Overview of Latin Piano Lab
Matt Jenson has been playing in Salsa and Latin Jazz based bands for some 12 years now and teaching this Latin piano lab (at Berklee College of Music and at other locations) for 7 years. In this class Matt clears the clouds away with a very concise and understandable description of how Salsa-based Latin music works with a focus on Salsa and Cha Cha Cha styles. You will learn how to play a montuno in both 2-3 and 3-2 clave directions. Playing montunos is a physically demanding activity that can lead to serious hand injuries. Matt will give you technique tips to help avoid this. You will learn what rhythms to listen for in the percussion section that determine how your montuno will properly fall. You’ll even learn a basic Salsa and Cha Cha Cha dance step which is essential to understanding how to play this music properly. And finally we’ll touch on some ideas and techniques for soloing in a descarga (jam session).
