Mano Secreta

[Seb]

Hi! I here this technique all the time , from Jorge Bermudez in his video. And I also have heard it said from other drumers , what is it and does it help you be a better player , thanks your friend sebastian

[tamboricua]

Hi Sebastian, hope all is well! "Mano secreta" is a hand technique developed by José Luis Quintana Fuerte, better known as "Changuito". It was created in order to help develop your weak hand and consist on a series of exercises, hand movements, and the way the hand is placed on the drum. This will be a nice question to ask your teacher Michael Spiro, a very good disciple of "Changuito", along with Giovanni Hidalgo. Please, let me know his answer.

All the best,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on Oct. 02 2003 at 00:11

[RayBoogie]

As I understand it, "mano secreta" is: loose shoulders, arms, and wrist. It help with form and longevity while your playing. Have you ever played so tight and hard that you start cramping, which causes pain. Mano Secreta prevents cramping and pain while your playing. No matter how long you are or will be playing.

[pidoca]

hi guys. this mana secreta seems like good stuff. i am a massage practitioner as well as being a percussionist. The description you gave of it is something I have also developed; just by acident and I pass onto my students. I didnt know it had a name and that it came from a long line of great percussionists.

anatomically speaking, relaxing the upper trapezius and shoulder girdle muscles while playing certainly helps to maintain good technique and hand position. the other benifit is that it also reduces the likely hood of the infamous carpal tunnel syndrome and tightness of the muscles around the neck and shoulder girdle; namely the sternocledomastoid and the trapezious muscles. these connect to the mastoid processor and to the base of the skull and in some people can be the cause of head aches.

Good advice from the masters, thank you for sharing their thoughts with the forum. i find it intreging to know that so long along the correct technique was developed and imperical data has backed it up. wow these guys are true masters.

oh remember, keep you back erect, otherwise you will be undoing the mana secreta.

pidoca

[JohnnyConga]

As Chnguito explains it..the 3 points of the arm The shoulder-the elbow and the wrist are what the "mano secreto" is about. Also it is developing the "weaker" arm, if your righty, then it is the left that becomes the "mano secreto". But it is the excersizes that he does that creates his method. I haven't seen Evolution of the Tumbas yet by "Chango", but I believe he shows it . I have a video from Tany Gil that he made of the method in a hotel room in Panama from the late 80's before anybody knew about it. Changuito was there for Carnival with Los Van Van and Tany being un "Cubiche" kinda bribed Chaguito with Rum and cigarettes to show off his method. He does most of it on a table top with Tany filming it and then he plays 3 congas showing the method also. It's a smoker!.....No I don't loan it out either. It is something you have to watch a few times to really get what he does and how he does it. But like Gio says(who studied in Cuba with Changuito, at the age of 15 will tell you) "practice it for 10 minutes.....Sheeeeeeeeet you know how long 10 minutes is for one excersize. Whew!..... just try a simple roll for only 5 minutes and see if you can hold it)...you will see what I mean.....good luck to all!.....At your Service....tired hands JC JOHNNY CONGA...

[yoni]

Hi all!

Haven't seen the Changuito video, but as I understood the mano secreto from Giovanni, it is basically the double roll, and all excercises relating to it. It takes time to get down so both hands do it evenly and strong, and not many master it, but when you do, it flies as if all by itself, without effort.

"Daddy Mama, Daddy Mama", just like the set drummers practice it. Start slow, increase speed til it messes up, then start again. Hope this helps.

Yoni

[Seb]

Hi! everyone , thanks for the info , and yes I well be seeing Mr. Spiro at the end of the month and I well ask him about this , Also it seems that I get two interpetions of it , my old teacher taught it and said it was a hand movement , style at attcking the drum , and that I had to move my hands in a brush stroke (up and down ) with my wrist limp, kind of a Tia Chi look to it . When I started to work with Spiro he threw that out right away , and my new movements are much more relaxed and faster and is way differant than this other movement . So I was thinking that mybe old teach didn't realy know about Mano Secreta. I hope to get that Video of Changuito and see how he does it well thanks your friend seb

[CongaCaja]

Hey All,

I own the "Evolution" video and Changuito does not use that term "mano secreta". What I did notice that his great technique which is so clean.

Also, his technique reminded me of everything that I have learned from Mike Spiro. I like the video because sometimes (in the periods between my lessons) I need a refresher to remind myself how the motion of strokes should look. I can always refer to the Changuito video and know that Spiro would approve. Btw, when I do my warm ups and technique development I practice in front of a mirror as Spiro told me to do. Btw, Spiro tells me that he still uses a mirror when he practices.

There is one key aspect that Spiro emphasizes that I did not hear in the "Evolution" video (however I did see it). Spiro says that palm (of palm/tip combos) and the bass strokes should be a dropping of the hand onto the head of the drum. The rotation occurs at the elbow rather than the wrist. He really emphasizes a totally relaxed and loose dropping of the palm onto the head. It rather difficult to get the correct feel of this initially. He says that you should concentrate to feel the weight of you hand/arm.

All other strokes are wrist motions.

He also emphasizes that all things are played both left-handed and right-handed.

One last thing, Spiro states that unnecessary arm movements should be avoided. When he plays very loud strokes, he does add some arm to the motion, but this is limited to a small rotation at the elbow. The only time his arms move above the elbow is when rotates on horizontal plane to the other drums in his setup.

Another general theme of the teaching is that power comes from relaxed and efficient motion.

Again, I don't know the meaning of "mano secreta" and I've never heard Spiro use those words, but those are some main themes from Spiro's teaching (responding to Jorge's question).

...chris

[Conuno]

Hi everybody,

The 'mano secreta' concept makes reference to Changuito and is recognized by many drummers. In effect Anga mentioned it in his video.

For me is nothing else that the develop and good performance of the palm/tip hand movement with the left hand (for Right hand players), as before mentioned by all you with the technique that this implies. (very good tips from Michel Spiro and posted by congacaja)

The first reference that we can find in this technique comes from TataGuines, playing triplets. After that, Changuito in an intelligent way, put the exercise in other level extending the concept into 16th notes and mixing all kind of hits and strokes with the right hand (for Right hand players), avoiding the drum rudiments in its classical execution.
The concept should also include the palm/tip hand movement with the right hand

The rudiments are thought initially for snare, where the bounce effect is easy to achieve and allow to develop the velocity. Since that is not the case for congas (at least you practice many hours at day during years, like Giovanni), then it results to be easier get velocity by the 'mano secreta technique' .

Of course , the point is to develop the technique as good as possible. (slow, mirror, relaxed).

To me is clear that Giovanni has developed the rudiments for the conga, getting velocity and very loud sound, in other side
Changuito has developed his own rudiments and velocity by the mano secreta.

I think one should try both techniques because they are really powefull tools. But remember very slow and 10 minutes as JC mentioned

Regards Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Oct. 06 2003 at 13:00