The big slappin pop sound - How to achieve it?

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Can anyone explain how to achieve the loud POP sound on the conga?

Raptor
Email: redgenghis@hotmail.com

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I wish you could clarify what you mean by a big slapping pop sound. Are you refering to a crisp slap with no tone or an open slap which produces a high open overtone? :confused:

congafreak

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Sorry for the confusion.

I was refering to the crisp slap with little resonant tone following. Of all the conga tones, it seems to stand out as the most accentuated by it's distinctive lack of tonality and highly percussive nature, as opposed to the other pitch related tones. It is not a mere muffled slap or a toneless dampening manuever, but a beautiful crisp pop, short in duration but adding an exciting spark to the rhythm, not ulike a popping log in a fire, catches you by surprise, twists your ear, and provides the rhythmic flow with a sense of heightened drama and anticipation. The layman could possibly interpret the phenomenon as a pop sound, however, I was hoping a tip from one of the distinguished message posters on this forum would elucidate the baffling technical stumbling blocks that seem to confuse novice percussionists like myself seem to struggle with when trying to spice up, add drama, create tension, or otherwise turn simple responses to rhythmical explorations into musical expression, that is playing with dynamics, rhythmically, melodically, and taking advantage of a full invententory of one's aquired elements of interpretive rhythm collaborations, while keeping a free ear, a scout if you will, on the sonic textures being layed out by the ensemble as it is being created.

Raptor
Email: redgenghis@hotmail.com

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Hi!
I don´t want to be preposterous, since I am an amateur of conga drumming, but concerning your vivid depiction of a conga´s distinctive slapping pop sound which I also have been "looking" for, the only advice to me to get it is: AN AWFUL LOT OF PRACTICE (and hand-ache included)!!!!!!!!! Many conga guides show that while performing a slap you should really´"grab" your hand into the head, i.e. that´s the feeling required to make it crisp, not tonal and popping. I have only succeeded few times so far, but why not keep on trying?? (and listening to all of Giovanni Hidalgo´s CDs..)

Peace and trust, Mike

[Bongo Boy]

Well I thought it was time to resurrect one of the slap threads.

I'd like to know where other players' finger tips end up when they do a closed slap (no rebound at all), and especially relative to where your fingers are when you do tone.

Play a standard tumbao on one drum at a nice quick tempo, and watch the finger tips of your strong hand on both the tone and slap. I'm curious about what you see.

I'm also wondering if you think your fingers are sloppy and relaxed, tightened up firmly, or somewhere in between (when doing slap).



Edited By Bongo Boy on July 09 2002 at 21:09

[Schlonga]

My advice on the big pop sound would be to first imagine that your wrist is throwing your fingers onto the drum. It's a 'snapping wrist-flick', or so teacher of mine described it. Don't tense your fingers before they hit the head, but after they do, grab the skin and 'pull' it toward you.

Hope something's of use there.

[JohnnyConga]

Hi ...there are 3 types of slaps -"open" slap(one hand striking the middle center of the drum),next is "closed"( with your left pressing slightly on the head while your right hand stikes just about where your thumb bone is) and last the "bata" slap,(using your last 3 fingers of your left hand strike the top middle of the drum) of course if your Lefty just do the opposite. Hope this helps....At your Service....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[Simon B]

While the closed slap on its own is convenient - some people do whole solos with quick slap ruffs and rolls - at first it takes some doing (you do have to think about the 'grab', I think, otherwise you will get that dollopy collapsing sound with a bit of open tone escaping too), and you can never get quite the same pop as a muted slap. If you watch Giovanni and others, they will often punctutate solos with muted slaps, heel-toe hand in full tumbou position.

Having said that, I think when congas are recorded, the slaps do resonate much more (in fact all the conga tones will change). If you think you are being quite light in your touch, when a mike is put there the recording can make slaps sound like real whip-cracks. This is why trying to measure up to records ("why can't I get that Mongo sound in my bedroom!" approach) can be difficult.


