congas and ethnic percussion question.

T

T.G.C.

Guest
I was wondering if anyone can explain the basics of playing the conga and bongos. I want to put more ethnic percussion in my music but I don't know the first thing about playing these intsruments. What are the rules for playing them...
 
Try playing a straight 8th note rhythm based in a cycle of one bar at a time (8 beats, that is) in the middle of the drum (i.e. da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da).
On every 5th beat, hit the outer rim of the drum - you will hear a different type of sound. Then expand this to hitting the drum with your palm (instead of your fingers) on, say, the 4th and 6th beats of your 8 beat pattern. And so forth. I'm no expert, but a lot of conga and bongo playing is based around playing straight 8th and/or 16th notes, and just adding some variety by playing the drum differently. I'm sure there are way better tutorials on the internet so try a search. these were just a few suggestions.
 
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