The term Latin percussion refers to any member of a large family of musical percussion instruments used in Latin music, which in turn is a very loosy related group of musical styles, mainly from the Latin American region, and ultimately having roots or influences in African tribal music. Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

That definition is good enough for many people, and is true so far as it goes, but before getting into details, it should be pointed out that Latin music can be, and indeed, is, played on any number of instruments, percussion and otherwise. This is an extemely percussive style of music, and many percussion instruments used in the styles roughly known as Latin music cross into different catagories. Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... Percussion may refer to: A family of musical instruments – see percussion instrument; A method of clinical examination – see percussion (medicine). ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ...

Particular instruments

Again, though many different instruments can be used in Latin music (and, in fact, often whole percussion sections are occasionally supplemented or even replaced by a Drum Kit, for the purposes of getting a more rock, pop, or jazz sound, or for financial or other constraints), there are a number of instruments that are typically and particularly meant for Latin music. Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set - the latter an old-fashioned term) is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a sole percussionist (drummer), usually for jazz, rock, or other types of contemporary music. ... Rock may refer to: Rock, a geologic substance composed of minerals Rock, short for Rock and Roll music Rock, a small offshore islet with minimal soil Rock, a confectionery made and sold in many of the UKs seaside holiday resorts Rock candy, a type of confectionery composed of large... Pop can mean: Pop culture Pop music Pop art Pop icons Pop (frozen snack) Short form of Lollipop Short form of Popcorn Short form of Soda pop Father Mayan Calendar - Pop is the first month of the Mayan Calendar Pop (album) by U2 Pop, a character in Happy Tree Friends... Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ...

A "typical" percussion section would be hard, if not impossible, to define, but a more or less full sound can be obtained with congas, bongos, timbales, maracas, guiros,gourds, shakers, and cowbells. In large ensembles, it is not unusual to find a different percussionist responsible for each individual instrument. More often in modern times, though, two, three or four musicians will split the duties of all instruments, with, perhaps, a designated congalero, bongosero, and/or timbalero. Conga is a drum, a type of music, and a type of dance (Conga Line). ... Bongos being played Bongos are a percussion instrument. ... Timbales (or tymbales) are shallow cylindrical single-headed drums, similar to single-headed tom-toms. ... Maracas are simple percussion instruments (idiophones), usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried gourd shell (cuia - kOO-ya) filled with seeds or dried beans. ... A gourd is a hollow, dried shell of a fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. ... Shakers near Lebanon, New York The Shakers are an offshoot of the Religious Society of Friends (or Quakers) that originated in Manchester, England in the early 18th century. ... The cowbell is a percussion instrument. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ...

External links

There are far too many instruments in this sup-family of percussion to list all of them here. For more information:

• Latin Fiesta, Latin Percussion Instruments
• Percussion Instruments