One of the best parts about Latin Dance…the incredible MUSIC!
If you want to practice your moves at home but aren’t sure where to start, here are a few of our favorite songs that you can use for practicing.
If you’re on Spotify, check out our curated Salsa Music playlist or use the Slow Salsa Songs for Beginners by DJ Maxx playlist that is on a heavy rotation in classes. We also like this Sensual Bachata playlist and just incredible Salsa, Cha-Cha and Latin jazz music from this Mambo Salsa On 2 playlist, both by other Spotify users.
You can find tons of music on other platforms including Youtube, Amazon, iTunes, Soundcloud and more.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Slow/Moderate Tempo Salsa:
“Old School Salsa Mix” playlist on Youtube by DJ-P-NUT (an hour and 10 minutes of awesome old school Salsa that’s all a nice tempo)
“Ven Devorame Otra Vez” by Lalo Rodriguez
“Azuquita pa’l cafe” by El Gran Combo.
“No Me Acostumbro” by Rey Ruiz
Need help with the beat?
If you’re struggling to find the beat in Salsa music, you’re not alone! We mostly teach and dance Salsa On1, meaning the break happens on the 1 and the 8 count. Finding the one can be difficult— it takes practice and training your ear. This video is a good resource for different instruments to listen out for in Salsa songs. Here's a track pre-recorded with the 1,2,3,5,6,7. It's a little repetitive, but if you practice with it, you'll hear and feel where and how you're supposed to me moving. Here's one with just the 1. As you get more comfortable, try just practicing with the 1 and filling in the rest of the counts on your own. The Salsa Rhythm app is a useful tool for listening to the different instruments and understanding how they work together, you can also adjust the speed on the app and practice faster and slower as needed.