The Vallenato Caribbean Coast
Instruments of the Vallenato
The Vallenato is a relatively young type of music that started developing an identity at the beginning of the 20th century.  It is a direct descendant of the Cumbia and as such it also has a binary rhythmic structure.  The basic Vallenato ensemble is composed of three instruments: The drum or box which gives rhythmic support, the Guacharaca or reeder which also gives rhythmic support and the accordion that is in charge of melody or counter melody, and harmonic support. Is interesting to see that in this three instrument you also see the influence of the three races, the accordion came from Europe, the drum from Africa and the Guacharaca from the native Colombians.  Another important aspect of this music is the particular color that has the typical Vallenato voice and the harmony used by the second voices.  In the following sample this is particularly evident.
The Vallenato is a clear example of what I told before: Colombian music starts from below and slowly grabs the heart of all the nation.  When I was a kid, this type of music was of bad taste in my social circle; however, as time passes it clearly gets more and more followers.
The next vallenato is a vallenato by Jorge Celedón, whom in this moment is one of the most popular exponents of this type of music, this particular song was a complete and absolute hit in all layers of Colombian society:
Previous
Contents Next
Home
Español About Me
if you have any comments you can leave them in the guestbook or send them to .