by jorge » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:30 pm
Absolutely. Playing wrong or playing too much can, but does not necessarily, lead to many kinds of hand problems. As a practicing physician who also has been playing congas for 39 years, here is my opinion on your question.
Hand and Upper Extremity Problems that can result from Conga Playing:
-Arthritis (joint inflammation or destruction)
-Tendinitis
-Carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve compression injuries
-Acute pain in the soft tissues of the finger tips (very common)
-Wrist pain
-Splitting of skin on fingers
-Excessive callus formation
-Rotator cuff injuries, and
-Shoulder bursitis.
Risk Factors for Hand and Upper Extremity Problems:
-Poor hand technique hitting the drum
-Playing very hard (especially playing to be heard over amplified instruments without using adequate sound reinforcement)
-Playing for many hours a day
-Having to play frequently for a living (as opposed to when you feel like it as a hobby)
-Playing while drunk, high, or otherwise anaesthetized
-Playing while recovering from other hand injuries
-Holding the drum with the skin at the wrong angle relative to your hands
-Playing a high-tuned quinto with a hard skin
-Playing a lot of slaps
None of these risk factors are absolute, any of them may or may not cause problems in a particular drummer, I am well aware of drummers that have no major problems with their hands but fit into many or most of these risk categories. Anecdotally, most of the older conga players I know have had problems with their hands, mild in some, severe in others. I don't know any who say it was not worth it, although some of the old timers who can't do good slaps like they used to because of hand injuries have told me they wish they had not played so hard for so many years.
What to Do
Now the good news. Hand problems and pain can almost always be prevented by learning proper technique hitting the drum, playing with appropriate dynamics with the other instruments and vocalists, judicious use of microphones and sound reinforcement, and identification and avoidance of the risk factors listed above that make your hands hurt. You have an advantage that, as a drummer, you won't have to play congas all night at every gig. Find a good conga teacher, preferably one who has been playing for many years, plays well, and can teach. JC, mentioned above, comes highly recommended and has been teaching for many years, and/or you may also want to find a local teacher in your geographic area. CongaMasterClass.com is another reputable internet conga class. Lessons on YouTube are highly variable, although those mentioned here in this website are usually decent. It sounds like you are an accomplished musician and will be able to pick up much of this very quickly. Even so, you have to respect the subtlety and difficulty of learning some of the skills of playing a conga drum, and not be impatient if things like conga hand motions, clean consistent slaps, clave, and other conga-specific techniques take a long time to really do well.