Yucatecan Trova Guitar Workshop
Trova is the most Yucatecan of all music styles, and musician Jorge Canto will present an eight-week, hands-on workshop that explores all the intricacies and history of this fascinating genre. The main objective of this workshop is for the guitar student to become familiar with and learn to play the five most important rhythms of Yucatecan Trova, and develop their capacity for musical appreciation, singing, and instrumental performance Each two-hour class will include conversation about the history of Trova including a review of the most important trovadores of Yucatán, and a practice session where you will put your new knowledge to use. The class will make extensive use of audio and video recordings and sheet music will be provided. Participants will need to bring a guitar, and a basic or intermediate skill is expected.
The students will learn these Trova classics:
Nunca — Clave Rhythm
Flor de Azahar— Yucatecan Bolero
Peregrina — Evocative Maya Dance
En tus ojos — Bambuco
El Torito — Jarana
A detailed syllabus of the course can be found here.
The workshop will be held in the classroom at the Mérida English Library on Monday mornings, beginning on October 20. Including a week off on November 17 for Revolution Day, the final class will be on Monday December 15. The cost for this eight-session workshop is MX$2,000, and you can register in-person at MEL or online in the MEL Shop. Registration will be limited to allow an intimate setting.
Not sure if this will be right for you? Then attend a FREE one-hour introduction on Monday September 29 at 10:00 AM. Bring your guitar and be ready to immerse yourself in this music that is highly loved by Yucatecans!
About Jorge Canto
Jorge’s musical training began at the Higher School of Arts of Yucatán (ESAY), where he gained a solid foundation in music theory and practice. While there, he took a course devoted to Yucatecan Trova, which sparked a lasting interest in this traditional genre. To deepen his studies, he enrolled in the Juan Acerto School of Popular Music, located in Mérida’s historic Barrio de Mejorada. He completed a two-year program specializing in Yucatecan Trova with an emphasis on guitar accompaniment. Under the guidance of renowned masters of Yucatecan popular music, he received specialized instruction in performance, rhythmic structure, and stylistic nuances of the traditional Trova repertoire. During this period, he participated in various academic and musical activities — ensembles, applied sight-reading, repertoire analysis, and live performances — which helped him develop strong skills as a guitar accompanist within the genre.
Subsequently, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Musical Composition, broadening his expertise in theory, analysis, notation, and the creation of musical works across multiple formats and styles. He later continued his training in the Czech Republic, where he had the opportunity to present and share the Yucatecan Trova style on an international stage, integrating it into multicultural artistic projects and cultural events.
