The bombo criollo, or simply bombo, is any of a family of

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s derived from the European

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

(also called in Spanish ''bombo'') and native Latin American drum traditions. These drums are of smaller dimensions than the orchestral bass drum, and their frame can be made of wood or steel. They can be held vertically or diagonally on the body or a stand. The specific make of the instrument depends on the regional tradition. In Argentina, the bombo criollo is called bombo legüero and played in many folkloric styles. In Cuba, bombos are the largest drums played by the street comparsas in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. In other countries, the term tambora is commonly used. The bombo should not be confused with the Puerto Rican bomba, a genre of music played with hand drums called '' barriles de bomba'' (bomba barrels), which are unrelated to the European bass drums.

Argentina

The bombo legüero is a common instrument in Argentine folk traditions such as zamba and

chacarera The Chacarera is a dance and music that originated in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is a genre of folk music that, for many Argentina, Argentines, serves as a rural counterpart to the cosmopolitan imagery of the tango (ballroom), Tango. A da ...

. The body of the drum is made out of a hollowed tree trunk, and the head is made of animal skins.

Cuba

The bombo or tambora is the lowest drum used in ''

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

santiaguera'', the music of the street carnivals from Santiago de Cuba. They are tuneable, two-headed military drums introduced in the island by the Spanish settlers. In tumba francesa and tahona, two styles imported into Oriente by Afro-Haitian slaves after the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, the bass drum (slightly smaller than the bombo) is called tambora, tamborita or tambuché.

Tamboras

In some Latin American countries the term tambora is used to refer to bombos criollos. Nonetheless, tamboras are generally wider than other bombos criollos, possibly being an adaptation of both European bass drums (''bombos'') and side drums (''redoblantes'').

Colombia and Panama

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, tamboras are used to play

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...

. Traditionally, this kind of tambora is played with sticks and fixed on a stand.

Dominican Republic

In the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, tamboras are two-headed drums used in

merengue music Merengue is a type of music and Merengue (dance), dance originating in present-day Dominican Republic which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities. ...

. They were traditionally made from salvaged rum barrels.

Mexico

Mexican tamboras have a diameter of 20 to 26 inches. There are two types of tambora in Mexican music: a traditional, with no cymbals, used in the folk ensembles ''tamborileros del norte'', ''violín y tambora'' and ''jaraberos'', and the one used en Mexican brass bands, as in '' banda sinaloense'', '' tamborazo zacatecano'' and ''

duranguense Duranguense is a subgenre of regional Mexican music. It is a hybrid of Technobanda and Tamborazo. The instruments used from Tamborazo are the saxophone, trombone, and tambora, while the instruments used from Technobanda are the electronic key ...

'' which has a cymbal over the frame and a stand for the drum. A felt mallet is used to beat the drum.

Venezuela

The Venezuelan tambora is played in gaita zuliana. It is a one-headed drum played with sticks. The player can sit on it or put it between his or her legs to perform rhythms on the instrument, strucking the head, the rim or the body of the drum.

References

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External links

Colombian tamboraBombo in Cuban musicTambora in Mexican music
Drums Directly struck membranophones Central American and Caribbean percussion instruments South American percussion instruments