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BassPlayer.com >> This Month >> Bolero
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Bolero| April, 2008 Although the bolero is originally a triple-meter dance that originated in 18th-century Spain, its modern form took hold in Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico as a duple-meter song form in the late 19th century. In the Cuban and Mexican tradition, it’s among the richest lyrical styles, and it still enjoys enduring appeal, especially to a generation comfortable with its slow pace and weighty, romantic themes. The bass part in a bolero is simple. Beats one and two can be a half-note or a dotted quarter and an eighth-note, played on the root of the chord. Beats three and four are always two quarter-notes, played on the V of the chord. I’ve seen drummers and bass players get these two grooves mixed up a number of times—so try to memorize this pattern. It is also quite common to transition to a cha-cha-cha (see January ’08) within a bolero. “Sabor a Mí,” a standard “Latin” tune to know, is a good example for this combination: The B section is a cha-cha-cha. Ex. 1 is the basic bolero rhythm. Ex. 2 shows a single-chord vamp, and Ex. 3 takes you through a few changes. Try playing your favorite ballads with this groove, and once you’ve got that down, play the B section as a cha-cha-cha. Think of the bass as the lowest drum in the ensemble, and play the bolero with a nice, round tone—try muting the notes with your palm for a softer, more drum-like quality. If you are trying this with a drummer, ask him or her to play the kick drum softly. This music does not require an in-your-face kick drum! |
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