Son Cubano Songwriting Advice

You want a song that squeezes your listener by the collar and makes them dance and cry at the same time. You want a groove that feels inevitable, a chorus that invites the crowd to sing back, and lyrics that are honest without being a lecture. Son Cubano does all of that and more. This guide gives you the specific tools to write authentic son songs and to modernize the style without committing musical cultural malpractice. We will give practical steps, rhythmic diagrams, lyric strategies, and studio and stage advice so you can write, arrange, and perform a son that sounds alive.

Everything here is written for millennial and Gen Z artists who want to make music that respects tradition while sounding fresh. We will explain the key terms so you will never feel embarrassed in a rehearsal. Expect clear exercises, production notes, and small brutal edits to get your songwriting out of the lab and onto the dance floor.

What Son Cubano Actually Is

Son Cubano is a Cuban musical form that fused Spanish lyrical and harmonic traditions with African rhythms and percussion. It developed in the eastern part of Cuba in the late 19th century and became a backbone for many modern Latin styles. Son is about groove, conversation, and a repeated musical platform that allows improvisation. The classic son band has a rhythm section, percussion, tres or guitar, piano, horn lines, and a chorus that answers the lead singer.

If that reads like a history lecture skip to the next paragraph. Think of son as a living house party where the rhythm is the floor and the singers take turns telling lines that the crowd finishes for them. When the chorus is right everyone becomes a performer. That social energy is son at its core.

Key Terms and Why They Matter

You will meet some Spanish words. Learn them like a good neighbor learns the names of other people's pets. We explain each one with a real life example so it actually sticks.

• Clave. The clave is the rhythmic backbone of son. It is a two bar pattern that organizes the whole band. There are two main orientations. The 2 3 clave starts with two notes then three notes. The 3 2 clave flips that order. If the clave were a person it would be the one who says when the party moves to the next room. Real life example. If the lead singer delays the last syllable until a clave hit the band will smile and kick the chorus harder.
• Tumbao. The tumbao is the rhythmic pattern the bass plays. A good tumbao talks with the clave. Real life example. Picture a bass line that walks like it is carrying a tray of drinks but stops just before a spill so the clave can release the tension.
• Montuno. This is a repeated piano or tres vamp that underpins the call and response section. Real life example. Imagine the piano repeating a little riff while the lead sings a line and the coro answers like a trained street choir.
• Coro. The chorus or backing singers. Often short and rhythmic. Real life example. The coro is that group chat that always answers your dramatic text with a single emoji but louder.
• Pregón. A line sung solo by the lead that the coro answers. Real life example. The pregón is your mic check turned into a flirtation tactic at a club.
• Tres. A Cuban guitar with three double courses of strings. It plays distinct arpeggiated patterns. Real life example. The tres provides the Cuban flavor like lime in your mojito.
• Cinquillo. A syncopated five note rhythmic cell that often appears in Cuban song styles. Real life example. Cinquillo is the ear candy that makes you nod before you realize you are nodding.

Why the Clave Is Non Negotiable

Clave is not a suggestion. It is the organizing time code that every instrument hears whether they know it or not. If the clave is off the band will feel like a group of people talking over each other at dinner. You do not want that. Two common son clave patterns are shown here in text so you can clap them.

• 2 3 son clave. Clap this as short long short short long across two bars. The first bar has two accented pulses the second bar has three accented pulses.
• 3 2 son clave. Start with three accents then two. The same notes but flipped in order.

Practice with a metronome set to quarter notes. Count the clave out loud until it lives in your body. If you are songwriting ignore clever metric tricks until your phrases land on the clave comfortably. A cool melody that fights the clave will sound cool for about eight seconds and then collapse into chaos.

Basic Son Song Structure to Steal

Son is flexible. Still there are reliable shapes that keep the groove moving and leave space for improvisation. Here is a common framework to start your song writing from.

• Intro with a short instrumental motif that states the clave and introduces the montuno riff
• Verse one where the lead sings story lines in a conversational way
• Verse two or a short puente which translates to bridge that raises tension
• Montuno or call and response section with the coro and pregóns
• Instrumental break with solos for tres, trumpet, piano or trombone over the montuno
• Return to montuno and vamp out with gradual intensity

Use this map at first and then bend it once you can feel the form from the inside.

