Vallenato
Bryce Erdman
Background Information
Coming from Columbia's Caribbean region, Vallenato is popular folk music of Columbia. There is a valley in Columbia that influenced the name of this type of music because Vallenato means "born in the valley"
Some history includes that farmers that took their cattle across the country sang these songs as they travelled and even used them as forms of communication between villages. As it adapted Vallenato was influenced by European Pianos and accordions and became a type of music listened to by all, not only the lower class workers in which it gained its original popularity.
Every year in the month of April in the city of Valledupar the festival de la Legend Vallenata takes place. During this festival different people and groups battle to see who is best.
Instruments and Rhythm
There are three original in instruments, the caja vallenata, guacharaca, and accordion. The Caja vallenata is a small drum that the user can hold between the knees. The guacharaca is a grooved stick that is rubbed together to emit sound and the accordion is of german origin and has different reeds per note.
Using these original instruments and others artists are able to create four different rhythms. These are know as Son, Paseo, Puya's, and Marengue.
Tio Eddie and Mami dancing to vallenato