The Salsa Montuno

When I was a little girl, my father instilled in me the importance of listening to the clave. I began piano lessons at a very young age and when he would tell me this, I had no idea about what he meant. However, I have come to understand its meaning two and a half decades later.

Growing up we would listen to all types of music at home from classical to jazz to classic rock and of course salsa music. I would be enthralled by what the pianist was doing. The fancy finger work of the familiar montuno played throughout the song seemed to give it it’s flavor.

Montuno is a term that means “from the mountain.” This fancy piano technique is played throughout an entire song intimately intertwined with the rhythm of the percussion. Sometimes both hands are playing the exact same thing an octave apart from each other, other times the left hand is playing a bass part. Below is an audio-visual display of the rhythm of a montuno. You can hear the clave and how the piano interacts with it.

Nothing is better than applying that concept to a full band.

What is your favorite style of music and why? Please leave a comment down below.