Finding a Core Idea for Your Son

Son lyrics either tell small local stories or become playful political commentary. Choose an idea that fits the call and response tradition. Good ideas are short, repeatable and emotional. Here are three prompts to find the core idea.

1. Write one line that states the feeling you want the crowd to chant back.
2. Reduce that line to a phrase that can be echoed in the coro.
3. Imagine one image that sums up the story. Turn it into a concrete object you can name in verse one.

Examples

• Title idea. La Plaza Te Espera. Image. A bench with a forgotten hat. Chorus idea. The coro repeats Te Espera with rhythm while the lead elaborates.
• Title idea. Sabor y Memoria. Image. A tin of coffee on a porch at dawn. Chorus idea. Sabor with call and coro answering Memoria.

Lyric Techniques that Work in Son

Son loves imagery and short repeated phrases. Avoid long academic sentences. Son wants a line that can be shouted back between glasses of rum and plates of rice. Consider these lyric devices.

Short pregóns

Pregóns are single lines that the lead cries and the coro finishes or echoes. Keep them direct. Real life example. You are at a cenizo and you call someone's name as a joke. That call becomes a pregón on stage.

Ring phrases

Start and end a montuno chorus with the same short phrase. That repetition is what gets stuck in the crowd's head. Make it singable and stress heavy. Put it on a long note in one pass.

Place crumbs

Use specific elements of Cuban life to anchor the verse. Mention a street name a time of day or a small object. These place crumbs create atmosphere quickly. Real life example. Say Callejón, the old fan, or Café de olla and the listener is somewhere specific.

Social voice

Son often speaks with a community voice. Use plural statements that invite participation. Make the coro do half the storytelling. The band then plays the rest.

Melody and Prosody for Spanish Lyrics

If you write in Spanish pay attention to natural word stress. Prosody means that the stressed syllable of a word should land on a strong beat or a sustained note. If you force an unstressed syllable onto a long musical note the line will sound strained. Speak the line out loud like you are addressing a friend. If it sounds natural it will translate to singing well.

If you write in English and want to keep son authenticity avoid translating Spanish idioms literally. Instead write in images and invite the coro to sing a Spanish phrase. That combo keeps flavor without sounding fake. Example. Verse in English describing an old radio. Coro in Spanish repeating the title phrase. That contrast can be delicious.

Harmony and Chords for Son

Son harmony is usually diatonic and simple. The song rides on primary chords while the montuno and tres provide rhythmic color. Here are practical chord choices and small harmonic moves.

• Common progression. I minor VI major VII major I minor. That modal color occurs often in older son variations.
• Classic move. I to IV to V back to I. Keep the progression short and let the rhythm do the work.
• Borrowed lift. Use a bVII major briefly into the chorus to create a folk like lift.
• Montuno vamp. Use a two chord vamp such as I minor to VII major while the piano and tres roll patterns.

Do not overcomplicate. Son shines when the harmony leaves space for rhythmic interplay and vocal improvisation.

Tumbao Bass Writing Made Simple

Tumbao is not just notes. It is how the bass phrases relate to the clave. A reliable approach is to think of the bass as arriving just after the clave accents with syncopated anticipations on the off beats. Here is a simple exercise.

1. Set tempo at a moderate 100 to 110 bpm for practice.
2. Play the clave and clap the pattern 2 3 or 3 2 depending on the song.
3. Play a root note on beat one and then add anticipations on the and of two and the and of three.
4. Record four bars. Listen. If the bass notes feel crowded move them one eighth note earlier or later until they settle with the clave.

Real life example. Picture the bass like a conversation partner that smiles and waits for the clave to finish a sentence before replying with a joke. That timing is everything.

Piano Montuno Patterns You Can Steal

The montuno is a repeated piano riff. It must be rhythmic and lock with the percussion. If you cannot play complex montunos start with arpeggiated chords and then remove notes to make space. Here is a simple approach.

