congaplace.com

''That was tophole quinto work in the estribillo my dear Watson.'

'Indeed, Holmes. Now pass it on and lets get back to it.'

oladipo wrote:Hey, does anyone here smoke while they play? Whether it be cigarettes, cigars, wacky tobaccy ? I am playing a music festival in a week with my funk/soul/rock band and it is of course, outdoors. I'm not a smoker, however I've always wanted to play an outdoor show or festival and I just feel like having a cigar when I play. What do you guys think? I'm playing an afro-cuban instrument, why not smoke the national smoke, especially at a time which I have reached one of my musical goals... What are your guys take on this?

I say smoke em if ya got em man ! skin up a large for me

Hey I smoke (yup worse than Hitler: Simpson's reference)but not a lot ... mostly whilst having a pop or two. I smoke drum (yes you heard me right!) and any time at a party or whatever when I've tried to play and smoke it gets totally in my eyeballs (ie:does not work)...so my recommendation is smoke between songs!

I just took a drag ... ahhhhhh

D

Smoke but do no inhale, carbon dioxide induces fatigue, red blood cells thrive on Oxygen. As you fatigue the cells need all the Oxygen they can get in order to reproduce.

Olsongo

Smoking while playing is not professional and is a distraction from what your doing....it may look cool but trust me as a former smoker who burnt holes in pants from dropped ashes while smoking and playing...it doesnt work..."JC" Johnny Conga

I would find it hard to enjoy two wonderful things at the same time: a fine cigar and playing my congas with a band. I probably would not smoke.

GJS

Sometimes I smoke a cigar when I play a guiro, I can't imagine smoking on stage on a gig though. My suggestion is sve the cigar for backyard jams and such.
Pc

I know the poster got the message and this is already old but damn...while playing? It's just that the conga player is only the time keeper meaning he has no breaks because his hands are always in motion. A brass section musician or woodwind might be able to successfully pull it off with a nice comfy side ashtray but piano, conga, bongo/clave/cencerro player, percussion in general, forget about it. Oladipo too bad the sound on your youtube video post didn't really come out, you seemed to be playing confidently and in the groove.

Just a little drummer's anecdote for all you guys:
I grew up in the fifties/early sixties in NY; my first drum teacher was an old "Borscht Belt" veteran. He chain-smoked through every lesson, and eventually dropped a hot ash onto my (long-gone red sparkle Slingerland) snare drum while demonstrating some lick. I was pretty bummed out at how casually he reacted to ruining my drumskin; but he took me down to the street and opened the trunk of his car where he had about a dozen used batter heads of all sizes, and another pile all with little round burn holes.