salsa & bossa nova rhythm theory

[agganitk]

I started working on Jazz method for saxophone by John O neil. Now I am bogged down by Salsa & bossa nova rhythms .. I can't find the beat..
Any suggestions to understand what is happening..

 

[Colin the Bear]

Latin is just a different feel. It's dance music and it has to sway.

http://youtu.be/YsgL35RCGcc

Watch strictly come dancing or better yet join a salsa group/band.

 

[mcksax]

It can sometimes be hard to hear where '1' is with the clave etc going on. There's a great app for iPhone (sorry don't know if they do it for Android) called Salsa Rhythms that you can practice with and it clearly shows where the main beats are - also working out how the clave fits with the main beats can really help (as well as understanding what function and rhythm every other bit of percussion in the band/music does). Also, learn some basic dance moves - it will help, I promise!

 

[kevgermany]

Sale Rhythm by Uri Shaked is there for android

 

[aldevis]

It is a whole world of rhythms and feels.
I am still working on it and have been hitting my head many times.
Recently I played with the great Roberto Pla, so I am probably doing something right.

Briefly and approximately (you need to do some research yourself, I don't have sources handy):

"Latin" (including most of the Spanish speaking South American countries but not Argentina) is often based on the clave. There are four of them mainly used. Son and Rumba, 2 3 and 3 2 each (hard to explain with words). Learning to clap hands on the 3-2 and the 2-3 son clave is the first step.
The 2 3 has no downbeat marked.
It feels like it's played on or ahead of the beat.

"Brazilian" is another (huge) world of rhythms. Common styles are samba and bossa.
Not as strict as son or rumba, the downbeat is often marked. On bossa, guitar usually gives a solid meter. On samba the downbeat might be sometimes confusing, but if you try to dance (without overdoing with booty moves) it is easy to get.
"One note samba" is actually a bossa.
It feels like it is played behind the beat.

Listening to the stuff helps; a pleasant and long journey.

 

[jbtsax]

I'm not sure if you are having difficulty "reading" the rhythms or "feeling" the beat or pulse. If it is the latter, you might try listening to this video while tapping your toe and counting "1, 2, 3, 4". It shouldn't take long to "internalize" the feel of the bossa nova and lock onto the pulse of the music. This, by the way is one of my "deserted island recordings". You know if you were stranded on an island and could only take 10 recordings with you, which ones you would choose.

 

[c9off]

do you have the CD?..

Which tracks are you finding difficult?