Do you ever hit the conga heads in the middle?

[NewBandDirector]

Hi guys,

First post here. I am a public school band director finishing up my 2nd year, my major instruments are trombone, piano and organ.

I recently purchased a set of LP Aspire Conga's for my band and LP Aspire Bongo's. The man at the store where I purchased is a professional hand percussionist who plays throughout the greater Cleveland/Pittsburgh area. At any rate he showed me a few techniques on the conga's. All the techniques he showed me, however, were played on the edge of the conga's. My colleague in the choir department here would like to borrow my conga's and he has a student who claims to know something about how to play them. This student whats to make them sound "deeper" by smacking them with the bottom of her hand in the MIDDLE of the head. I was not shown this technique, and I wonder if the student knows what she is talking about. I don't want to break the head.

Thank you.

[Mike]

Hi Mr Director,
and welcome on planet conga
First of all: You won´t ever break the head of any conga with your hand, so you should not worry about that at any rate. It takes more than hands to damage a conga skin...

Second, there is a tone indeed that requires hitting the drum in the middle: the bass tone. Performing it means you strike the head with the palm of your hand - either stretched out flat or slightly cupped (only a little) so that the outer part of your palm touches the skin. Most important: the conga has to be tilted or raised a tad (if it is not a stand already), because otherwise the deep bass sound won´t come out from underneath the conga.

Third, I know teachers are always budget-stricken, but the Aspire series by LP is not the best to choose (to put it mildly). In the mid-range section
you might have gotten better drums (especially second-hand).

As I have got the feeling that you want to incorporate congas and bongos into your ensemble, but at the same time you are rather new to the technique
of conga drumming, I would suggest further instruction, be it via instructional books or a teacher (beyond showing you a few things at a music store).
This instruments deserves quite a lot attention - no wonder many congueros call them their "babies"

By the way, I also learned the trombone and the piano (and still play) as a music teacher at a German high school, but my passion for Latin instruments has haunted me for 20 years now. And I can tell you, it needs as much fervent dedication to learn to play these percussion instruments properly and in a way that satisfies you and others as it needs for the instruments you study at university (usually, but not always in the more classical way).

So I would like to advise you to take a good look around this forum - it´s the best around!

[bongosnotbombs]

Mike is correct, the tone you describe is the bass tone.

[windhorse]

However, you don't JUST play bass tones when you play a conga.. Most of the tones are done off of the rim somewhat. But not like a djembe, where the hands are playing more on the bearing edge of the drum.. for the conga, the hands are a bit further towards the center, inside the bearing edge..

[Derbeno]

Here is a review of the Conga basics. Hope it helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7fA8abimD0

[Whopbamboom]

In my experience, different congas may produce different sounds with different techniques. I play my own LP conga's in a manner that is a bit of a cross between djembe and conga. But I had a chance to play some Isla's and I absolutely could not use the same technique. Those drums produced very different sounds and required a more traditional technique. I assume that if I wanted to make my LP's sound good with traditional technique, then I'd need to change the skins out for thicker ones like cow/bull/mule or whatever, instead of the thin factory waterbuffalo skins.

My own opinion is that different drums are different--- play them however you need to in order to produce the sounds that you wish to get. Just my own opinion. But if you do this, bear in mind that while some technique may transfer to other drums nicely, other technique may not. Also be mindful that some folks look down on a player if they don't use "correct" technique. Personally, I never let that bother me--- i'm not about to let others place me in a box. I learn from people while keeping an open mind, however I strive to play individual drums in whichever manner that lets those particular drums shine through and sound good. I am always trying different techniques on different drums, which in the long run, will make me a better percussionist.

You will have to make your own choices after getting input from others. Sometimes the various info that you may get from various sources is like comparing apples and oranges.

[yambu321]

First, I would like to say hello to all, here at congaboard. I have some advice for those that truly like congas. The conga drum is something truly special. Even amongst the other hand drums, it remains king. The conga and all it's rhythms, are to be understood and respected. I've seen and yes, even played with other so-called Rumberos, and Congueros that even after seven or eight years know nothing. This is because they are truly niether. They like congas, but the congas are nothing more than a means to socialize and drum. Whatever they play is always the same and never changing. They also tend to call the one, or two individuals that can carry the rest. 2 players, and 8 wannas. (not good). The Conga, like the piano, Violin, etc. must be learned the proper way. One should always invest in one's self, by finding good teachers, and by studying learning Media. Equally important is finding other players to play with and above all To practice, practice and practice the fundamentals. As one is growing one may feel that he, or she, is getting there. But only after many years of dedication, can one truly realize that one is still just getting there. It's an Art, that if taken lightly by the player, he or she, will be missing out on more than he, or she, may realize, and will not earn the Respect of others and will not feel the Pride of achievement they could have had, otherwise. Remember fun is always present! There's the fun of knowing you are on the right path. Then, there is the fun of just doing your own thing, which will always be just that. On an average, a Conguero should know at a minimum how to play a CHA-CHA, MAMBO, BOLERO, MERENGUE, GUANGUANCO, variations of FUNK, JAZZ, BLUES, and some 6/8 patterns.

