Definición
Gaita band
También conocido como: banda de gaitas · bandina
Asturian group of several gaiteros with percussion —snare and bass drum— playing traditional repertoire in unison, common at parades, romerías and competitions.
A gaita band is a group of several gaiteros playing the Asturian gaita in unison, backed by a percussion section —snare and bass drum, sometimes a bombo—.
It’s one of the most visible forms of traditional music in Asturies: it opens parades, accompanies romerías and competes in contests. The diminutive bandina is used for small or local-scale ensembles.
They had their peak in the 1990s and early 2000s, when they spread across Asturies as a driving force behind the gaita’s revival.
It differs from the charanga, a brass-and-percussion ensemble of a different origin: the gaita band is organized around the gaita, not around brass.