Music in Spanish: From notes and music genres to instruments in Spanish

Music, the universal language of emotions, resonates deeply within all cultures, showcasing a rich heritage of diverse genres, instruments, and rhythms. This is especially true for music in Spanish cultures!

Whether you are a music enthusiast or whether you’d just like to know how to talk about music in Spanish, in this vocab post we’ll be taking you on a delightful journey through essential music terminology, musical instruments in Spanish, and some unique Latin and Spanish instruments as well! We’ll also show you the names of music genres in Spanish so you know what to dance to, along with some Spanish music verbs.

Now, it’s time to sing, dance, and play!

Music terms in Spanish

In this section, we will explore the fundamental music terminology in Spanish that serve as the building blocks of musical expression. Knowing this Spanish music vocabulary will allow you to talk about music in Spanish like a total expert: we go pretty far into the names for longest notes and the fastest notes here!

English music terms	Spanish music terms
Musical notes	Las notas
Major	Mayor
Minor	Menor
Scale	La escala
Interval	El intérvalo
Melody	La melodía
Rythm	El ritmo
Beat	El tiempo
Measure, Bar	El compás
Harmony	La armonía
Chord	El acorde
Solfège	El solfeo
Music sheet, Score	La partitura
Staff	El pentagrama
Metronome	El metrónomo
Clef	La clave
Tone, Pitch, Key, Whole step	El tono
Semitone, Half step	El semitono
Accent	El acento
Rest	El silencio
Octave	La octava
Octuple whole note, Large	La máxima, La duplex longa
Quadruple whole note, Longa	La longa
Double whole note, Breve	La cuadrada
Whole note, Semibreve	La redonda
Half note, Minim	La blanca
Quarter note, Crotchet	La negra
Eighth note, Quaver	La corchea
Sixteenth note, Semiquaver	La semicorchea
Thirty-second note, Demisemiquaver	La fusa
Sixty-fourth note, Hemidemisemiquaver	La semifusa
Hundred twenty-eighth note, Semihemidemisemiquaver	La garrapatea
Two hundred fifty-sixth note, Demisemihemidemisemiquaver	La semigarrapatea

Musical notes in Spanish

In English you tend to refer to musical notes by their letters, starting with middle C. But are you also familiar with the song that gives names to these notes of the scale?

In Spanish we refer to musical notes by these names rather than by letters. We’ve included the English names next to the note letters in the table, which are almost the same as in Spanish! Note that your so becomes sol in Spanish, and your ti becomes si (yes, this note has the exact same spelling as the word for yes in Spanish!).

English musical notes	Spanish musical notes
C: Do	Do
D: Re	Re
E: Mi	Mi
F: Fa	Fa
G: So	Sol
A: La	La
B: Ti	Si
Sharp	Sostenido
Flat	Bemol

Musical instruments in Spanish

In this section we’ll cover the most common instruments in Spanish. We’ll break them down by kind of instrument: string, wind, and percussion. As a bonus, we will leave you with some Latin and Spanish instruments as well.

String instruments in Spanish – Los instrumentos de cuerda

String instruments are a class of musical instruments that produce sound by vibrating strings. Common examples of string instruments include the guitar, violin, cello, and harp. Let’s take a look at the names of string instruments in Spanish.

English string instruments	Spanish string instruments
Piano	El piano
Clavichord	El clavicordio
Guitar	La guitarra
Bass guitar	El bajo
Ukelele	El ukelele
Mandolin	La mandolina
Banjo	El banjo
Lute	El laúd
Cittern	El cistro
Violin	El violín
Viola	La viola
Cello	El cello
Upright bass	El contrabajo
Lyra	La lira
Harp	El harpa
Zither	La cítara

Wind instruments in Spanish – Los instrumentos de viento

Wind instruments are a category of musical instruments that produce sound by vibrating air. In this section we’ll learn the names of common wind instruments in Spanish

English wind instruments	Spanish wind instruments
Flute	La flauta
Piccolo	El pícolo
Saxophone	El saxofón
Clarinet	El clarinete
English horn	El corno inglés
Oboe	El oboe
Bugle	El clarín
Trumpet	La trompeta
Cornet	La corneta
Flugelhorn	El fliscorno
French horn	El corno francés
Tuba	La tuba
Trombone	El trombón
Recorder	La flauta dulce
Pan flute	La flauta de pan
Kazoo	El kazoo
Harmonica	La harmónica
Pipe organ	El órgano
Bagpipes	La gaita

Percussion instruments in Spanish – Los instrumentos de percusión

Percussion instruments are a family of musical instruments that produce sound through striking, shaking, or rubbing. Many of these instruments don’t produce specific pitches like string or wind instruments, but they create rhythmic patterns and add texture to music.

