Hi Pitch "POP" Tone, How?? - How can I produce that HI POP sound ?

[Hi-Hat Rodriguez]

Hi. This is my first post here. I've read most of the posts, but I still have a question about that 'POP' sound that sounds like a stick breaking. I've heard Giovanni Hidalgo produce that crisp sound, so how is it done?

rod

[yoni]

Hi, Hi-Hat!

Welcome to the forum! The pop is made by striking and grabbing the drum head simultaneously, with a slightly cupped hand. All the weight and grab is concentrated in the fingertips, the rest of the hand and arm being loose.
This is the sound that takes most time and practice to master. Better if it's done with snap, like a whip, instead of with a lot of power, but some strength may be needed at first, and it also may feel somewhat painful at first. The hand is best kept low over the drum before the pop, most of the action being in the wrist and hand itself, not in the arm.
Takes a while to make this sound come out at all. To get a high, crisp one like Giovanni's could take years.

All the best,
Yonatan Bar Rashi



Edited By yoni on 1109116899

[Hi-Hat Rodriguez]

Hi Yonatan Bar Rashi,

Yikes! I guess I better add more time to my practice. Every once in awhile, I can get that 'POP' by accident.


Thanks for your input.

rod

[yoni]

Hi Rod,

Those "accidents" will come more and more often, and if you're already getting a high pop at times, you're well on the way! Maybe I exaggerated by saying "years". If you concentrate on that relaxed focus and snap, letting the hand "fall" onto the drum, you won't need much power at all for a higher and higher-pitched pop, and won't bang up your hands trying to master the sound, as I and many others had done.

all the best,
yoni

[JohnnyConga]

Try putting a bit more pressure on the head with your left palm(slightly pushing the palm downwards), when striking for a "slap/pop", with your right, or left, depending if ur lefty or righty. Everybodys hands are different, and the skills of those hands are different, from each other. Work on your technique and put in some good practice time. It will come before you know it. WELCOME to our Family!....."JC" Johnny Conga.... :;):

[windhorse]

Try putting a bit more pressure on the head with your left palm(slightly pushing the palm downwards), when striking for a "slap/pop", with your right, or left, depending if ur lefty or righty.
...."JC" Johnny Conga.... :;):

Ah yes! I bet that's what he meant! It's the muffled slap right? Or is the "muffled slap" something else altogether?
Sort of like when you get the drum to play a higher tone by pushing on the head with an elbow..
Makes the slap much poppier!

[Obi]

A trick I learned playing djembe which works well on congas:

Higher pitched slaps can be maintained by playing them closer to the rim.

instead of playing your normal slap, (with hand stretched across the head) Cup your fingers more so that they slap closer to the rim. this does take practice as it is harder to accomplish the sound on thicker heads.

Also, using Johny Conga's approach:

Try putting a bit more pressure on the head with your left palm(slightly pushing the palm downwards), when striking for a "slap/pop", with your right, or left, depending if ur lefty or righty. Everybodys hands are different, and the skills of those hands are different, from each other. Work on your technique and put in some good practice time. It will come before you know it.

Same thing, but, Slap just with fingertips nice and firm close to the rim, this is not as loud but is very "clean" sounding. This is a nice touch which takes little practice to learn & is nice to incorporate due to the fact that it not twice as loud as your open tones. This is actually my favourite approach

As far as a "muffled" slap is concerned, it works the same as a "muffled tone", the slapping hand is allowed to rest on the head as it strikes instead of bouncing off...

Obi

[Raymond]

For some people the "pop", is done by closing the fingertips and making like a "cup" with their hands and "pinching" the head simultaneously....Some people will get it with their "regular" slap during the regular tumbao.

Is a trial and error...look for the spot in the head that you will get it easier... you have to go at it and be careful...while trying it some people tend to get hurt when looking for it....Black and blue spots are not unusual for some people because the hard they hit or because you "grace" the rim a bit.....No pain no gain applies here...eventually you will find it...

Saludos!

[Tonio]

A trick I learned playing djembe which works well on congas:

Higher pitched slaps can be maintained by playing them closer to the rim.

instead of playing your normal slap, (with hand stretched across the head) Cup your fingers more so that they slap closer to the rim. this does take practice as it is harder to accomplish the sound on thicker heads.

Also, using Johny Conga's approach:

Try putting a bit more pressure on the head with your left palm(slightly pushing the palm downwards), when striking for a "slap/pop", with your right, or left, depending if ur lefty or righty. Everybodys hands are different, and the skills of those hands are different, from each other. Work on your technique and put in some good practice time. It will come before you know it.

Same thing, but, Slap just with fingertips nice and firm close to the rim, this is not as loud but is very "clean" sounding. This is a nice touch which takes little practice to learn & is nice to incorporate due to the fact that it not twice as loud as your open tones. This is actually my favourite approach

As far as a "muffled" slap is concerned, it works the same as a "muffled tone", the slapping hand is allowed to rest on the head as it strikes instead of bouncing off...

Obi

I think that is refered to as the cuban style.

T

[yoni]

The quoted post by Obi reminded me of a topic I wanted ask about...

Obi, you said some higher sounding slaps can be harder to get down on thicker skins. I've had thick mule skins on my congas for years, can get a pretty high slap when they're tight, but would I be able to get it still higher on thinner skins?

I suspect yes, and wonder if any of you have made the comparison - I haven't had the chance to lately.

Yoni

[Raymond]

In my experience, the higher the tuning of the head, the easier to get the slap and the "pop". They I call "galletazo" from the Spanish expression of slapping somebody in the face. (In bongos, you have the same effect, the thing is that in congas they sound more "pop" than in bongos...)

The thickness of the head affects but the tuning, in my opinion, is more important. (Thicker the head, the less pop you will get because you will get a more lower tone and vicervesa with thinner heads).

That's my experience...some others will tell you more or different!

Saludos!

[yoni]

Thanks Raymond,

I will get thinner skins when I can, time for a change.

By the way a student I know got Pearl Elites and they sound great. He put Fyberskyns on for the winter, and gets a very high pop.

[Obi]

Obi, you said some higher sounding slaps can be harder to get down on thicker skins. I've had thick mule skins on my congas for years, can get a pretty high slap when they're tight, but would I be able to get it still higher on thinner skins?

Yes

Yoni,

Do you play darbuka as well as congas? If so, the same principle applies. My Darbukas are very thin skinned and, man, those slaps sound like whips....

My congas have cowskin heads which I would describe as; Medium. I feel that they provide better overall "tone" control, and just being thinner than other heads, they create wonderful Pops and slaps.

Obi

[yoni]

Hi Obi,

These last years I play alot more darbuka and dahola than congas. I only use conga-type slaps on darbukas with x-ray heads - the natural skins on darbuka (blowfish skin on the best) are too thin for me to slap as on a conga. But I do other stuff.
:;):

I'll definitely try thinner heads on my congas. The ones on now have great tones and pops, but now I'm psyched for a change.

Thanks,
Yoni

[muddy323]

This forum will help you. After many years of playing, I just developed an open slap with my left hand. I think those Giovanni and Changuito "Evolution Of The Tumbadoras" videos helped a lot in my development..Now im slap happy.
Thinner heads made the difference also.
Peace
MuddyDread



Edited By muddy323 on 1113711485