# Cha-Cha — Authentic Havana cha-cha-chá # Reference: Enrique Jorrín (inventor of cha-cha-chá, 1953), Tito Puente, # Orquesta Aragón, La Sonora Matancera, # "Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drumset" (Frank Malabe / Bob Weiner) # The cha-cha-chá originated as a slower variant of the mambo, named after # the shuffling sound of dancers' feet on the "and-of-4, 1, and-of-1" beats. # Its defining characteristics: # - Cowbell (cencerro): steady quarter-note pulse, the dancer's reference # - Timbale cascara: alternating strong/medium 8th notes on the rim # - Conga tumbao: open tone on "and" of beats 2 and 4 (pos 6, 14) # - Kick: beats 1 and 3 (light, supportive) # The tempo is moderate (100–135 BPM) — slower and more sensual than salsa. # # Three variations cover the classic and evolved cha-cha styles: # classic_cha_cha — pure Havana 1950s style: all congas and timbale, no snare # modern_cha_cha — drum-kit adaptation with snare on 2 and 4 # mambo_cha — faster, higher-energy hybrid approaching mambo territory # # GM notes: 65=hi timbale, 62=mute hi conga, 63=open hi conga, 64=low conga, # 56=cowbell (cencerro), 75=claves, 36=kick, 38=snare, 49=crash # # ── Step grid notation ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── # Each character in a step grid represents one subdivision of the bar. # Resolution controls how many steps per bar (16 = 16th notes in 4/4; 12 = 16th notes in 6/8). # # X Strong accent — velocity = base_velocity × 1.00 (full hit / downbeat) # x Medium accent — velocity = base_velocity × 0.75 (firm stroke / upbeat) # o Soft hit — velocity = base_velocity × 0.55 (brush / light touch) # g Ghost note — velocity = base_velocity × 0.28 (barely audible, mostly felt) # . Rest — no note fired at this step # # Beat positions — 4/4 at resolution 16 (one char per 16th note): # pos 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 # 1 e1 +1 a1 2 e2 +2 a2 3 e3 +3 a3 4 e4 +4 a4 # (1/+/2/+/3/+/4/+ = quarter beats; e = "e of"; a = "and-a of") # # Swing / feel: the 'feel' field shifts odd-indexed steps (1,3,5,7…) forward in time. # straight — no shift (all steps exactly on the grid) # ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── name: Cha-Cha family: latin bpm_range: [100, 135] time_signature: [4, 4] resolution: 16 feel: straight instruments: timbale_hi: { note: 65, base_velocity: 80, velocity_range: 12, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.07 } conga_mute: { note: 62, base_velocity: 72, velocity_range: 12, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.07 } conga_open: { note: 63, base_velocity: 88, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.08 } conga_lo: { note: 64, base_velocity: 90, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.10 } cowbell: { note: 56, base_velocity: 90, velocity_range: 8, timing_jitter: 0.010, duration_beats: 0.07 } clave: { note: 75, base_velocity: 85, velocity_range: 8, timing_jitter: 0.010, duration_beats: 0.06 } kick: { note: 36, base_velocity: 80, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.12 } snare: { note: 38, base_velocity: 88, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.09 } crash: { note: 49, base_velocity: 95, velocity_range: 8, timing_jitter: 0.010, duration_beats: 0.22 } humanization: timing_jitter: 0.014 velocity_jitter: 12 velocity_drift: 0.05 sections: intro: type: count_in hits: 4 note: 56 groove: bars: 1 variations: - name: classic_cha_cha weight: 3 # Pure Havana cha-cha-chá (Orquesta Aragón / Enrique Jorrín style). # Cowbell marks every quarter note — the anchor that dancers use to find # the beat. The cencerro (cowbell) is the unmistakable heartbeat of cha-cha. # Timbale cascara: alternating medium-strong 8th notes on the shell rim — # soft on the beat (x) and louder on the upbeat (X), creating a # characteristically "clacking" texture. # Conga tumbao: bass on 1 and 3 (pos 0, 8), muted slap on 2 and 4 (4, 12), # open slap on "and-of-2" and "and-of-4" (pos 6, 14) — the basic tumbao. # Clave provides the rhythmic skeleton in the background. cowbell: "X...X...X...X..." timbale_hi: "x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X." conga_lo: "X.......X......." conga_mute: "....X.......X..." conga_open: "......X.......X." clave: "X.....X...X....." kick: "X.......X......." - name: modern_cha_cha weight: 2 # Drum-kit adaptation of cha-cha (Latin jazz club / hotel ballroom style). # When a standard drum kit replaces the full Latin percussion section, the # snare takes the timbale's role on beats 2 and 4, and the kick reinforces # the conga bass strokes. The cowbell remains essential — cha-cha without # a cowbell is just a confused rock ballad. cowbell: "X...X...X...X..." timbale_hi: "x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X." conga_open: "......X.......X." conga_lo: "X.......X......." kick: "X.......X......." snare: "....X.......X..." - name: mambo_cha weight: 2 # High-energy cha-cha approaching mambo territory — faster, more driving. # The timbale plays a denser cascara, the cowbell doubles on strategic # upbeats, and the kick adds an extra push on the "and-of-2" (pos 6). # This variation works best near the upper BPM range (125–135). cowbell: "X...X.X.X...X.X." timbale_hi: "x.X.x.x.X.x.x.X." conga_lo: "X.......X......." conga_mute: "....X.......X..." conga_open: "......X.......X." kick: "X.....X.X......." fill: bars: 1 variations: - name: timbale_fill # Timbale solo fill: hi timbale runs 16th notes while low timbale marks # beats. The timbale break is the most theatrical moment in salsa/cha-cha. timbale_hi: "XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx" timbale_lo: "X...X...X...X..." - name: clave_accent # All instruments strike clave positions together — dramatic section marker. # Signals the top of a new section to the entire ensemble. cowbell: "X.....X...X....." conga_lo: "X.....X...X....." kick: "X.....X...X....." - name: cha_cha_cha # The iconic "cha-cha-chá" fill: hits at the "and-of-4" (pos 14) and # then downbeats of the next bar — simulated here as pos 12, 14, 0 # within the bar (beats 4, and-of-4, back to 1). cowbell: "............X.X." conga_lo: "............X.X." kick: "............X.X." crash: "X..............." crash: bars: 1 variations: - name: standard crash: "X..............." cowbell: "X...X...X...X..." timbale_hi: "x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X." structure: fill_every: 4 break_every: 0 break_length: 1 crash_after_fill: true dynamic_build: false