Getting back from a two-month vacation in South America, it’s the time for a new Salsa Timing Video. This time, Tito Puente, “The Mambo King”, with a great Mambo song.
As you can see, this video is “On-2″ (New York Style). After releasing our first On-2 video, “La Llave”, we received a lot of positive feedback, so we decided to create another one. This video also features an illustration of the Timbales patterns. You can find an explanation about these patterns in our blog post “The key to dancing Salsa On-2″:
While Tito Puente is recognized as a world-class Timbales player, and some even believe he is the best Timbales player of all times, it’s less known that he also played the Vibraphone and the Marimba. In this song, Hong Kong Mambo, you can hear his talent playing the Marimba. The marimba has a key role in the piece, playing the melody.
A few things to notice about the congas:
It’s easy to notice the Slap sound of the conga drums, look for it whenever the instructor says “2″ or “6″. The first slap is at 00:07.
At 03:15, the Congas improvise for 2-phrases, which can be clearly heard.
Here are the lyrics for the new Timing Video, “La Llave”:
If you haven’t done so, we recommend that you read our previous blog post: The key to dancing On-2.
The blog utilizes this song to explain the “On-2″ Salsa style (a.k.a New York / Mambo), and also explains some of the rhythmic patterns that are presented in the video.
Original Lyrics:
Se me quedó la llave, Mercedes, se me quedó la llave, Carmela
Se me quedó la llave, Juliana, se me quedó pegada en la puerta
Se me quedó la llave, Mercedes, se me quedó la llave, Carmela
Se me quedó la llave, Juliana, se me quedó pegada en la puerta
Se me quedó la llave, Mercedes, se me quedó la llave, Carmela
Se me quedó la llave, Juliana, se me quedó pegada en la puerta
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
Si no me abres la puerta me quedo aquí en el hondo
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
Te traigo un ramito de flores, Carmela, y una sopita de camarón
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
Y una cajita de chocolate a Mercedes, dueña de mi amor
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
Ay, tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Ábreme la puerta, te lo ruego por favor!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
¡Abre la puerta que soy yo!
¡En hora buena!
¡Mercedes, Mercedes, abre la puerta que soy yo, chica!
Aquí, tú no me venga a fastidiar más, ¿OK?
¡Vete, vete ya!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom…
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Abre la puerta, dueña de mi corazón
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Ay, prende la radiola y apaga la televisión
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Y cuando entre, vamos a bailar un son
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Abre la puerta, por favor!
And in favor of the non-Spanish speakers, here is the English translation:
I got the key stuck, Mercedes, I got the key stuck, Carmela
I got the key stuck, Juliana, I got it stuck in the door
I got the key stuck, Mercedes, I got the key stuck, Carmela
I got the key stuck, Juliana, I got it stuck in the door
I got the key stuck, Mercedes, I got the key stuck, Carmela
I got the key stuck, Juliana, I got it stuck in the door
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, it’s me !
If you won’t open the door, I will stay here waiting
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, it’s me!
I brought you a bunch of flowers, Carmela, and a shrimp soup
Open the door, it’s me!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, it’s me!
And a box of chocolate to Mercedes, owner of my love
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, it’s me!
Ay, tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, I beg you, please!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, it’s me!
Finally!
Mercedes, Mercedes, open the door, it’s me, girl!
Here, you don’t come back and bother me anymore, OK?
Go, go away now!
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom…
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, owner of my love
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Ay, turn on the radio and turn off the TV
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
And when I get in, we will dance Son (traditional Cuban dance, one of the roots of Salsa)
Tum tum pa tum pom pom pom
Open the door, please!
After reading the lyrics, what do you think this song is about? What is the story behind it?
Leave a comment and let us know!
Celebrating Christmas and the New Year, we have just completed a new Salsa Rhythm & Timing videos project. We call it the ANET Project – Año Nuevo en Timing , meaning: New year in timing. The goal of the project is to create and publish 3 special rhythm & timing videos with a festive “new year” theme. Following this theme, all the 3 songs we chose are related to celebrating Christmas and the new year.
So let’s dive in…
Bomba De Navidad, Ismael Miranda
Our “bomba” for the Christmas…
Oye compa….
Sabrosa
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Hay mamita mami
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Yo me voy con Luis Ramirez a comer lechón
y despues sigue el bacilon en casa de Ramón
Hay mamita mami
Mami esto si es verdad (y lo sabes tu mami)
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Hay mamita mami
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Quintin sonando el bombon,
Rivito en el timbal,
Chino sonando el tambor,
y yo vengo a cantar
sabrosa mi bomba
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Mami esto si es verdad (mamita mami)
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Que vengan los aginaldos la fiesta va empezar
brincando con ron cañita vamo a bacila.
Hay Mamita mami
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Mami esto si es verdad
que yo quiero bailar contigo esta navidad
Los Reyes magos mami,
te visitaran si en el año te portas bien seguro volveran
muchas cosas rica y linda los reyes te traeran
como tu lo has hecho tan bueno seguro
volveran
Los Reyes magos mami,
te visitaran si en el año te portas bien seguro volveran
Hay tan Margarita y Luisa como bacilaran
cuando vean el monton de cosas que los reyes traeran
Los Reyes magos mami,
te visitaran si en el año te portas bien seguro volveran.
Uno Llega Y Otro Se Va, Orquesta Original De Manzanillo
A Cuban Salsa song, with many Rumba elements, about the new year and its traditions in Cuba:
This song features 3:2 Rumba Clave, Violins, two lead vocals and also “Orishas” (see below). The timing video explains all of the elements, and also includes beat counting and the Salsa basic step synchronized with the rhythm of the song.
