Traditional drums used to play the tamborito rhythm

Tamborito and Folkloric Music

The national rhythm of Panama, sung in a circle and played on drums that speak to the country’s roots.

The tamborito is a call-and-response song where a lead singer and chorus trade verses over three drums and the clapping of hands. It is the sound of Panamanian gatherings, of festivals and of pride. From it grew the salomas, the décimas and much of the country’s musical identity.