BASED OFF PROMPT 8

For Choice Cut B, I wanted to expand upon the sounds of Latin American Music, and compare the qualities between 2 distinct genres. As mentioned by Dr. Munnariz, the genre of “Latin American Music” is amazingly diverse, and I’ve been wanting to compare the sounds of it, using mainly SHMRG elements. The 2 genres I have selected are:

Bossa Nova

Chega de Saudade – Joao Gilberto (1961)

 

Tango

Uno – Roberto Goyeneche (2004)

 

SOUND

Bossa Nova: The timbre of the warm sound of Gilberto’s singing is backed up by relaxed guitar strumming and the ostinato rhythms of the percussion.

Tango: The sound of Tango is more dynamically charged compared to Bossa Nova. It also has a more flourished, full sound, with a full orchestra backing Roberto Goyeneche.

HARMONY

Bossa Nova: Harmony is very minimal in this song, with the only source of harmony coming from the strums of the guitar.

Tango: The orchestra has a very polyphonic texture that supports the main vocalist.

MELODY

Bossa Nova: The melody of the song is carried by the vocalist. It never really leaves the range that it starts in and is always kept in a linear tonality, keeping its mellow vibe for the duration of the piece.

Tango: The melody of this piece is juggled between the vocals of Goyeneche and the strings soaring through.

RHYTHM

Bossa Nova: The core rhythm of this genre is the Samba Beat. Almost all songs in this genre have an emphasis on the second beat, giving bossa nova that iconic feel that it’s known for.

Tango: There are 2 main rhythms that Tango follows: Marcato and Sincopa. Uno follows the Marcato Rhythm, which has an emphasis on the “and” of beat 2.

GROWTH

Bossa Nova: Quite a few pieces from Bossa Nova are relatively short, and Chega de Saudade is no exception. The general growth is a 1 minute verse, followed by a chorus that is more colorful in terms of sound, with more energy in every instrument and voice but not too energetic.

Tango: The growth of the song is primarily dependent on the instrumentals. As the piece progresses, the orchestra blossoms, and the piece’s motion continuously moves upwards.

 

Overall, Latin American Music is more than just one singular term that represents the entirety of South America. Even within just 2 genres, there is so many unique characteristics that differentiate between each other. Diving into more of the specific genres helped me understand the building blocks of all these genres.