congaplace.com

Posted: **Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:37 pm**

Hello,

Does anyone put all sorts of hand drums and stuff together to play at one time? Kind of like a drum kit only without the sticks. Maybe a setup like: congas, bongos, doumbek, djembe, a cajon or something with a snare type sound, maybe a kick drum, etc for all sorts of sounds at your disposal?

I've been thinking lately that something like that would be fun and have started experimenting a little with playing congas with a kick drum and high hat. I don't really have the money to go out and start buying stands to start setting stuff up on so it's a little limited.

If anyone has pictures or recordings I'd be very interested in seeing what such a setup might look like or sound like.

Thanks.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:00 am**

There's a guy on the forum that has something like that. He catches a lot of hell for it here, but its almost exactly like what you describe. Also, I've seen a Remo thing like that.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:06 am**

Biggest trick might be the positioning of the various drums, as well as how to go about mounting them. But there are ways. I'll probably have a similar set-up down the road for some of my percussion work.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:29 am**

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:57 am**

There are numerous percussionists who have multiple types of percussion instruments as you describe. From rock, jazz, and pretty much any genre you could imagine. Just last Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Angelique Kidjo here and the percussionist in her band was playing 3 congas, bongos, a djembe, a single sabar, couple of small cymbals and a half-gourd drum (I don't know the name of that one but I've seen them being played before).
Ray Cooper, the percussionist from Eric Clapton's A-list band has a pretty nice set-up as well. I can think of several more shows that I've been to over the years with multiple hand drums and other noise makers. Oh! Another one is the percussionist from the most recent line up of Pink Floyd! The guy is surrounded with instruments! Probably to compensate for Nick Mason's luck-lustre drumming.... oops! Did I say that out loud?
Where someone could possibly run into criticism is if they try and associate what they play with any type of traditional or folkloric music. I'm just trying to find the time to make myself a stand to support some of these babies...

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... G_0004.JPG

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:01 am**

Wow.... That's quite a collection. Looks like some Drumskull products if I'm not mistaken. The half gourd thing is called a Bada I think.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:02 am**

The bada/bara is the gourd with the drum head on it shown in the photo and these, as far as I know, are traditionally used to accompany balaphone.
The gourd instrument that I was describing previously is just a calabash gourd that is sawn in half, turned upside down and that is it!
I've seen it being played at the Angelique show and Rokia Traoré's concert in Vancouver a couple of years ago. I've read in CD liner notes among the percussion instruments an instrument referred to as "callebas" which would appear to be "calabash" (gourd) in French. Could this be it?

...and yes, I've been known to make the occasional purchase at Drumskulls...

Edited By Chupacabra on 1204523634

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:49 am**

yes, they just call it calabash in west africa: spelled differently, in french speaking or english speaking countries.
it is sometimes played while floating in water inside a bigger bowl or calabash.
nice collection indeed!

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:44 pm**

chris hansen wrote:Hello,

Does anyone put all sorts of hand drums and stuff together to play at one time? Kind of like a drum kit only without the sticks. Maybe a setup like: congas, bongos, doumbek, djembe, a cajon or something with a snare type sound, maybe a kick drum, etc for all sorts of sounds at your disposal?

I've been thinking lately that something like that would be fun and have started experimenting a little with playing congas with a kick drum and high hat. I don't really have the money to go out and start buying stands to start setting stuff up on so it's a little limited.

If anyone has pictures or recordings I'd be very interested in seeing what such a setup might look like or sound like.

Thanks.

Hi Chris,

I've been working on this for some time now and have a number videos on youtube.

For starters, check out 'Jingo' at www.youtube.com/bongodoggie.

Most of the percussion setups quoted above are just a lot of gear spread out around a percussionist. It is more a challenge to use the feet.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:09 pm**

zumbi wrote:yes, they just call it calabash in west africa: spelled differently, in french speaking or english speaking countries.
it is sometimes played while floating in water inside a bigger bowl or calabash.
nice collection indeed!

Yeah, I've seen those in a lot of Malian music. There was someone playing that at an Oumou Sangare show as well as the Habib Koite shows I've seen. Also, you hear it in Ali Farka Toure's (and Vieux's) music. Seems kind of like a Malian thing to me, but I'm sure its used everywhere else as well.

I didn't notice that Bada at first Chupa. Nice, I've always wanted one of those. How do you like it? Does it seem like something that would be relatively easy to make on your own? Are there any holes that we can't see in the gourd other than where the head is?

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:45 pm**

Schlagwerk makes a sort of cajon-drumset they call the Booster Set. The kick drum, a bass cajon with a foot pedal, sounds really sweet, and I bet the whole thing would blend well with congas, chekere's, etc.

http://www.schlagwerk.com/english....ssCajon

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:48 pm**

the calabash is an instrument of the mande people (like the balafon, the kora, the ngoni and many other) so it is to be found wherever mande people are (mali, senegal, gambia, guinea, cote d'ivoire, burkina faso etc.)
of course due to the historical importance and influence of mande music and culture it is to be found among other people of the region who had contacts with mandes.
the mali, being historically the geographical center of the mande civilization and being the musical powerhouse that is is a mecca for music and musical instruments...
peace & blessings

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:56 pm**

Thanks Zumbi!

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:43 pm**

Mano Teo wrote:Schlagwerk makes a sort of cajon-drumset they call the Booster Set. The kick drum, a bass cajon with a foot pedal, sounds really sweet, and I bet the whole thing would blend well with congas, chekere's, etc.

http://www.schlagwerk.com/english....ssCajon

That's cool, it looks and sounds like a lot of fun.

Thanks for posting the link.

Posted: **Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:47 pm**

bongo wrote:Hi Chris,

I've been working on this for some time now and have a number videos on youtube.

For starters, check out 'Jingo' at www.youtube.com/bongodoggie.

Most of the percussion setups quoted above are just a lot of gear spread out around a percussionist. It is more a challenge to use the feet.

I just had time to look at one of the videos and it was way cool, thanks for posting the link. I'll definitely go back and watch some more. I think it will be a good source of inspiration.

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Hand drum kit?