Bolero, Danzon, Bolero-Son, Danzon-Cha and all the confusion around it

Bongos and Maracas, the traditional one in Son context.
I just hear there's a guiro at the end and a cowbell - still son context but I have to correct my previous message.
Bolero-Cha it is.
I am sure people in my scene would dance BS to it if it was played :D

Damn, I would never have guessed that it was Bolero-Cha. I tried to learn the different rhythms through that app you once recommended, but I couldn't get it to work properly. I recently have realized that while in general, I have a "feeling" for what constitutes different genres, I can not put a finger on what exactly separates them. Traditional son doesn't incorporate the piano montuno, whereas son-montuno does? And what exactly separates a salsa from a son montuno?
 
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I am sure people in my scene would dance BS to it if it was played :D

Damn, I would never have guessed that it was Bolero-Cha. I tried to learn the different rhythms through that app you once recommended, but I couldn't get it to work properly. I recently have realized that while in general, I have a "feeling" for what constitutes different genres, I can not put a finger on what exactly separates them. Traditional son doesn't incorporate the piano montuno, whereas son-montuno does? And what exactly separates a salsa from a son montuno?
It can be many things.
Coming back to the Bolero Cha: When you hear a cowbell playing steady on all four beats and a guiro doing that pattern it‘s usually chachacha.

The second question: You mean the difference from Salsa to Son? Or really Son Montuno, Arsenio Rodriguez style?
 
It can be many things.
Coming back to the Bolero Cha: When you hear a cowbell playing steady on all four beats and a guiro doing that pattern it‘s usually chachacha.

The second question: You mean the difference from Salsa to Son? Or really Son Montuno, Arsenio Rodriguez style?
In general I can tell the difference. But some songs sound more like something in-between son montuno and salsa. Will post when I remember such a song
 
I would say Bolero, because Bolero-son is usually faster.
But it is Bolero played with son-ensemble, so people could call it that.
I feel mistlyvthe samecway. A Son-ified bolero, or almost like a Trova santiguera. From what I understand, Bolero-Son has a Son attachment at the end (lagrimas negeas for instance... fast for a Bolero but doesnt get the son feel till the "tu me quieres dejar" part), but to me at least, it stays the same through out. Beautiful song. To me a nice Cuban Bolero.
Cuando Ya no me Quieres is pretty fast for a Bolero as well, but still bolero for sure.
 
Is this bolero-son?
That is an excellent song that is (dance wise ) 100% Bolero .The make up of instruments may be very small but that alone does not distract from the rhythm of Bolero .This song in the BR world would be a huge hit. If poss. can someone transfer the song to the sister site ? would luv to see the response .
 
I would say Bolero, because Bolero-son is usually faster.
But it is Bolero played with son-ensemble, so people could call it that.

To my ears it sounds faster than the boleros I danced to. A bit of syncopation giving a vague cha type rhythm.
 
To my ears it sounds faster than the boleros I danced to. A bit of syncopation giving a vague cha type rhythm.
Oh, the groove underneath in the first half of the song is bolero 100%! It's only the question how to categorize it.
The thing is that I've heard Cubans call bolero-son this 3 things:
- Bolero with son instrumentation (like this example)
- Bolero with a son montuno in the end (like lagrimas negras as stated by @1derpalm )
- Fast Bolero - son mixture (Which has unclear borders as the maracas in son are very close to the maracas in bolero - very often even identical)
 
To my ears it sounds faster than the boleros I danced to. A bit of syncopation giving a vague cha type rhythm.

Tempo wise, this song meets the requirements for use in competitions and is mid range. The very slow Boleros are more for couples to get close ( if ya know what I mean )And, I do not hear anything close to Cha
 
Tempo wise, this song meets the requirements for use in competitions and is mid range. The very slow Boleros are more for couples to get close ( if ya know what I mean )And, I do not hear anything close to Cha
The cowbell and the guiro in the montuno are Cha cha cha. But I wouldn‘t dance chachacha to it either.
 
That tune is very popular in Cali. It gets rinsed on the radio and still gets played at salsa clubs. I'm never sure what to dance to it though.
 
How about this one?

I really don't know but the rhythm to me sounds like Bolero-Cha Cha or something like that. The piano sounds like a Guajira, especially with the "escalera".
I would guess guajira-son, but I'm not sure. No Chachacha probably, and I don't hear any bolero either.
 
How about this one?

I really don't know but the rhythm to me sounds like Bolero-Cha Cha or something like that. The piano sounds like a Guajira, especially with the "escalera".
I would guess guajira-son, but I'm not sure. No Chachacha probably, and I don't hear any bolero either.
If you don't mind, what about it makes you not feel bokero? It has the right tempo and melody (for me st least). What makes me not year guajira is the lack of "&4&" lead in on the chord progression.
If I was to dance it I feel a Danzon feel on 2 or.. controversy... the American BR Rhumba step (so I guess that is the easy bachata box step but on 7). I could never bring myself to dance on2 chachachá to this (or any really lol).
Either way I really like this song.
 
If you don't mind, what about it makes you not feel bokero? It has the right tempo and melody (for me st least). What makes me not year guajira is the lack of "&4&" lead in on the chord progression.
If I was to dance it I feel a Danzon feel on 2 or.. controversy... the American BR Rhumba step (so I guess that is the easy bachata box step but on 7). I could never bring myself to dance on2 chachachá to this (or any really lol).
Either way I really like this song.
I am not veey knowledgeable and just went by feeling, not by any technical reflection. Yeah it is a very nice song
 
If you don't mind, what about it makes you not feel bokero? It has the right tempo and melody (for me st least)
You're right about the tempo and melody, but the tumbadora pattern is not the right one except in the bridge where it gets closer. Also the bass figure is not the "correct" one.
What makes me not year guajira is the lack of "&4&" lead in on the chord progression.
That's why I rather tend to say guajira-son - there is a strong son feel in this. And there is the escalera in the montuno, in the &4& rhythm. Also the bass is syncopated which often happens in son AND guajira.
But as I said, it's more a feeling than anything else. Perhaps others here can tell better? There is some percussionists and Cuban members from time to time, it's a pity they don't often visit the music section.
 
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