Listen to the Bombo criollo
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the Bombo criollo makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Bombo criollo belongs to the struck drums: a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
More broadly it is one of the membranophones (drums), where sound comes from a vibrating stretched membrane.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The bombo criollo, or simply bombo, is any of a family of Latin American drums derived from the European bass drum (also called in Spanish bombo) and native Latin American drum traditions. These drums are of smaller dimensions than the orchestral bass drum, and their frame can be made of wood or steel. They can be held vertically or diagonally on the body or a stand. The specific make of the instrument depends on the regional tradition. In Argentina, the bombo criollo is called bombo legüero and played in many folkloric styles. In Cuba, bombos are the largest drums played by the street comparsas in Santiago. In other countries, the term tambora is commonly used.
The bombo should not be confused with the Puerto Rican bomba, a genre of music played with hand drums called barriles de bomba (bomba barrels), which are unrelated to the European bass drums.
Other struck drums
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bombo criollo sound like?
Listen to 5 recordings on this page. As one of the struck drums, its sound comes from the way a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
What type of instrument is the Bombo criollo?
It is classified as struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211).
Sources & credits
- Registro sonoro del Bombo que acompaña a los Sikus en el Sikuri by Abel Christian Apaza Amanqui – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- 13 Bombo latido by Luis Alvaz – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Interpretación del tema "Mula Lunthata" - grabación del Bombo 2 que acompaña la… by Abel Christian Apaza Amanqui – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Interpretación del tema "Mula Lunthata" - Maqueta ejecutada con pareja de sikus Malta y… by Abel Christian Apaza Amanqui – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Interpretación del tema "29 de setiembre" - grabación del Bombo 2 que acompaña la… by Abel Christian Apaza Amanqui – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q4940751 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Bombo criollo – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Matías Ávalos from Buenos Aires, Argentina – CC BY-SA 2.0