1. Identify the two chord vamp for the montuno. Commonly I minor to VII major or I to IV.
2. Play the root and the fifth as a guide while adding syncopated inner voice hits on off beats.
3. Make the pattern loop every two bars so the coro can find its place.

Record loops and rehearse with the band. Montuno is iterative. Start basic and add small ornaments like grace notes or flipped inversions once it grooves.

Percussion and Groove Tips for Songwriters

Understanding percussion will make your writing effective. The conga pattern locks with the clave and then adds accents. Bongos support the lead with call and response fills. Timbales cut through with breaks and fills that mark transitions. You do not have to write every cymbal hit. You must write the moments where percussion should breathe or go wild.

• Mark transitions. Put a short timbale fill on the last bar before the chorus to signal the band to push.
• Leave space. A crowded arrangement will bury the coro. Let the montuno and percussion have room.
• Dynamics matter. Increase conga intensity during the montuno and ease back during verses so the lyrics stay intelligible.

Arrangement for a Live Son That Swings

Live audiences and recordings require different choices. On stage you want a clear hook and room for improvisation. In the studio you can layer and color the montuno for texture. Use this arrangement map and adapt to your band size.

Small Combo Arrangement

• Intro with tres motif and light percussion
• Verse one with minimal percussion and bass
• Verse two adds piano montuno
• Montuno with coro and pregóns
• Tres solo over vamp
• Return to montuno and finish with coro chant

Full Band Arrangement

• Horn section introduces a hook in the intro
• Verse one with horns backing sparsely
• Bridge where horns punch on off beats
• Montuno with full coro and layered percussion
• Solos for trumpet and piano over vamp
• Final vamp where horns trade fours and the band escalates

Modernizing Son Without Selling Out

If you want modern textures such as synth pads or electric bass you can keep the son heart intact. The rule is respect the clave and the montuno. If a modern element fights the clave it will sound wrong. Keep new sounds as color rather than as the main structural force unless you intend to create a fusion. Real life examples of successful modern son often keep the clave audible and the coro functional while adding production flourishes like tape delay on a vocal or a sampled tres motif.

Songwriting Exercises Specific to Son

These drills are quick and brutal. They force decisions and create usable material for songs.

Clave First Drill

1. Set a metronome. Clap the 2 3 clave for two minutes.
2. Hum a simple pregón while keeping the clave.
3. Repeat until you can sing three different pregóns that naturally end on the clave hits.
4. Pick the best pregón and write a short coro phrase that answers it.

Montuno Loop Drill

1. Build a two chord vamp and loop it for one minute.
2. Sing a verse on top of the vamp and highlight a concrete image in each line.
3. After writing two verses stop and write a single line that the coro will repeat.

Pregón Swap

1. Write five one line pregóns that could be shouted on a street.
2. Pair each pregón with a short coro response.
3. Record the pairings and test them with friends or band mates. Keep the most electric pair.

Examples: Lines and Rewrites

Theme: Missing someone who used to wait on the corner.

Before: I miss you every day and the street is quiet without you.

After: Your hat still leans on the corner bench. I pass at noon and the bench seems to hold its breath.

Theme: Celebration of small town pride.

Before: We are proud of our town and we sing together.

After: The church bell counts our gossip. The plaza wears our footsteps like a braid.

Theme: A playful flirtation

Before: I like you and I want to dance.

After: I drop a coin in your palm and say your name so the coro can laugh back.

Melody Diagnostics for Son

If your melody feels flat try these checks.

• Range. Make the chorus sit higher than the verse by a small interval to feel uplifted.
• Teachability. If you sing it twice and your band remembers it you are close.
• Prosody. Say the lines at conversation speed to find unnatural stresses.
• Clave alignment. Ensure key melodic accents land with the clave accents or intentionally sit against them to create tension.

Working With a Band

Son is communal. Your songs will take better shape when you test them with musicians who understand the style. Record rehearsals. Ask the conguero about accents. Listen to the tres player and ask them to suggest variants. Accept small changes. If the pianist moves a chord inversion to a second inversion because it sits better under the coro let them keep it. Songwriting in son is collaborative not solitary.

