Cuban Latin Guitar: Guitar Book & CD

This book treats Cuban styles with real musical substance. Rather than reducing these traditions to generic "Latin rhythm," May isolates the specific foundational patterns (clave, cinquillo cubano) and shows exactly how they generate the accompaniment and picking techniques for each style. Your students will understand the architecture behind the sound, not just imitate it.

Working through these four styles is like gaining entry into a musical conversation with very specific rules. The rhythms are infectious and propulsive once you understand them, but they reward precision and patience. Each chapter builds confidence, moving from foundational patterns to complete compositions that sound polished and authentic.

Guitarists with solid fingerpicking technique who are ready to expand into styles beyond the classical or folk traditions they may already know. This works equally well for solo players wanting to deepen their repertoire and ensemble musicians preparing to play Cuban music with a band or duo.

• Study the clave pattern first in isolation before applying it to any accompaniment. Let your hands internalize the cell so fully that it becomes automatic; then the picking patterns and left-hand voicings will lock into place more naturally.
• Use the CD play-alongs to lock in with recorded ensemble texture. Play several passes with the same style focus (melody one time through, accompaniment the next) so you're not trying to absorb everything simultaneously.
• Separate your picking technique practice from the harmonic content. Work through the mechanical patterns with simple two-note voicings before layering in fuller chords, which prevents technique problems from masking as musical confusion.
• Reference the transcriptions while listening to the recordings. Seeing exactly where the accompaniment sits against the melody trains your ear to hear the relationship between the parts, not just the individual line.

This material fits naturally into a world music or global traditions course, or you can slot individual styles into a jazz or contemporary ensemble program as complementary repertoire to American jazz and Brazilian music. The original compositions at the end of each chapter offer performance-ready pieces for student recitals or informal ensembles.

• Recognizing and internalizing clave and cinquillo cubano rhythmic foundations
• Finger-picking techniques specific to Son, Cha-Cha-Cha, Bolero, and Danzón styles
• Accompaniment patterns using both fingerstyle and pick techniques
• Listening for and playing against syncopated harmonic rhythms
• Reading transcriptions of melody and accompaniment parts simultaneously
• Playing ensemble parts with rhythmic independence and ensemble awareness