Merengue Terminology

In merengue, various slang is used to signify instruments, quality, the act of playing, etc. Below are a list of terms.

• Botao- slang for a solo or the act of doing a solo. Usually on tambora, güira, accordion, or conga.
• Guallo- means "grater", another word for the güira instrument.
• Mambo- not to be confused with the Cuban music style of the same name, "Mambo" in a merengue context can be either merengue de orquestra or merengue tipico, but a style of playing that involves heavy emphasis on conga, tambora, and cowbell riffs. Believed to be first popularized by accordionist Agapito Pascual, Merengue con Mambo sometimes involves solos, but is essentially a riff of saxophone or accordion repeating over a heavy rhythm. Most songs have a section within it dedicated to the Mambo, either nearing towards the end of the track or past the second verse of the song, but some songs are completely based on this style. Merengue con mambo is almost always played with a merengue derecho rhythm on the tambora, but güira rhythms can vary. The Pambiche rhythm is rarely seen because an average tambora player cannot play a pambiche as fast as a merengue derecho rhythm, because the former has more strokes on the drum involved in play than the latter. Also can be used to shout out in songs, popularized by the likes of Geovanny Polanco, Aguakate, and El Prodigio.
• Golpe- a rhythm for güira, tambora, or conga.
• Cuero- generally means cowhide in Spanish, but in merengue refers most of the time to a tambora skin.
• Chivo- means goat, but refers to a goatskin for tambora.
• Merengue derecho- "straight" merengue, the kind which most are familiar with. Also the simplest rhythm for tambora, essentially rim-slap-rim-open, but sometimes played even simpler. Can be played the fastest.
• Pambiche- another dance similar to merengue, which most merengue bands perform at some point. Also a tambora rhythm usually played slow, but occasionally fast when a combination of rhythms are used in the song. Goes slap-low-low-high-low-rim-rim-slap-rim-rim-slap. Has a few variations, also.