Basics of playing the conga and bongos

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...
 
:)

#1- different parts of your hands make different sounds.... use this

#2- stay away from drumset rhythms (ie. bass sounding where Set hits kick, and high slap where snare hits) This one is harder than it sounds (well, for me anyway) because you're so used to playing and hearing drumset rhythms. Not to say you should never do this, but percussion is to add to the drumset, not copy it.

#3- Djembes are really really cool for deep thunderous subatomic bass sounds.

#4- Djembes are also cool for really high slap sounds.

#5- clay drums make cool sounds (kinda like balooomp)

#6- different sticks/brishes/mallets make different sounds

#7- don't try to write out parts, improvise them--- more fun, and you'll get more creative parts and a better feel.

now, for basics of actually playing.
here's an overview for the basic sounds of congas:

bass tone- put your hand flat against the drum, and then bend your fingers up. that's the shape your hand should be in. Hit it with your palm in the very center.
open tone- put your hand flat against the drum again. Now bend your knuckels up so it makes an angle between your palm and your fingers like 135degrees or so. Hit it with the fleshy part of your fingers.
high slap- start with your flat hand again. and keep your thumb kinda away from your hand. And just slap the drum near the edge.

those are the 3 basic ones you'll use, Of course there's other ways you can hit to get other sounds. Some things I do are scratch it with your nails, knock on it, pound it with your fist.

well, that's all I can think of for now. I'll probably add more later. :)
if there's anything else, just ask
 
Good job DJ funkifize. Once you get the basics down ( and a lot of numb hands and fingers), you can go on to more complex rhythms. I can't stand it when I all I hear is a drum set beat/rhythm on congas and bongos (i.e. Guster). That guy is alright, but not enough improvisation. Have you ever seen Giovanni Hidalgo? He is f*cking amazing!! I saw him and Steve Gadd in concert and it blew my mind it was so cool. Check him out if you can.
 
variety

Somebody said something about 8th notes in the other thread about this, which is totally true. The foundation of most hand drum parts is a steady 8th note pattern that you use to get your tempo down, and then riff off into different variations.

I like playing the sides of the skin where it meets the wood with the underside of my knuckles. When you vary the angle that you strike the wood, as well as move around the perimeter of the drum you can actually make different tones and play melodic lines.

It's hard to play loudly like this, so if you're in a drum circle you'll get buried, but the sounds I enjoy most from my djembe are these tight ringing wood sounds. Of course, it beats the hell out of your fingers (because you're wailing right on the wood) but once you do it for a while you don't notice. The volume is easy to correct when you're using it for recorded music-- just compress, crank the volume up, and resample it with some reverb and you'll get some really awesome melodic rhythms to add to your beats.

You can hear this technique in a track I'm working on:


The song's kinda repetitive cause I haven't worked on a bridge yet, but I think it's a decent example of sampled live hand drums mixed with sequenced breakbeats. Enjoy!
-mj-
 
Last edited by a moderator:
gio

funkifize... excellent explanation !

here is giovanni teaching some basics:
http://www.lpmusic.com/Play_Like_A_Pro/Tips/giovanni.html

there is a quicktime vid out there where it shows him play amazingly, crazily, fast. he busts these flutters that make you cry. f****ing amazing.

try to find it :D

personally... i grew up playing the djembe and find it easier to learn the slap using it instead of trying to learn the slap on a conga.
conga skins are usually rough and the rims will give you a good beatin'.
none-the-less, you must practice to learn.
if there are any local drum masters in your area, that is the best way to learn... hands down.

word up !

:p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top