Traditional bachata is a subgenre of
Bachata
Bachata may refer to:
* Bachata (music), a musical genre which originated in the Dominican Republic
** Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music
** Bachata (dance), a dance form
* Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style
* "Bach ...
music genre. It refers to the acoustic style of bachata that was popular in the Dominican Republic from the 1960s until about 1990. For most of that period, bachata was performed with two nylon string guitars (often with fishing line for string), an acoustic upright bass or
marimbula,
maracas
A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...
, and
bongo drum. Towards the end of the 1980s,
Blas Duran and other bachata artists began to perform with electric guitar, and replaced the
maracas
A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...
with the
güira
The güira () is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic used in merengue, bachata, and to a lesser extent, other genres such as cumbia. It is made of a metal sheet (commonly steel) and played with a stiff brush, thus being similar ...
. The new style that took root is referred to as
modern bachata.
[Pacini Hernandez, Deborah]
"Brief history of Bachata"
'' Bachata, A social history of a Dominican popular music'', 1995, Temple University Press. Retrieved on December 4, 2008
Traditional bachata bands played son,
merengue, and
waltz
The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
in addition to bolero based songs. Over time, the influence of merengue began to be felt more in the style of bolero based bachata. The introduction of the güira, a merengue instrument, and merengue adapted guitar riffs and rhythmic sections marked the evolution of
modern bachata.
References
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Music of the Dominican Republic