English percussion instruments	Spanish percussion instruments
Drum	El tambor
Drum kit	La batería
Snare drum	La caja, La tarola
Bass drum	El bombo
Drumsticks	Las baquetas
Cymbals	Los platillos
Triangle	El triángulo
Bell	La campana
Gong	El gong
Tambourine	La pandereta
Djembe	El yembé
Bongo	Los bongos
Kettle drums	Los timbales
Xylophone	El xilófono

Spanish instruments

Now, let’s take a look at some musical instruments that are particular to Spain. These are often used to play in religious festivities or traditional events.

Spanish instruments, English	Spanish instruments, Spanish
Dulzaina	La dulzaina
Castanets	Las castañuelas
Spanish guitar	La guitarra española
Onion flute, Mirliton	El nunut, El mirlitón
Tobera	La tobera
Guitarro	El guitarró
Bandurria	La bandurria

Latin instruments

Latin America also has its fair share of musical instruments. Some even date back to pre-Hispanic times. Similarly to the Spanish instruments above, these Latin instruments are often used in folk music, religious, and traditional festivals.

Latin instruments, English	Latin instruments, Spanish
Marimba	La marimba
Maracas	Las maracas
Cuatro	El cuatro
Rondador	El rondador
Claves	Las claves
Peruvian box	La caja peruana
Charango	El charango
Güiro	El güiro
Tun	El tun
Ocarina	La ocarina

Music genres in Spanish

In this section we provide you with the names of various musical styles and genres as they are referred to in the Spanish language. Whether you’re an aspiring musician or you just want to dance, this section on music genres in Spanish will equip you with the vocabulary to discuss and appreciate a diverse range of musical styles.

English	Spanish
Pop	El pop
Rock	El rock
Metal	El metal
Jazz	El jazz
Hip hop	El hip hop
Rap	El rap
Trap music	El trap
Classical music	La música clásica
Country	La música country
Disco music	La música disco
Electronic music	La música electrónica
Opera	La ópera
Waltz	El vals
Salsa	La salsa
Cuban son	El son cubano
Merengue	El merengue
Bachata	La bachata
Tango	El tango
Bolero	El bolero
Chachacha	El chachachá
Cumbia	La cumbia
Lambada	La lambada
Mambo	El mambo
Reggaeton	El reggaetón
Mariachi	El mariachi
Flamenco	El flamenco
Bossa Nova	El bossa nova
Samba	La samba
Ranchera	La ranchera
Reggae	El reggae

Miscellaneous Spanish music vocabulary

Here’s some extra music vocabulary in Spanish that may come in handy when talking about music in Spanish, with words for albums, musicians, and concert equipment.

English	Spanish
Song	La canción
Lyrics	La letra
Single	El sencillo
Album	El álbum
Record	El disco
Band	La banda
Concert	El concierto
Repertoire	El repertorio
Orchestra	La orquesta
Symphony	La sinfonía
Choir, Chorus	El coro
Musician	El músico, La música
Conductor	El director, El conductor
Composer	El compositor, La compositora
Guitarist	El guitarrista, La guitarrista
Drummer	El baterista, La baterista
Bassist	El bajista, La bajista
Singer	El cantante, La cantante
Vocalist	El vocalista, La vocalista
Soloist	El solista, La solista
Solo	El solo
Duet	El dueto
Rehearsal	El ensayo
Stage	El escenario
Microphone	El micrófono
Amplifier	El amplificador
Synthesizer	El sintetizador
Speaker	El parlante, El altavoz

Music verbs in Spanish

Now that we’ve covered the various groups of Spanish music nouns, let’s take a look at some verbs commonly used when talking about music in Spanish. These are mostly related to music composition and performance.

English	Spanish
To sing	Cantar
To hum	Tararear
To play	Tocar
To dance	Bailar
To compose	Componer
To conduct	Dirigir
To arrange	Hacer los arreglos, Adaptar
To accompany	Acompañar
To tune	Afinar
To strum	Rasguear
To pluck	Puntear

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our post on music vocabulary in Spanish. Before we go, let’s do a quick recap of what we saw today.

We started with the fundamental music terminology in Spanish, including musical elements such as notes and tones, and musical terms such as melody and rhythm.

Next, we delved into the world of musical instruments in Spanish. We broke these down into the three broad famillies: string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. We also provided lists introducing some instruments that are unique to Spanish and Latin cultures, like the dulzaina, castanets, marimba, and charango, highlighting the regional diversity and cultural significance of these instruments in traditional and folk music.

Then we explored the names of  music genres in Spanish, ranging from contemporary styles like pop and hip hop to classic forms like salsa and tango. We wrapped up with an assortment of other Spanish music vocab for musicians and albums, along with a list of Spanish music verbs.

With all this music vocabulary in Spanish, you’re now equipped to engage with Spanish-speaking musicians, explore the rich musical heritage of Spanish-speaking countries, and deepen your appreciation for the universal language of music that binds us all!