Another newbie asking advice

[Dragon]

Hello all, this looks like a great forum
Well I was kinda "pushed" into the music industry, and decided to try the conga's I got mine last year.
I spent about an hour learning the tumbao before I played my first gig with the conga's. A scary moment...
All I can play is the tumbao - 2 variations. I am stuck and don't really know where to start. I have no musical background but according to other muso's I have a great sense of rhythm

I don't know of any teachers here in South Africa.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[yoni]

Hi Dragon,

Welcome to the forum! As you know, you can use congas to play many kinds of music...

There are 4 basic sounds - the tone, where the hand bounces (fingers flat but relaxed, knuckles over the edge of the head),

the muff (same position as tone, but the hand doesn't bounce),

the bass (the "ball" of the hand - like the ball of the foot - digging into the center of the drum)

and the slap, or pop, as I grew up hearing it called. The pop is the hardest sound to get down well - hand is loose like a noodle til the last microsecond, when slightly curved fingertips strike and grab the drum head (hand usually same position as tone and muff, and straight down - no sideways motion is needed). Mastering this sound is much more a matter of snap and focus than of power.

There are variations on these basic sounds, and many more sounds are available.

Same for rhythms, it's all endless. I started by jamming along with music I liked and with other congueros as I listened and learned, and hope I don't stop learning til I drop.

Try playing along with music you like, your favorite CDs, for instance. Try to do something you feel fits in musically, be it imitating an extant drumming pattern, or expanding on it, and doing the same with solos. Listen, listen and play, play.

The more you do it, the better you'll get. Sounds like you have a good start already.

All the best,
Yonatan Bar Rashi

[windhorse]

Advice,
Find someone who plays, preferably teaches conga!
These lists are good sources of anecdotal stuff,, but to progress and learn fast, you've got to have someone else to play with!!
Can't stress that enough,, so here's some more stress :angry: Make it happen!!

[kinoconga]

Hi Dragon:

Learn as much music fundamentals as reasonably possible.
The more music theory & rhytms you learn, combined with lots of well planned practice and play along your favorite music, will get you very far.

Theres no substitute for a good instructor. Unfortunately they are not easy to find and may be relatively expensive and time consuming.

Stay close to this forum, theres lots of great material here. Plenty of great book refernces. Alan Dworsky materials are great, as well as many other references you will find here.

We are very fortunate on this forum to count with the help of professional people like Johnny Conga & Tamboricua, as well as many others.

Saludos,

KinoConga

[JohnnyConga]

Welcome Dragon.....go online to Descarga.com and you'll find learning videos there. You can also goto LP.com for learning videos. You may also want to check with your local main Music store and see if there is anybody there that teaches what your looking for. We will do all we can here to help.... :;): "JC" Johnny Conga......