More volume out of jam blocks??

[john]

Hello,

I play the congas and have a rack of jam blocks, cow bells, etc.. in my setup.

I like to add these affects to my conga patterns but I can't get the volume out of them when striking them with my hand.

I saw somebody playing with what looked like a piece of metal or something over the jam blocks thatgave him more volume.. Any idea what this accessory is?? Or does anybody have an alternative approach to getting more volume when striking by hand???

[mco]

John,
You may want to investigate a product made by Meinl called the "Handmate" (product # HAM1BR). It is a wood-headed beater that is meant to be attached to a stand above a cowbell or block and is hit by hand. This ought to give you the volume you are looking for. You could expand that set up and put a bell or wood block on a Gajate bracket attached to a footpedal. If you really want to go crazy, Zildjian makes a line of cymbals for the latin drummer called "Azuka", which are meant to be played by hand or by stick. These cymbals have a specially turned edge and quick crash response that is comfortable yet yields good volume when played by hand.