Production Notes for Recording Son

In the studio keep the clave audible in the mix. It may be a subtle shaker track or the snare. If the clave disappears the song loses its spine. Use room mics for percussion to capture the live energy. Keep the coro upfront during the montuno so the call and response feels immediate. Use reverb sparingly. A small plate and a touch of delay can make vocals lush while keeping clarity.

• Record percussion first if you want a live feel. The groove is the skeleton.
• Double the coro for final choruses for crowd energy in recordings.
• Keep solos a bit raw. Too much editing kills the live character.

Performance Tips That Make the Crowd Part Of The Song

Invite the audience into the call and response. Teach them the coro with a simple clap and a short sung line. Use space. Pause before the coro to give them a moment to answer. If they sing with you you win the room and the rest of the night feels easier.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Ignoring clave. Fix by practicing with the clave only until your lines land naturally.
• Overwriting lyrics. Fix by cutting any line that does not add a new image or cue for the coro.
• Too much production. Fix by stripping a few layers and testing the song acoustically. If the song falls apart when you unplug you have refined the wrong things.
• Forcing unnatural prosody. Fix by rewriting lines to match natural speech stress or changing the melodic rhythm so the word stress lands on strong beats.

Release and Promotion Ideas for Son Songs

Songs in Spanish and English can both work. Use visuals and storytelling to amplify the local flavor. Film one take live videos in a plaza or a kitchen. People love authenticity. Release an acoustic demo and a full band version. Ask local dancers to create short clips that you can repost. For streaming create a playlist that places your son alongside traditional tracks and modern fusions so listeners can discover context.

Action Plan You Can Use This Week

1. Pick your clave orientation 2 3 or 3 2 and practice clapping it for five minutes daily.
2. Write one pregón line and one coro response. Record it as a two bar loop and see if it feels communal.
3. Build a two chord montuno vamp. Loop and sing two verses on top with specific place crumbs.
4. Draft a tumbao bass line that talks to the clave. Record with a simple kick drum and listen back on headphones to check timing.
5. Play the song live with at least two musicians and get feedback. Ask one question. Which line made you want to stand up.

Son Cubano Songwriting FAQ

What tempo should I use for son

Son is flexible but it often lives between seventy and one hundred ten beats per minute depending on the energy. A traditional son tends toward the mid tempo range where dancers can swing their hips and chat. If you want a romantic son stay slower. If you want a party son push tempo up but keep the clave clear.

How do I choose between 2 3 and 3 2 clave

Choose based on where your melodic phrases naturally breathe. If your melodic emphasis feels stronger at the start then the 3 2 clave may fit. If your phrase needs a push later the 2 3 orientation may be better. The simple test is to sing the line over each orientation and pick the version that makes the phrase land naturally. Ask your percussionist for an opinion. Their body lives in the clave.

Can I write son in English

Yes. Son is a musical form not a language police. If you write in English keep Spanish phrases for the coro and for cultural flavor. Be honest in your voice. Avoid pretending to be Cuban if you are not. Collaboration with Cuban musicians or respectful credit for influences will always make the work stronger.

How long should the montuno section be

Montuno sections can be short or long. For a recorded song aim for one to three minutes of montuno with solos and pregóns. Live you can extend it as much as the dancers or the band can maintain energy. The montuno is a place for improvisation so follow the energy rather than the clock.

What instruments are essential for son

Essential elements are clave oriented percussion like congas or bongos, a bass that plays tumbao, a rhythmic piano or tres montuno, a lead vocalist and coro. Horns are common and give punch. You can write a valid son with a pared down combo if those core pieces exist.

How do I make my coro sound tight

Practice rhythms slowly. The coro keeps tight by counting and by singing together at volume. Use short phrases and rehearse call and response until the timing is reflexive. Record the coro and double it for recordings to make it sound larger than life.

How do I avoid clichés when writing lyrics about Cuba

Be specific and personal. Instead of singing about sugar or beaches find tiny human moments like a neighbor sweeping after midnight or a street cat that follows the vendor. Immediacy and detail will make the song feel honest rather than like a postcard.