Comiendo y Cantando - Pio Leyva - song

The example above features the characteristic “gon-gon, gon-gon” bassline typical of son. In this case it’s played on the Spanish guitar, but the pattern remains easy to recognize.

This bassline has its roots in the marímbula, an Afro-Cuban instrument derived from African lamellophones (often called “thumb pianos”). The marímbula, with its deep plucked tones, essentially provided the bass voice in early son ensembles.