This book is the latest addition to Carlos Campos’ series of Afro-Latin books for keyboard. Mr. Campos’ previous books in this genre are Salsa: Afro-Cuban Montunos for Piano, Salsa: Further Adventures in Afro-Cuban Music, Latin Jazz Piano Vol. 1, Ultimate Latin Riffs and Salsa: Afro-Cuban Montunos for Guitar.
In Merengue Piano Styles, Mr. Campos delves into an aspect of the music of the Dominican Republic called merengue, known for its intricate rhythms and ultra fast tempos. Mr. Campos divides most of the examples in this book into “Derecho” and “Pambiche” styles. Selected examples are included in the accompanying CD, recorded at different tempos. Tracks containing bass and percussion only are also included.
The complete set of recordings containing every example in this book are also available in high quality mp3 files (over 300 megabytes of mp3 files) and/or midi files, see below.
While living in Boston, Carlos Campos spent many years studying and performing this particular genre with many merengue bands in the New England area. He later arranged, produced and recorded for several merengue artists. In the past, the only way to learn how to play the different styles of Afro-Latin music was to live in an area where that music genre was already very popular, so that one might connect with as many authentic musicians as possible, learning one pattern here, another there, via a very slow learning process that could take years if not decades to accomplish.
Even though the process of immersing oneself fully and experientially into the musical style of our choosing is absolutely necessary for our musical growth, the need for concise, well-written and organized materials, written by someone who knows and lives this type of music is also essential.
We at ADG believe that Mr. Campos’ books have done a great service to the musical community by making Afro-Latin musical styles more accessible to students worldwide. We hope that this book and the rest of Mr. Campos’ books find a special place in your musical world and that they become an integral part of your daily musical practice.