Laying Down the Montuno

Before charging into the amazing solo transcribed, Eddie Palmieri begins the song “Tin Tin Deo” with a repeated two-measure figure called a montuno. Montunos are ostinato or vamp patterns found in many styles of Latin and Afro-Cuban music and are normally played by the piano. In addition to providing harmonic context for a tune, they also give the music an unmistakable — and highly danceable — rhythmic feel.

Rhythm

To establish a distinctive groove, montunos make use of syncopation, which means that they put accents in places other than on the regular beats. Example 1a shows the basic syncopated rhythmic pattern Eddie uses to start “Tin Tin Deo.” First, play the left hand alone and count along, paying special attention to which notes are accented. Repeat these two measures until you have a good feel for where the accents fall, then try adding the right hand, playing the F minor chord only so it falls on the accented notes in the left hand.

Arpeggios

When Eddie lays down his montunos, he sometimes plays arpeggios, meaning that instead of (or after) hitting all of the notes in a chord at the same time, he plays them one after another. Try playing the notes in the F minor triad we’ve been working with all at once, then hitting them one at a time — bottom (F), middle (A), then top (C) — as shown in Example 1b. Next, try the shorter pattern in Example 1c. by playing the chord first, then the middle note (A), and then the top (C) in the right hand, or the bottom (F) in the left.

Once you’ve got this in your fingers, play through Example 1d, which combines syncopated rhythms with arpeggios. The chords are in the exact same places as they are in Example 1a; all you’re doing is adding arpeggiated notes between them. Count along as indicated below the notes to make sure your chords and arpeggios line up right.

This montuno pattern — arpeggios, rhythms, and all — can be used for any triad in any key. Once you’ve mastered it in F minor as written here, try playing it with all the chords you know. After you’ve got a few different variations down, combine different chords in the same two bar montuno. You can make great music by experimenting with montunos in this way — just listen to Eddie for inspiration.

Ex. 1. Montuno basics are simple enough, once you break them down. First, get a feel for syncopated rhythms by lining up right-hand chords with left-hand accents, as shown (1a). Arpeggiating your chords (1b, 1c) brings more movement to the montuno pattern and can make for a unique sort of groove when worked in as indicated (1d).