Types of Latin Music
The bongo entered Cuban popular music as a key instrument of early son ensembles, quickly becoming—due to the increasing popularity of the son—"the first instrument with an undeniable African past to be accepted in Cuban “society” circles".
The cajón is becoming rapidly popular in blues, pop, rock, funk, world music, jazz, etc. The cajón is often used as a bass drum by bands instead of a full drum kit when performing in minimalist settings, as the cajón can simultaneously serve as both a bass drum and a seat for the drummer.
Utilization in popular music. Claves are very important in Cuban music, such as the son and guaguancó. They are often used to play a repeating rhythmic figure throughout a piece, known as clave, a key pattern (or guide-pattern, timeline patter, phrasing referent, bell pattern) that is also found in African music and Brazilian music.
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest).
In Cuban music the cowbell is called cencerro and often played by the same player as the bongos. In Caribbean music two or three are often mounted together with a pair of timbales. This type of cowbell can also be played with the foot using a modified bass drum pedal or bowed with a double bass bow.
The güiro is also believed to have origins in Africa and brought over to Latin American and the Caribbean by African slaves. Use in music. Across Latin American and the Caribbean, the güiro can be found in a variety of traditional, folk dance music and used in dance ensembles and religious festivals.
Maraca (), sometimes called rumba shaker, shac-shac, and various other names, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle, and usually played as part of a pair.
TIMBALES IN CUBAN MUSIC. by Daniel Hahnfeld – Codarts University of the Arts (2009) Thesis-counselor: Oscar van Dillen. Introduction. The timbales are a percussion instrument, whose history is closely connected to the history of Cuban music. Its ancestors, the European timpani, were brought to Cuba more than two hundred years ago.