Timbales

Play timbales on their own, or add them to your drum kit.

Timbales have their musical origins in Cuba and are a staple of Latin mambo, bossa nova, salsa and reggae music. Like most ethnic drums, timbales are being accepted into the mainstream music world as inventive players regularly incorporate the characteristic timbale sound into their kits for accenting, transitions and audience pleasing drum solos. And, because they own the entire timbale drum, most modern players will use the entire drum when playing, striking the heads, the sides of the shell and the rims to create lively Latin rhythms and a staccato of steady beats in all types of music.

Players, or timbeleros as they are called in Cuban musical circles, typically mount their timbales on a stand and play them with straight sticks while standing up. In a timbale set, the smaller “male” drum is called the macho and provides a sharp, biting attack. The larger “female” drum is the hembra and has a deeper, mellower sound.