Cumbia is a genre of Latin American music that originated on Colombias Caribbean coast and has since spread throughout Latin America and beyond. It is a blend of European, African, and indigenous cultures and involves musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, African slaves, and Spanish colonizers. Cumbia is percussion-heavy, with a signature double beat created by the guacharaca. The sound of cumbia can be characterized as having a simple "chucu-chucu-chu". The genre frequently incorporates brass instruments and piano.

Cumbia has many different styles, and examples of cumbia include Colombian cumbia, cumbia nortena, cumbia andina, and psychedelic cumbia. To dance cumbia, you need one of two musical ensembles – a conjunto de cumbia or a conjunto de gaitas. Cumbia influenced vallenato, another Caribbean coastal genre, which has a similar beat with vocals, an accordion, a drum, and a guacharaca. Cumbia also influenced musica tropical, which began with the dance band arrangement of African-Colombian music in the 1940s.

Cumbia is Colombias national dance, one of its most representative rhythms, and the source and inspiration behind much of the countrys popular music. It is a staple of Latin America and has been described as the musical backbone of the continent. Cumbia has become popular all over the world, and you can hear a vast array of percussion instruments playing cumbia, from drum kit to cajon.

In summary, cumbia is a genre of Latin American music that originated on Colombias Caribbean coast and has since spread throughout Latin America and beyond. It is a blend of European, African, and indigenous cultures and involves musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, African slaves, and Spanish colonizers. Cumbia is percussion-heavy, with a signature double beat created by the guacharaca, and frequently incorporates brass instruments and piano.