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Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:25 am**

Hey guys and girls. Please place your practice routines on the forum.

Congas
Timbales
Drum Kit
EVERYTHING!!!

Make sure to add...

The exercises you are practicing? And Why?
If you are mixing around with other instruments at the same time.

No limits to this guys.

All for education!!

Piece

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:28 pm**

I'll tell you what i tend to do...

Work on tones and definition.
Play traditional patterns and rhythms
Working on rolls - singles and doubles
Combination work between Quinto Conga and Tumba - Basic rudiments

Piece

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:33 pm**

I'll stretch and limber up first, maybe I'll play bass for 1/2 an hour. Depending on what I aim to do I'll put on a cd of the style .. I'll play clave or guiro to get into the vibe.

Then I'll start with slow rolls, singles, double, paradiddles etc..When I'm warm I just play along with the music, I have cd's which I designed to build up in speed, starting with bolero's ending in timba's.. The music inspires me.

When finished on Conga's I can hit the bongo's really fast.. Or maybe Cajon or Udu. On weekends I'll be in there all day.

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:30 pm**

I work in reverse ..I put on some of my favorite music and play along until I'm warmed up, then I'll go into my "CongaRobics" routine, then my drills, on 3 congas, then rolls, then doubles , 5 stroke, 7 stroke, and then alternating hands,as I do this. I "CHALLENGE" everyone here to try and hold a single stroke roll for ONE MINUTE!.....and put some speed into too, while ur doing it....it's not that easy, then if u can make it to a minute, try making it to 2 minute single stroke roll........

this is what I work on , plus styles, and rhythms on 3 congas...."JC" Johnny Conga....Let me know what u guys think.... ???

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:37 am**

Hi Congaforum,

A good balanced practice routine should at least include:

1-Technique

2-Styles

3-Reading

4-Soloing

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:02 am**

So JC, when you say styles do you mean with music on or not? I can see this being a little bit of a problem if you don't have a structure your stylised practice. Or maybe i have it completely wrong.

Please everyone i ask you to continue this forum topic. It is and can be very helpful

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:02 am**

So JC, when you say styles do you mean with music on or not? I can see this being a little bit of a problem if you don't have a structure your stylized practice. Or maybe i have it completely wrong.

Please everyone i ask you to continue this forum topic. It is and can be very helpful

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:47 pm**

When I say "styles" it is everything from Rumba to Cha cha cha to Timba to Pop to Funk, to latin Rock, to Jazz, Depends on who I feel like listening and playing to ..some of my play along CD,s are Robert Incelli-Descarga Maestra.....Gary Flores-Descarga Caliente-Nachito Herrera-Bembe en mi Casa,Batacumbele, Zaperoko and others that I play along with...Now mind you I have over 2,000 albums and I know every tune on every record from front to back including all breaks and hits on everyone of them, also... so when I "play along" it's because i know MY music, and whatever album I play I "become" the conga player on that album.....My Teacher used to say ..."If you can play what he can play, how good are you"?...which was his way of telling me that if I can "cop" the other drummers solo's, I must be ok!....here is another challenge to all the newbies...Learn the Mongo Santamaria 2 drum solo that is 2minutes and 50 seconds long from his Live at the Village Gate Album...It was the first solo I learned on congas,and gave me the confidence to keep learning the drum....."JC" Johnny Conga....

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:32 pm**

My practice routine is the same for any drum I may be practicing at that time.
I start out with stretches on my hands and arms and shoulders. Then a half hour warm up on whatever cd's i feel, any rhythm, maybe even the same song repeating, whatever gets me movin.
Then I do about an hour to an hour and a half of Snare Drum rudiments and just apply them to the congas and change them up a bit for conga strokes, I combine as many of these as I can. Working on speed and holding each rudiment for 5-10 minutes
I like to immerse myself in a particular rhythm for a few weeks therefore I may do 2 - 2 1/2 hours of Bomba or Merengue or Guaracha..whatever, but I do this to create more interesting approaches to the patterns/soloing cause after a few days of just one rhythm I can get pretty bored just keepin time with it. It really works too, I stay aware of my place should I play with a band, but if the time ever comes that I can do whatever I want, I'll pull out some really great variations to what would otherwise be a simple pattern.
Then I end my day with another hour of Rudiments.
Hope this helps

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:57 pm**

JohnnyConga wrote:Learn the Mongo Santamaria 2 drum solo that is 2minutes and 50 seconds long from his Live at the Village Gate Album...It was the first solo I learned on congas,and gave me the confidence to keep learning the drum....."JC" Johnny Conga....

