Timbales are struck with wooden sticks on the heads and shells, although bare hands are sometimes used….Timbales.

Salsa & Merengue Society – Percussion: Timbales. The presence of timbales in a rhythm section adds texture to the percussion group. The basic role of the timbalero is to provide a combination of syncopated and regular ride patterns to complement the different sections of a song, and to cue the onset of the new sections …

Timbales are traditionally used in many Latin musical genres, including mambo, descarga, salsa, timba, Latin rock, and Afro-Cuban jazz. Latin percussion ensembles will typically include the timbales, congas, and bongos. Timbales are also used in contemporary rock, world music, and marching drum lines.

Timbales are strongly associated with Latin American, in general, and Caribbean, in particular, dance music, and wherever these traditions have spread timbales will likely be found. It is part of a battery of idiophones and membranophones that provide the distinctive rhythmic patterns underlying Latin American dances.

noun. kettledrum [noun] a type of drum made of a brass or copper bowl covered with a stretched skin etc.

A salsa orchestra typically features the same instruments as in a jazz band: baritone, tenor and alto saxophones; a trumpet section; a trombone section; piano; an electric or upright bass; and the percussion section, which may feature conga drums, bongos, claves, cowbells, cascaras, cymbals and timbales.

In fact, timbales were invented in the early 20th century as a more portable replacement for the standard timpani that were being used in Afro-Cuban orchestras. Traditionally a pair of timbales is mounted on a stand and played standing, using light conventional drumsticks.

The Timbales or Timbal, also known as “paila” and “paila criolla,” evolved in Cuba in the late 19th century.

1a : a creamy mixture (as of meat or vegetables) baked in a mold also : the mold in which it is baked. b : a small pastry shell filled with a cooked timbale mixture. 2 or less commonly timbal / ˈtim-​bəl / : one of a set of single-headed cylindrical drums played with sticks —usually used in plural.

The basic role of the timbalero is to provide a combination of syncopated and regular ride patterns to complement the different sections of a song, and to cue the onset of the new sections. Rhythmic independence between the left side and the right is a key objective of the aspiring timbale player.

4. Montuno – In son music, the pianist or tres (Cuban stringed instrument consisting of 3 pairs of strings) player plays a highly syncopated pattern called a montuno. While the tres is rare in salsa music, piano is a staple of the salsa ensemble and the pianist will play a montuno during certain sections of a salsa song.

Timbales are available in a variety of diameters, the most common being 14″ and 15″ drums where the smaller is called the macho (male) for its more aggressive tone, and the larger the hembra (female) for its mellower tone. The sexed pair is typical of AfroCuban percussion instruments.

Salsa has many similarities with Cuban son music. In fact, the relationship between these styles can be compared to the relationship between jazz and dixieland. The former came first and laid the foundations for the latter (a new and more modern sounding style) to gain international success.