My only reason for putting these very different regions together \u2013 Extremadura near to Portugal and Aragon in north eastern Spain \u2013 will become plain.<\/p>\n
Aragonese culture finds its roots in Celtic, French and especially Moorish influence. Instruments include rattles and the guitarro, a unique kind of guitar from the Baroque period. Rarely used as a solo instrument, the guitarro mostly has five strings and Alexander Sanchez has recovered one of the earliest examples from Zaragoza. Early music in Extremadura is characterised by a melancholy sound and by the predominance of the zambomba drum which -intriguingly – is played by pulling on a rope inside the drum. (How I wonder?). Perhaps the sadness of their folk music reflects the fact that this is traditionally Spain\u2019s most impoverished region, many of its people leaving for Latin America, and taking their musical traditions with them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Jota music that unites these otherwise very different regions. Originating in the southern part of Aragon this dance music with its changing tonalities and complicated repeated rhythms is popular across Spain. Played on tambourines, castanets and flutes, the music also uses the human voice as an instrument. The Jota Zaragozana is fast and danced with raised arms, whereas in southern Aragon the music is slow and elegant. In Extremadura the Jota is played with triangles, castanets, guitars, tambourines, accordions and zambombas.<\/p>\n