#### JOHNNY, NOW THAT IS ONE TASTY SOLO!!!

Posted: **Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:18 am**

Sup brothers,

first off, I will do around 20-30 minutes of heel/toe variants as shown to me by Anga.
After that I chuck on a few of my favourite rumba recordings from Muñequitos de Matanzas, Yoruba Andabo, Conjunto de Clave y Guanguanco, (amongst others) and I play the role of quinto over the rumba.

After about 1 hour or so of this, I go into a series of drills as developed by Changuito and Tomasito Cruz, this takes me through for about 1 hour or so.

After that, I groove on 3 drums a variety of traditional and self developed grooves. Normally for about 45 min to 1 hour.

After that I will play along to my main bands repertoire, top to bottom (all recorded).
This goes for anywhere between 1-2hrs depending on how I feel.

After that I go back to jamming out different things for about 1-2hrs on 3 congas, at times 4. I also play along to many recordings the likes of Irakere, Batacumbele, Los Van Van, Manolito Y Su Trabuco, Manolin, La Charanga Habanera, Azucar Negra, Bamboleo, Dan Den, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Maraca, NG La Banda amongst others... Depending on what I feel on the day.

Once done, I will do another 30-40 minutes of heel/toe variants to warm down.

I vary my workout, but this is my most common daily routine.

And of course there is also the 10am till 6pm band rehearsal once a week and usual rumba gatherings we have.

Edited By ABAKUA on 1153586721

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... 1-solo.JPG

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:42 pm**

Having full time business during day, daily practice runs from about 6P -9:30P. Start with warm up drills on HT on quinto. and two drum split. Move to tumbao variations using one, two, then three drums. Singles and lots of work on doubles. Extensive improv work with vast collection of latin, world beat, jazz and funk CD collection looking for new grooves to work into and perfect. Continuing singles and doubles in between.

I find that daily practice is a constant RE-learning and forward movement in small, treasured increments

Posted: **Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:31 am**

Hi to all.

I am amazed to see that a lot of people play over music...

I never liked that, to me, this is like karaoke !

I always listen to music, but I never play over it...

I unfortunately do not have much time to practice since I have a day job and a family that takes 98% of my time.

But when I do practice, I always include rolls and basic tumbao to warm up.

Then, I try known and new melodies on 3 drums. I do not look for speed. When I find good variations and melodies, I then speed up.

I always focus on sounds and try to keep even stroke from both hands and even sounds through the play.

Since I will never be the fastest player on earth, I focus on sound. Trying to stay clean through a 10 minutes song can be challenge.

And when you know what you are doing and you do not have to think about your pattern, then you can build up speed. This is when I boost up my play by adding more variations.

B

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:05 am**

I no longer do set routines when I practice, but do warm up when I can and I do often try to find moves, sounds, figures and rhythms that are difficult for me, and work them into the muscular memory.

Lately am trying to make my playing as spontaneous, unrepetitive and unpredictable as I can, while fitting in to the surrounding music when it's there. Trying more to "turn the sharp corners"...

Edited By yoni on 1154113633

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:37 pm**

I'm sort of back to learning new things after a long period of nothing but technique.. Just learned a new Guaguanco that's supposed to be good for salsa band type stuff. It starts with a double right on the one, goes to a double left, then does the Guaguanco offset tresillo thing, then back to the two double rights right after a right on the tumba... So, all those doubles sort of freaks me out, but a nice thing to use as an exercise in double handing patterns.
I've been really working on left hand symmetry with the right, so I'm doing stuff that goes back and forth and trying to make the sound as perfectly the same with both hands as possible.. A very tough proposition when your doing let's say a slap, then a muff and a double tone, then switching hands and speeding up...

The most exciting thing though are the breakthroughs that are coming with different parts that I've played on the different drums and sudden ability to sing a song I couldn't do on those parts before. That's really keeping my interest up!

Best,
Dave

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