Well Carlitos...I can't say that is true. You should have at least some knowledge of clave when approaching Latin music conga drumming. If you intend to learn Rumba this is also true. Also remember that everyone that can teach, goes by his or her own "method" if they have one, and they should in order to be successful. So you may want to pick up some books on Clave understanding and start playing clave along with the music to get a better handle on it. Hope this helps...At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA.....