Simon B

[JohnnyConga]

Hi Simon B...Why can't u get that Mongo Slap? ummmm,you gotta hit hard to get that sound that Mongo produced. Mongo almost always had his hands taped,in his own special way. I tried it his way, but it hurt rather than helped. Mongo Has small hands, and in his prime was ferousciously strong. His slaps are mostly open slaps,the other reason why they sound like they do. Mongo played kinda half shuffle tumbao in order to get those 8th note slaps, he pioneered. The slaps will come. Repition is the key. Don't concern yourself too much with "grabbing" the skin,when you slap. Once your calouse has developed on your finger tips they will come a lot easier,and then your development of sound begins. Hope this helps...At your Service......JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[Simon B]

thanks JC - it seems I mistakenly assumed that Mongo's slaps in solos were nearly all closed. Which brings me to another solo - in the track you have on your site with the big solo on, there are some ferociously quick slap combos that come in at an early stage. Now when I first heard these (no speaker at present on my own PC) I assumed they were closed and marvelled at them.

Were they open as well? (tell me they're not!)

Simon B

[JohnnyConga]

Yes they are "open slaps". Repetition and Callouses is how you get that slap...Ouch! It's gonna sting at first but that sting will tell you, you are hitting the drum where u need to hit it for that "open slap sound". I can get a slap out of the drum from no less than a half inch off the drum. You have to see it to believe it. But that was the way i first learned to slap from my first teacher. He was a Black Belt in congas, so he showed me the Karate knife hand approach to getting a slap, and NO i'm not making this up. I gotta get a camera hook up so I can show you guys how to do this. I'm assuming your talking about the conga solo on "Siempre me va Bien!. Second take,first conga solo was even better, but the piano player screwed it up so what your hearing is the second take conga solo. Thank you...At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[congabebe]

Hi All,
First I would like to say I finally listened to Johnny's audio's on the website. One word. Wow great solos. I need to add Great band. Very inspiring.

The result was I called the Memphis Drum Shop and signed up for lessons. My first lesson, I watched the teacher play and the minute I saw he was doing the slaps like (Johnny described) I knew I had a good teacher. I went home after my lesson and I have been practicing slaps everyday, open tones and trying to get them to sound like 2 different sounds. Practice practice practice. The teacher is helping. I am very happy I made the commitment to learn the correct way. I had tried by watching videos, reading books and listening and see someone actually do it is the best. I keep trying to describe how I get the sound so I can lock in on the feel of it. It does hurt your fingers if you do it correctly. I kind of think of it like trying to pop a bug in the center of the drum. The strike has to be quick cause you want to kill the bug but you don't want to gue your fingers? Not a smush the bug, but snake strike (a snake's fangs will grab you when they strike). Problem is if I cup my hand too much it takes the life out of the sound, If I grab the head, not sure when to let go. So, much work is needed.

Thanks for all your comments.
Congabebe

[JohnnyConga]

Vaya CongaBebe...Thank you very much for your comments. A lot of work went into my first recording. Great you found a teacher. Who is he? Anybody we know?..Keep up the "Good works"...it will help a lot...and always practice,practice,practice...that's how u get to Carnegie Hall like I did.....At your Service....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[congabebe]

My teachers name is Boyd Brannon. He is really good. I know that he has been in the only serious salsa band I have heard of in Memphis. He has played around town with some pretty talented people. He is not a 'formal' type of teacher, but I could tell he knows alot about the different rythms and styles. I am really excited about my lessons. Thanks for inspiring me. Good luck in Seattle. What a change in climate. It is different than NY, they say it rains all the time. I have had some friends move there.
Good Luck,
Congabebe

[JohnnyConga]

Vaya ..I'm glad you found someone to show you how it's done. Just remember my 5 deez- Desire-Determination-Discepline-and Dedication = DESTINY!......At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA....