Montuno has several meanings pertaining to
Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally,
montuno means 'comes from the mountain', and so
Son montuno may refer to the older type of
son played in the mountainous rural areas of
Oriente. Another possibility is that the word "Montuno" comes from the word "Montura" which is the Spanish word for "Saddle", because the rhythm in Son music is like riding a horse. Or it may mean the final section of a song-based composition; in this sense it is simply part of a piece of music. Here it is usually a faster, brasher, semi-improvised instrumental section, sometimes with a repetitive vocal refrain. Finally, the term
montuno is also used for a piano
guajeo, the
ostinato figure accompanying the montuno section, when it describes a repeated
syncopated piano
vamp, often with
chromatic root movement.