Orisha Ochun
The Orishas are spirits or deities that reflect the manifestations of god in the Yoruba mythology. Yoruba people originally came from Nigeria and some parts of Benin. During the slave era, they were dispersed across America, spreading they beliefs and their traditions in Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States. This led to creation of several syncretic religions, amongst which is the Santería. Santería became a popular system of beliefs in Cuba, merging the Yoruba religion with Roman Catholic and the Native Indian traditions.
Each Orisha represents a different manifestation of Olodumare, which means God in the Yoruba language. Here are some of the Orishas mentioned in the song:
Orula
Orisha Orula
Orula is mentioned many times throughout the song. Being the Orisha of divination and wisdom, he became one of the most beloved Orishas in Cuba. He is also considered the great healer and has Osain, the God of plants and remedies as his auxiliary. Many Cubans wear his alternate green and yellow beads necklaces. You can read more about Orula in this article.
Ohcun
Divinity of rivers, love, feminine beauty, fertility, and art. Ochun is one of Orisha Shango’s lovers and beloved of Orisha Ogoun.
Yemaya
Orisha Yemaya
Divine mother, divinity of the sea and loving mother of mankind, daughter of Obatala and wife of Aganju.
Obatala
Arch-divinity, father of humankind, divinity of light, spiritual purity, and moral uprightness.
For those of you who are interested in this subject, a good starting point will be Wikipedia’s article about Orishas (Also the source of some of the information presented here).
Felicidades, Cheo Feliciano
A great new way to start a great new year!
This song is a great example of phrase shifting: there are 3 different phrase shifts in it. A phrase shift happens when the “5″ count suddenly becomes the “1″. This usually happens after a break in the music, in cases where the break is only 4 beat long.
In the above video, however, you will find an example of a phrase shifting that goes without any break at all: at 02:23 the mambo section of the song ends, followed by a short, 4-beat phrase, which serves as a “bridge” to the chorus of the song. The transition is so smooth that you can easily miss it while dancing.
As with all other timing videos, we included on-screen annotations to explain the musical structure of the song and highlight the important aspects, such as the phrase shift mentioned above. The phrase shift, by the way, also causes another phenomenon called “Clave Change”. We will explain this phenomenon in depth in an upcoming article, but meanwhile you can rely on the annotation to tell you when it happens.
Final Word
We are already working on our next timing videos, so keep following and subscribe to our youtube channel, to make sure you always receive the latest timing videos from us. We wish you a happy new year and a lot of health, success, and fun on the dance floor!
After publishing the last Salsa timing video, I have received requests from several users asking me to create a similar video for the song “Yo No Se Mañana” by Luis Enrique.
This time, I have decided to make the timing video more “beginner-friendly” and include moving shoes that demonstrate the basic step in On-1 timing. As with the previous video, there are annotations that highlight the musical changes and the structure of the song. The new video is available in high definition, 720p:
The lyrics:
Yo no se si tu no se si yo, Seguiremos siendo como hoy
No se si después de amanecer, vamos a sentir la misma sed
Para que pensar y suponer, no preguntes cosas que no se...
yo no se
No se donde vamos a parar, eso ya la piel nos lo dirá
Para que jurar y prometer algo que no esta en nuestro poder
Yo no se lo que es eterno, no me pidas algo que es del tiempo
coro:
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana,
Si estaremos juntos, si se acaba el mundo
Yo no se si soy para ti, si seras para mi
Si lleguemos a amarnos o odiarnos
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana,
Quien va a estar aquí...
De un café pasamos al sofá, de un botón a todo lo demás
No pusimos reglas ni reloj, aquí estamos solos tu y yo
Todo lo que ves es lo que soy, no me pidas mas de lo que doy
Nooo oooo
coro:
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana,
Si estaremos juntos, si se acaba el mundo
Yo no se si soy para ti, si seras para mi
Si lleguemos a amarnos o odiarnos
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana,
Quien va a estar aquí
Esta vida es igual a un libro
Cada pagina es, un día vivido
No tratemos de correr antes de andar
Esta noches estamos vivos
Solo este momento es realidad
Ohh No, no, no seeee
pregones:
(Yo no se mañana)
Esta vida es una ruleta que gira sin parar
(Yo no se mañana)
Yo no se si tu, yo no se si yo, como sera el final
(Yo no se mañana)
Puede ser peor, o puede ser mejor
(Yo no se mañana)
Deja que el corazón decida vida miá lo que sentimos
Mañana... yo no se
(Yo no se, yo no se mañana)
Ahora lo que vivimos es algo realmente lindo,
Quien puede saber lo que pasara mañana no hay nada escrito
(Yo no se, yo no se mañana)
Estamos solo tu y yo
Y los momentos hay que vivirlos... hay que vivirlos
(Yo no se, yo no se x2)
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana,
Si estaremos juntos, si se acaba el mundo
Yo no se si soy para ti, si seras para mi
Si lleguemos a amarnos o odiarnos
Yo no se mañana, yo no se mañana
Do you have any ideas or requests for the next video project? Share them in a comment below!
Two weeks after uploading the new Salsa timing video “La Pantera Mambo”, I have decided to peek at its youtube insights, and discovered a few interesting trends:
Hot Spots
Hot Spots in youtube videos are places where the viewers are most attentive to what is going on in the video. One of the ways youtube calculates the hotspots is by counting how many users are rewinding the video to watch a certain part of it again:
Hot Spots in "La Pantera Mambo"
As you can see in the graph above, there are two hot spots. The second is near the end of the video, and the first one turns out to be the piano solo part of the song. It seems like dancers find the piano solo as the most challenging part to keep up with the rhythm, so many of them rewind the video and view that part multiple times.
Demographics
By looking at the demographics chart above, you can see that most of the viewers are men – almost 75%. Can you think of a reason for that?
You are invited to leave a comment below and tell us why there are way more men viewers than women in your opinion…
