Bachata

The calm groove of the verse. Good for practising basic steps.

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How fast the music plays. Normal is the usual tempo for this rhythm; start slow while learning.

The count the music is on right now. 1 and 5 start each half of the 8 counts: listen for them.

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130BPM

A voice counting along: just the numbers, or with “and” between them.

short
low
high
root
5th
3rd
bass
chord

Block 1

1&2&3&4&5&6&7&8&

A metal scraper, the sound you hear through the whole bachata: long on the beat, short in between.

Two small joined drums. Steady eighth notes that keep the band moving.

A bell the bongo player switches to in the mambo. When you hear it, the mambo has started.

Plays the low notes of the chords. In bachata it marks the 1; in salsa it plays the next chord early, on 4, and skips the 1 (the tumbao).

The lead guitar: high melodies and runs between the singer's lines.

The rhythm guitar: plays the chords in a steady, rolling pattern.

Join up to 32 counts of sections, e.g. verse → montuno, to hear how a song changes from one part to the next.

Start with one instrument and add the others one at a time, to hear what each one plays.

Keys: Space — play/stop · ← → — tempo (Shift: by 5) · 1–9 — switch instruments on and off