Rumba Guitar Technique
- Rumba rhythms employ eighth-notes within the measures, with accents located within the "1&2&3&4&" full-measure count. While there are several distinct rhythm styles in rumba playing, the basic rhythm (or "clave") provides emphasis on the "&2&", a rhythmic slap on the "3", with chord strumming continuing on the "&4&" beats of the measure.
Work on the rumba rhythm by strumming with the strings muted (covered with the fret hand so as not to emit sound), in a "1&2&3&4&" counting rhythm. Work on leaving out (resting) the "3" in the count, which will be replaced with the hand slap as you progress. The rhythm may feel awkward at first, as American music favors the 2nd and 3rd beat counts, but practice will soon yield the proper "feel" of the rumba rhythm technique. - Bass notes are played with the thumb, and are played on the first beat. The remaining beats are played with chords strummed with the tips of one or more fingers. The rhythm slap on the third beat is played by muting the strings with the fret hand and using the fingertips to slap the guitar top. A typical strum pattern using the "1&2&3&4&" count is: "TSSSsSSS" (B=bass note, S=strummed chords, s=slap guitar top).
Practice isolating the movement of the thumb and fingers by picking a bass note with the thumb, followed by a strum of the remaining strings. The slap is practiced by lightly "slapping" the palm of the hand over the strings, with the fingertips extended and slightly curved. As the palm slaps the strings, the extended fingertips must be allowed to contact the guitar top, producing the slap "tapping" effect. - While chords vary with the song, many standard rumba songs use minor key chord structures. A typical rumba chord progression starts with the "3" chord in the minor scale, followed by the "1" root, with a dominant-seven "4" chord to finish the measure. The following example is typical of a rumba chord progression: Dm, Am, E7.
Practice the technique of playing a rumba-style chord progression by picking the 4th "D" string bass note once with the thumb, then strumming the "Dm" chord with the fingers in a downward motion. The bass note for the "Am" chord is the 5th "A" string, with the 6th "E" string used as the bass note for the "E7" chord. - Nylon classical-style guitars are favored in rumba music for their slightly muted but rich tone. The wider string spacing allows easier string separation for bass note picking. Traditional Latin guitar styles employ the fingers to pluck and strum strings and chords. The classical guitar is used almost exclusively, and the lower tension of nylon strings allows comfort and string stability. Nylon strings are more forgiving than steel strings, especially during the physical contact of the palm for the rhythm slap.
Set the string action of your guitar to a medium height to prevent strings buzzing against the frets, which may occur during spirited rumba playing. Change strings more frequently than is necessary with lighter playing styles, to help the strings hold their tuning under the increased physical abuse of rumba styles.