How to play Latin Music on the Upright Bass

After you have played the upright bass for awhile, try some different musical genres. Latin music has some interesting beat and rhythms that are unlike rhythms used in most American music genres.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Play a 6-8 clave. It is the original form of the clave and one of the most common clave beats. It is played in the cowbell pattern. In the first measure, the beats are pronounced on the first, third and fifth beats.

2. Try a son clave. There are three notes in the first measure of music and two notes in the second measure of music, which is why it is said to be in a 3-2 direction.

3. Play a 2-3 Clave. This rhythm is much like the son clave, only it is reverse. It is in the 2-3 direction, meaning there are two notes in the first measure of music and three in the second measure.

4. Try a rumba clave. There are three types pf rumba claves and they are usually associated with being sexually charged. It is usually also in the 3-2 direction.

5. Play Tumbao, which is a common afro-Cuban bass line. The simplest Tumbaos consist of four notes per clave phrase, and usually avoid the downbeats. A successfully played Tumbao beat is not heard or noticed in the music as much as felt.

6. Remember to play with the idea of less is more. The most successful bass lines in Latin music use the fewest notes and simply offer support to the other instruments.

7. Mute the strings with your fingers of the hand holding the neck. Do this on the beats when the bass line is played on the off-beats.