This world is a big place. It is very diverse, in culture, beliefs, traditions and even music. Music is an important part of this world; not only pop music and that which many first world countries are accustomed to, but also world music, such as the melodies of Cuba or Africa. These two countries share many characteristics in their music, despite being two very different places. From melody, to rhythm, and even to instruments and cultural practices, the countries of Cuba and Africa both have very similar traits in their music. Rhythm is the pattern of music. It is one of the key characteristics to define music for what it is. Rhythm is precious and, in both Cuban and West African music, it is one of the most crucial parts of their music. Cuban music can be divided into many different subcategories, one of which is Son Cubano, a type of music that originated in Cuba and is heavily influenced by African music. Son music has very few characteristics that develop completely on their own; the music has strong hints of Spanish guitar, melody, monophony and lyrical translation with African percussion and rhythms, all fused together to show that the music had developed traits borrowed from other cultures, mainly from Africa. This clearly demonstrates the distinct similarities between these two nations and how one has adapted some of the other's music. Another interrelationship is that the music of both cultures is quite simple; no complex harmony or complicated reading of the music, but decidedly more complicated rhythms. In Western Cuban music, they have an element called polyrhythm, which means multiple or opposing rhythmic patterns played at the same time. Usually, there are multiple drummers to play the separate parts, so in the end c...... middle of paper......Foundation, November 16, 2013. Web. November 18, 2013. .Fullen, Matteo. "Characteristics of West African Music | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, June 2, 2011. Web. November 18, 2013. .Fullen, Matteo. "Characteristics of West African Music | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, June 2, 2011. Web. November 18, 2013. "Music of Cuba." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 11, 2013. Web. November 18, 2013. “West African Music.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 16, 2013. Web. November 18, 2013. “Son (music).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 November 2013. Web. 18 November. 2013. .