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If rumba is the music where Cuban people tell their collective stories, express their hopes,

and comment on the days events, then yambu could be considered the most primarymusical form of Afro-Cuban culture, since it is the oldest form of rumba. It is one of thefirst forms of creole music in Cuba, as it is the blending of panish and African

cultures that created this world-renowned style. In performance, it is traditionally played

on ca!ones "boxes#, along with some $ind of a rattle "a maraca, or a small che$ere#, and

a piece of bamboo struc$ with stic$s, $nown as the gua-gua. In the colonial era, drumswere fre%uently outlawed by the paniards, or there simply was not access to instruments

and&or the tools with which to ma$e them, so the ca!on originated in Cuba in the '(th

century as a replacement for the drum "It was not until much later that the )eruvian ca!onwas developed, which in turn was followed by the flamenco ca!on played today

throughout pain#. *he Cuban ca!on has become an art form unto itself, and there are

percussionists in Cuba whose main instrument is exclusively the ca!on. *he originalboxes for playing yambu came from the ships in the doc$s, where the larger ones that

contained codfish were used for the lower pitches, and the smaller ones that candles were

shipped in for church services were used for the higher pitch or %uinto sounds.

+ambu is a slow and elegant style of rumba, where the tempos are not fast, and the dance

is done by a couple with very graceful movements. In fact, during the estribillo or

montuno section "the call and response section#, the lead singer may remind the dancers+ambu no se vacuna, as the pelvic movements that ma$e up the dance of the

guaguanco are not allowed in yambu. ather the form represents a stylish and refined

dance, and as such could be considered a dance for elders, who can bring all the subtlety

and sophistication re%uired to the movement.

*his rhythm is probably the most popular and well $nown of the three forms of umba.

nli$e the +ambu which is traditionally played on boxes "ca!ones# at a slower tempo,

or the bris$ tempo of the rhythmically complex Columbia, the guaguanco is the rumbathat most people recogni/e as the center piece of fol$loric conga playing. It consists of a

%uinto "lead drum#, a segundo "the middle drum#, a salidor "the bottom drum#, a stic$

part "gua-gua#, a sha$er "maruga#, claves, and very intricate vocal parts. All three drumsin this style have an opportunity to significantly improvise within their patterns, and so

the resulting percussion conversation can be very beautiful and complex.

It is important to remember that all forms of rumba consist of three distinct elements---

singing, dancing and drumming. A good rumbero must understand all three of these

components, as it is essential to accompany the singers properly during the verses, and inturn support and inspire the dancers who will enter during the call and response section

"the estribillo or montuno# that is coming after the verses. In turn, the dance form of

guaguanco is a beautiful interplay between a man and woman, acting out a courtship in

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