Paila criolla

Last updated April 30, 2019

A paila criolla is a Cuban membranophone. It consists of a shallow metal casing or paila (cookware of Catalan origin; in Catalan language it is called paella), with a single-headed drum.

A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification.

Catalan is a Western Romance language derived from Vulgar Latin and named after the medieval Principality of Catalonia, in northeastern modern Spain. It is the only official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia. It also has semi-official status in the Italian commune of Alghero. It is also spoken in the eastern strip of Aragon, in some villages of Region of Murcia called Carche and in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of France. These territories are often called Països Catalans or "Catalan Countries".

Paella is a Valencian rice dish that has ancient roots but its modern form originated in the mid-19th century in the area around Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain adjacent to the city of Valencia. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.

Paila criolla was initially used by street bands in the 19th century. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and come in double sets, tuned an octave apart. The player (known as a timbalero ) uses a variety of stick strokes, rim shots, and rolls on the skins to produce a wide range of percussive expression during solos and at transitional sections of music, and usually plays the shells of the drum or auxiliary percussion such as a cowbell (cencerro). Pailas are always hit with straight batons [1] that have no additional head. Hits are made on the top and on the metal sides.

A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between 6 and 20 inches in diameter, though floor toms can go as large as 24 inches (61 cm). It is not to be confused with a tam-tam, a Gong. The Tom-tom is popular and used by players worldwide.

The cowbell is an idiophone hand percussion instrument used in various styles of music including salsa and infrequently in popular music. It is named after the similar bell historically used by herdsmen to keep track of the whereabouts of cows.

The shells are referred to as cáscara (the Spanish word for shell) which is also the name of a rhythmic pattern common in Cuban music that is played on the shells of the pailas to keep time. The shells are made of metal. The heads are light and tuned fairly high for their size. [2] Pailas are now often called timbales , but the term timbales is ambiguous, because it was also used to describe kettle drums.

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain and today has hundreds of millions of native speakers in the Americas and Spain. It is a global language and the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese.

Drumhead Membrane stretched over the ends of a drum

A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum.

Timbales or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms, and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size. The player uses a variety of stick strokes, rim shots, and rolls to produce a wide range of percussive expression during solos and at transitional sections of music, and usually plays the shells of the drum or auxiliary percussion such as a cowbell or cymbal to keep time in other parts of the song.

History of the term in Cuba

Although the term timbal or timbales (pl.) is often used now to mean pailas, there is a problem with this usage, because timbal has been used in Cuba for two quite different types of drum. In the first place, it was first used to describe the kettle drums used in the wind orchestras known as Orquesta típica. [3] These were the same general type of drum used in military bands, perhaps slung either side of a horse, and in classical orchestras. These were, and are, played with sticks which have softish round heads.

Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin-American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size in some well-defined instrumental set-up.

The orquestas típicas were gradually replaced early in the 20th century by charangas. The general idea of the charanga was to replace the wind instruments with violins and flute to bring a brighter, lighter tone to the band. The typani were replaced by pailas criollas, which because of their light weight were originally used by street bands. Pailas were taken over by the early charangas; their original name is still used in Cuba, but over time the familiar term timbal has been taken over to describe the pailas. There is often a second set of even smaller drums, timbalitos (= pailitas), which produce an even higher note when struck. In a modern band the timbalero may also have a trap kit as an alternate for certain numbers. [4]

Charanga is a traditional ensemble that plays Cuban dance music. They made Cuban dance music popular in the 1940s and their music consisted of heavily son-influenced material, performed on European instruments such as violin and flute by a Charanga orchestra.. The style of music that is most associated with a Charanga is termed 'Danzón', and is an amalgam of both European classical music and African rhythms.

Thus the term timbales is ambiguous, particularly when referring to bands playing the danzón in the 1900–1930 period. If one does not have a photograph it is difficult to know which type of drum was used by the band.

Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba. It is also an active musical form in Mexico, and is still much loved in Puerto Rico. Written in ²
₄ time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring set footwork around syncopated beats, and incorporating elegant pauses while the couples stand listening to virtuoso instrumental passages, as characteristically played by a charanga or tipica ensemble.

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References

↑ thicker than standard drumsticks, and not shaped: they are of uniform thickness along the length.
↑ Orovio, Helio 1981. Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico y técnico. Entries for Paila criolla; Timbal criolla.
↑ see examples in Early Cuban bands.
↑ Orovio, Helio 1981. Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico y técnico. Entries for Paila criolla; Timbal criolla; Típica (orquesta); Charanga.

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[1] thicker than standard drumsticks, and not shaped: they are of uniform thickness along the length.

[2] Orovio, Helio 1981. Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico y técnico. Entries for Paila criolla; Timbal criolla.

[3] see examples in Early Cuban bands.

[4] Orovio, Helio 1981. Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico y técnico. Entries for Paila criolla; Timbal criolla; Típica (orquesta); Charanga.