Spanish Regional Folk Music and Dance Traditions

Andalucía

• Flamenco: Flamenco singing, guitar, castanets, tambourine.

Aragón

• Jota: Ternary rhythm, strong rhythmic incision, percussion instruments accompanying, emphasis on melody.
• Albada aurora dances.
• Instruments: Flageolet.

Asturias

• Dances: Vaqueiras, giraldilla, pericote of the plains, preindango of Cabrales.
• Instruments: Corri corri of bagpipes, tambourine, rebec, hurdy-gurdy.

Balearic Islands

• Jotas and Boleros: Music for dance, 3/4 rhythm, sung in duet in thirds.
• Instruments: Gaita (bagpipe), flute, and drum (Xeremies).

Cantabria

• Balls campestres: The March (communal song, characteristic repetitive phrases) and Picayo (songs).

Canary Islands

• Isa: Accompanies the launching of castanets, loose ball, the Canary version of the Peninsula's dance.
• The sirinoque and tajaraste.

Madrid

• Maya: Ternary rhythm, accompanied by plucked strings.
• The rodon, the streak, and the paloteo.
• Instruments: Gaita (bagpipe), saw, and Arrabel.

Murcia

• Folk traditions influenced by Valencian and Castellón styles.
• Dances: Clubbing, Jacks, abundant fandanguillo of the orchard.
• Instruments: Tambourine, castanets, typical string instruments.

Navarre

• Jota also coexists with Basque folk music.
• Valencia: Serenaders.

Castilla-La Mancha

• Seguidillas: Ternary rhythm, accompaniment of castanets, frequently used in zarzuela.
• Bolero.

Castile and León

• Chants of rosemary.
• Instruments: Whistle, bagpipes, tambourine, drum, flageolet.

Catalonia

• The Sardana: Dance of religious and noble character, performed in a circle.
• Instruments: Recorder and cobla (Catalan-Aragonese flageolet), Rabel, tambourine.

Extremadura

• Lyrics: Round and tunes, especially work songs, nursery rhymes, and wedding songs.
• Dance: Gadabout and peranton (communal singing, strong rhythmic mark of the drum).
• Instruments: Drum and flute, rebec, bagpipe, and tambourine.

Galicia

• Dawn and Muñeira: Rhythm linked to holiday and dance contexts.
• Bagpipes play a repetitive melody role; the tambourine provides rhythmic elements in 3 parts, executed at high speed (3/8).
• Instrument: Zanfoña (hurdy-gurdy).

La Rioja

• Jota Riojana, dance performances.
• Instruments: Flute, ls campanilleros.

Basque Country

• Rhythms amalgamate in 5/8 time for the zortziko dance.
• Dances: Aurresku and Ezpata-dantza.
• Instruments: Txistu, Tabor, alboka.