Glossary
| Term | Definition |
| mambo | a musical genre from Cuba and precursor to salsa; also referred to as montuno. The mambo was a dance style popular in New York City from the 1930s through the 1950s, and is strictly instrumental. See mambo page for more detailed information. |
| maracas | percussion musical instrument made of a gourd filled with pebbles or dried beans and mounted on handle; used in pairs See the instruments page for more detailed information. |
| merengue | the second part of the danza, consist of anywhere from 16 to 132 measures, but also refers to the a musical genre from the Dominican Republic but quite popular in Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America. Typically, it is accompanied by a small accordion, a two headed drum called the 'tambora', and a singer who plays the güiro, and has a syncopated duple meter. See merengue page for more detailed information. |
| montuno | a section of music, originating from Cuba and a precursor to salsa. It features a call and response between the lead singer and chorus; the piano often has a repeated "vamp" or musical line |
| nueva ola | meaning "new wave", refers to a period in Puerto Rican popular music in the 1970's typified by folkloric elements. The best known exponents were Haciendo Punto en Otro Son, Danny Rivera, and Lucecita Benitez. |
| pachanga | The 1960s incarnation of the chachachá, still played by the charanga bands. Its signature is a conga pattern called "caballo" (literally meaning "horse"). |
| pandereta | a small hand-held drum, similar to a tambourine, and used in folk music genres such as the plena |
| parranda | lively holiday parties that stroll from house to house singing aguinaldos and usually accompanied by musical instruments |
| paseo | the first part of the danza, which usually consisted of 8 measures, and lacked a rhythmic base but served as a tonal introduction |
| plena | a musical genre developed in Puerto Rico; see complete description on plena page |
| requinto | a musical instrument adapted from classical Spanish guitar |
| rumba | there are several ways to describe rumba. It is a generic name for commercialized versions of guarachas, plenas and sons performed primarily for non-Latino audiences of the mid 20th century United States. In Cuba, it refers to a secular folkloric music and dance style (of African origin) as well as a kind of 'attitude'. Often these are accompanied by conga drums, claves, a lead singer and a chorus with call-and-response singing both in African and Spanish languages. For more detailed information, see the rumba page. |