Latin music has been largely unexplored by the American mandolin community. For this first instructional video of its kind, I break down some of the most important Latin/Afro-Caribbean rhythms that you should learn, diving into several music styles from Cuba. Part 1 of the lesson deals with son cubano, the quintessential style of Afro-Cuban music that is the basis for salsa and timba. I introduce you to some traditional lines that the cuban tres would play so you can started grooving with the congas and bass, as well as my own pattern that developed as I learned to adapt the mandolin to this style.

Part 2 introduces you to three other important rhythms that are relevant to the traditional Cuban repertoire - bolero, danzón, and cha cha cha. Again, I break down the basic rhythms and show you concepts for accompaniment in these styles.

This instructional video is my most elaborate to-date, featuring extensive audio examples and on-screen notation/TAB examples. Included with the package are audio files of 13 play-along tracks with percussion instruments like congas, bongó, guiro and bass to practice along.

Upon purchase, you receive a PDF e-book with all of the exercises and additional annotations. Contained within the PDF e-book is a link to a Google Drive folder where you can access all of the video and audio files.

Duration: 53 minutes