# Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials > Afro-Cuban music play-along app with customizable rhythm section and learning materials. (iPhone/iPad app by Fuzzy Music, LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/erskine-afro-cuban-essentials/id677019226 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Fuzzy Music, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/534683214) - Category: Music, Education - Price: $9.99 - Rating: 2.60/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 664 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-08-09 - Data updated: 2026-08-22 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/erskine-afro-cuban-essentials/id677019226/reviews.md ## What is Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? Welcome to the ERSKN Afro-Cuban Essentials Play-Along app, featuring Aaron Serfaty. I have known Aaron for many years, and he is the “go-to” guy for Afro-Cuban and Brazilian drumming in Los Angeles. He is also my trusted colleague at the Thornton School at the University of Southern California. We are delighted to present this app to you. It has been designed and created for use by all musicians who are interested in increasing their understanding of listening to Afro-Cuban music and raising the level of their skills and artistry when playing this music. The heart of Afro-Cuban music is understanding clave and the role each instrument plays, all while being able to play the “standards” of this music in common keys and at different tempos. With the combined professional and pedagogical experiences between the three musicians, these tracks target and explore an essential variety of requisite Afro-Cuban modes and styles. Using the built-in mixer, the user can create their own combo: full rhythm section (trio), music-minus- piano, music-minus-bass, music-minus-drums, or solo tracks of drums-only, bass-only or piano-only PLUS any combination of congas, bongo and timbale percussion tracks. There are click-track and count-off options, too. PDF lead sheets are included for the rhythm section. These charts can be printed or emailed from the app. There are also transcriptions of some of the piano montuno patterns as well as all of the relevant beats and patterns Aaron plays on a variety of instruments (drum set, congas, bongo and timbales, etc.) We suggest you listen to the full band mixes at least once in order to hear how the musicians are playing this music — you now have a world-class Afro- Cuban rhythm section at your fingertips! I asked Aaron what he wanted to say in these introductory remarks, and this is what he told me: “I'd like you to insist on the fact that we don't need to be fluent in Spanish to play this music. Nurture Vs. Nature. No genetic code needed, just homework.” There’s no better musical homework than listening and playing...and now, you can do both, any time and anywhere! -- Peter Erskine ## Key features - Customizable rhythm section mixer - PDF lead sheets included - Transcriptions of beats and patterns - Multiple instrument tracks - Play-along practice - Variety of Afro-Cuban modes and styles ## Recent user reviews (10 of 16) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/erskine-afro-cuban-essentials/id677019226/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials *2026-06-19* ¡Muchísimas gracias! ### 5/5 — Excellent app *2024-09-24* Many songs with a really nice latin groove plus charts. What more can you expect. Excellent price. Im very happy with it. 👌👌👌👌 ### 1/5 — Ganz schlechter Support... *2023-02-14* Plötzlich geht hier leider nichts mehr, übrigens bei allen Apps dieser Reihe. Superschade, denn die Songs waren echt toll zum mitspielen geeignet. So allerdings viel Geld für einen echt miesen Support ausgegeben. Unverschämtheit! Suddenly, unfortunately, nothing works here anymore, by the way, with all apps in this series. Too bad, because the songs were really great for playing along. However, a lot of money was spent on really bad support. Outrageousness! ### 1/5 — Does not play on Iphone 14 Pro Max *2023-01-12* Does not play on Iphone 14 Pro Max ### 5/5 — iOS 16 *2023-01-01* Aplicativo rodando normalmente em iOS 16. Basta desabilitar o microfone nas configurações. Perde-se apenas a função de gravar mas a produtora já informou estar trabalhando nisso. Ótimo app! ### 1/5 — App doesn’t really work *2018-08-16* The email chart option doesn’t work, the app freezes and shuts down randomly during playback on different songs. Was also under the assumption that the charts were fully notated (was advised this by the creator of the app) however, the charts are not fully notated. Just a chord chart with a few guide tones. To be honest, very dissatisfied with it. Shouldn’t have purchased it. ### 1/5 — Pésima app. Incompatible con iOS 10 *2016-10-12* La compre cuando tenía iOS 9.x y cuando actualice a iOS 10 dejó de funcionar. Jamás me contestaron los e-mails. Farsantes, Ladrones de cuarta. ### 4/5 — 非常に良いがバグもあり *2016-03-09* 非常に良いです。しかし、楽器を幾つかミュートして再生すると途中からクリックと音源がずれる事があります。これは直して欲しいです。 ### 3/5 — Good concept, falls short for me... *2015-12-29* This is a great concept for an app. For the money provided however there are a total of 14 tracks and not all of them have drums set transcriptions available. This would be five stars if all transcriptions were provided. ### 1/5 — Effort falls short *2015-04-04* I'm a huge fan of the idea of play along apps for percussionists to learn how to play over changes and get a feel for phrasing. This current offerings falls short of the previous two play along apps from Fuzzy Music as some of the play along tracks have either been sped up using Pro Tools and show glaring tempo problems in the accompanying ensemble (not to mention feeling a wee bit off the click). I have an enormous amount of respect for the musicians here, but this offering yields a modest effort, at best. Revision: the more I try and work with this app, the more it's clear that this is just not something that is of a professional, nor even semi-pro, quality. Complete rubbish. ## Frequently asked questions about Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials ### What is Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials is a music app designed to help musicians learn and practice Afro-Cuban music. It features a customizable rhythm section and educational materials. ### What instruments can I play along with in Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? You can create your own combo using a full rhythm section, or isolate piano, bass, drums, congas, bongo, and timbale percussion tracks. You can also play along with any combination of these. ### Does Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials have lead sheets? Yes, the app includes PDF lead sheets for the rhythm section that can be printed or emailed. It also provides transcriptions of piano montuno patterns and relevant beats. ### What is the price of Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials is a paid app, available for $9.99. This one-time purchase grants you access to all its features. ### What devices support Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed for iOS devices. ### How often is Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials updated? The latest version of Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials is 2.3, and it was last updated on April 14, 2023. Updates typically include improvements and new content. ### What is the age rating for Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials? Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users aged 4 and above. ### Does Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials have ads? No, Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials does not contain advertisements. As a paid application, it offers an ad-free experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.3 — 2023-04-14 Bug fixes and stability improvements. ### 2.2.1 — 2017-10-06 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Fix a bug related to Apple's inclusion of PDFKit in iOS 11. ### 2.2 — 2017-09-13 64-bit build, mixer updates ### 2.1 — 2015-03-10 - TWO NEW TUNES! Las Patas (Afro-Cuban 6/8 feel) and Snow's Rumba (cut time and 6/8 feels) - better 64-bit support - bug fixes ### 2.0 — 2014-05-27 - RECORD YOURSELF! Now users can record and mix their own playing live in the app using the onboard microphone or any external iOS-compatible recording system. - updated for iOS 7 - interface tweaks - stability improvements ## Apps similar to Erskine Afro Cuban Essentials | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [GrooveClix Metronome](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grooveclix-metronome/id1426132768) | 4.1 (117) | Free | Music | | [Afro Latin Percussion Machine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afro-latin-percussion-machine/id879474839) | 4.7 (127) | Free | Music | | [PercussionTutor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussiontutor/id518086179) | 4.9 (266) | $14.99 | Music | | [RhythmBot](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rhythmbot/id6482994081) | 5.0 (126) | Free | Music | | [THE FEEL BOOK](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-feel-book/id6746460341) | 4.5 (51) | Free | Music | | [Salsa Rhythm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/salsa-rhythm/id379868541) | 4.8 (3,425) | $2.99 | Music | ## More apps by Fuzzy Music, LLC - [Erskine Jazz Essentials Vol. 1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/erskine-jazz-essentials-vol-1/id588220939) - [The Code of Funk](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-code-of-funk/id705481068) - [Erskine Jazz Essentials Vol. 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/erskine-jazz-essentials-vol-2/id832649891) - [Mintzer Big Band Essentials](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mintzer-big-band-essentials/id1061261675) - [BRS Quartet BRAZIL Play Along](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brs-quartet-brazil-play-along/id1467837413) All apps by Fuzzy Music, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/534683214 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-22.*