Re: Is there a name for this type of vocal harmonizing?

Date: 31 May 2003 18:37:33 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.afro-latin
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"tumbao" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message news:<SZ9Ca.3554$email-address-deleted>...
> If you are talking about the quality of the voices, perhaps you're talking
> about the 'voz de vieja' (old woman's voice) technique that is a distinctly
> Cuban style. There's not much discernable variation in the 'type of
> harmonizing' in Latin Music, from a Harmonic perspective (except between
> Major and Minor Keys, of course). I know Larry plays mostly Minor Key tunes,
> but I doubt that's your problem because most classic Salsa is predominantly
> Minor.
>
Yeah, that could be it. Due to a complete lack of musical training
(or at any rate a lack of any that I retained anything from, or ever
had much grasp on), when I start describing music in even the most
minally technical terms, I am immediately on thin ice. It is
definitely a quality of the voices, when they are singing as a chorus.
Is this "voz de vieja" quite an old practice in Cuban music?
I think you must be right that it is not a problem with the music
being in a minor key. I think I at least know what that means, but
just barely. (Also: I love Arabic music, and much of it *sounds* like
it's in a minor key to westerners, even though it's not following the
same sort of system to begin with. I wonder if the heavy use of minor
keys--or is it "the minor key"?--in salsa music is what turned me off
about it when I heard it as a teenager. I thought it sounded
depressing back then. Maybe my listneing to Arabic music helped paved
the way to my appreciating salsa?)
What other meanings does "vieja" have? I've seen the term "salsa
vieja" and tought it meant something along the lines of "pure salsa"
or "original salsa." Well, I guess I could look it up, but its
subtleties in applying to salsa might not be in a dictionary anyway.
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