sense of the style: Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (Cuba); Irosso Obba (Cuba); Osain del Monte (Cuba); Clave y Guaguancó (Cuba); Yoruba Andabo (Cuba); Yuba Ire (Puerto Rico); Totin “Arara” Agosto y La Liga Rumbera (Puerto Rico); Cachete Maldonado y Los Majaderos (Puerto Rico).

Joe Goglia holds a master’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Jazz from Arizona State University. In addition to formal education, Joe has had the opportunity to study with a variety of instructors in the folkloric field, including Scott Kettner, Mark Lamson, Julie Hill, Beto Torrens, Rafael Maya, Ruy Lopez-Nussa Lekszycky, Ailton Nunes, and Dudu Fuentes. Joe is the Director of Instrumental and Digital Music at Camelback High School where his duties include Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Music Technology. An active PAS member for many years, Joe has served as Arizona PAS Chapter Vice President and President.