Also at a minimum, a RUMBERO should know the following (FOLKLORIC AFRO-CUBAN RHYTHMS) as well : YAMBU, GUANGUANCO, RUMBA COLOMBIA, PALO, PILON, BEMBE, MOZAMBIQUE, IYESA, CABALLO, ABAKUA, AND OTHER 6/8 VARIATIONS. Should also know some PUERTO RICAN BOMBA, and PLENA Rhythms, and some HAITIAN RHYTHMS as well. "Cajon" and "Bata's" are also good to learn for playing at Rumbas.

Drumming is all good. people do it for all kinds of personal reasons. But, for those that are serious, there is just no other way.

CHARLIE "EL COQUI" VERDEJO

[Mike]

Charlie,
you speak my mind and soul! I also think like you (as I already wanted to point out in my first response). Well put, brother!
The initial question of this topic was about bass tones and technique, but quite naturally, the important background
issues appeared.
The question is if the threadstarter has got something to say or share now?

[yambu321]

Mike,
Thank you for your kind words.

About the intial question in this thread, you are totally Correct. We do have the same mind set in regards to this topic.

Charlie.

[Whopbamboom]

It seems as though some may have gotten a little ruffled at my input on the matter. hah, I expected as much!

It should be pointed out that:

1) The original thread poster did not mention what style of music they are working with (and which may require different types of sounds and/or different types of rhythms to fit the music best)
2) Not all conga's will sound the same (or even good) using purely traditional techniques alone (and the original poster mentioned that they had LP's, which, in my own experience, literally cannot take full advantage of traditional technique... meaning that the LP's sound not-so-great with some traditional technique, while some non-traditional technique may make them sound pretty good)

Yeah, I've run across folks who don't like the use of conga's in non-latin music. I've also run across at least one person who only likes pure Afro-cuban use of the conga, and can't stand salsa music. Man, you're going to get all kinds of different attitudes/mindsets/personal tastes in music, and therefore, all kinds of different types of inputs/recommendations/suggestions... and not all of it is compatible! There are different techniques for different types of music! I stand by my comments that different conga's will sound different with different techniques. I also stand by my intended suggestion that the individual player explore the possibilities and choose what they wish to do in order to produce the sounds and rhythms that they are seeking. It's only a suggestion, though--- I'm not telling anyone what to do. And I certainly wasn't suggesting that the individual player not seek out technique from others-- that of course, would be shortsighted. I do think that my previous post was relatively open-ended and that is why I expected at least a little backlash from those with more traditional/purist points of view toward the conga. Yet, I meant no harm-- I only suggest that musicians keep an open mind unless they WANT to have self-imposed limitations, or if they only wish to work within the paramaters of a certain style of music.

As for veering off-topic of bass tones-- so sorry. Perhaps I should have just said, "yes, bass tones can be found in the middle of the drum". But I have a real hard time writing just that, when I know for a fact that Isla drums will produce a nice, deep bass tone with traditional heel technique, while LP's don't nearly as much.

[bongosnotbombs]

My LP's produce plenty of bass and work fine with traditional technique.
The bass technique I was taught was to use my whole hand, fingers and palms,
other guys I see flex their fingers and use only their palm.

There are plenty of guys that get great sound out of their LP's, just look
at Abakua's and Laurent Lamy's video. Sure my new Resolutions sound better
than my fiberglass LP's, but the LP's sound fine.

Then again, the original poster was talking about LP Aspires, as soon as you get those
you aspire to have better drums!

I am curious though Whopbamboom, what technique do you use for bass tone on conga?

[Whopbamboom]

BNB-- the stroke I use depends on the type of bass tone I'm looking to create. Sometimes I use my whole hand in a flat manner or a nearly-flat manner (I think I use this most frequently), sometimes I use my whole hand but with it kind of cupped to create an air pocket under the hand, and sometimes I use only the heel of the hand (this is a technique that worked pretty well on the Isla's). When I do use the whole hand, I often land the hand flat to the skin, but occasionally I whip the fingers down (either softly, or crisply). Various techniques allow me to get different results-- some subtle, others more pronounced. And some of this works better on some drums (or skins) than on others and vis-versa. This is what I was trying to get at-- the fact that different techniques allow for a wider pallete of sounds, and that an artist should take a look at using different techniques in order to have more sounds to choose from.

I did not intend to rile the purists by "dissing" the conga, though I expected that some folks would not see things the same way. Doesn't really matter to me, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I do, however tend to preach variety and experimentation to find what works best for a particular drum being used in a particular piece of music or musical style. I never suggest that people stick only to one set/style of techniuques, but people are free to do that if that is their desire to do so. I do recommend that different techniques be explored on just about any drum to see how that drum responds!

[YorubaSon]

Then again, the original poster was talking about LP Aspires, as soon as you get those
you aspire to have better drums!

[bongosnotbombs]

I did not intend to rile the purists by "dissing" the conga,

I don't think you've done any of that.

[Whopbamboom]

Oh. Well, maybe not. But I thought others were making comments in reference to what I had written. I was just trying to offer up input to the original poster that they should try different things to achieve the results that they want. Carry on then--