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The 'conga' is a tall, narrow,
single-headed Cuban drum of
African origin, probably derived
from the Congolese Makuta drums or Sikulu
drums commonly played in Mbanza Ngungu, Congo.
A person who plays conga is called a "conguero".
Although ultimately derived from
African drums made from hollowed logs,
the Cuban conga is staved, like a barrel.
These drums were probably made from
salvaged barrels originally.
They were used both in Afro-Caribbean
religious music and as the principal
instrument in Rumba. Congas are now
very common in Latin music, including
salsa music, as well as many other
forms of American popular music.
Most modern congas have a staved wooden or
fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned
drumhead. They are usually played in
sets of two to four with the fingers
and palms of the hand. Typical congas
stand approximately 75 cm from the
bottom of the shell to the head.
The drums may be played while seated.
Alternatively, the drums may be mounted
on a rack or stand to permit the player
to play while standing.
Because congas are an understudied instrument, opinions vary on
the names of the drums. Although they originated in Cuba,
their incorporation into the popular and folk music of
other countries has resulted in diversification of terminology
for the instruments and the players. A sampling of current
conga websites finds the following:

★ Ben F. Jacoby's Introduction to the Conga Drum holds that the drums are called ''congas'' in English, but ''tumbadoras'' in Spanish. The drums, in order of size from largest to smallest, are the ''tumba'', ''conga'', ''quinto'', the rare ''requinto'', and the side-strap mounted ''ricardo''.

★ The Conga Page at Rhythm Web agrees with the ''congas'' vs. ''tumbadoras'' terminology.

★ Music of Puerto Rico refers to the drums only as congas, but gives the names as ''tumba'' for the largest, ''niño'' for the smallest, and does not provide names for the two middle drums.

★ Alex Pertout's The Conga Drum: an Introduction points out that the names for the individual drums vary even in Cuba, and gives the names of three drums: ''tumbadora'' (largest), ''conga'' or ''segundo'' (middle), and ''quinto'' (smallest).

★ The Glossary Of Latin Music Terms agrees with ''tumba'' / ''conga'' / ''quinto'', but defines the extra ''super quinto'' drum, smaller than the quinto. The term ''tres golpes'' may also be used for the ''conga''.

★ Artdrum.com's History of Conga Drums also agrees with the terms ''tumba'' / ''conga'' / ''quinto'', but allows the synonyms ''segundo'' (for ''conga'') and ''tumbadora'' or ''salidor'' (for ''tumba'').

★ Poncho Sanchez, in his ''Conga Cookbook'', added a drum ''below'' the tumba, which he called the ''supertumba''.
Conga players are called ''congueros'', while ''rumberos'' refers to those who dance following the path of the players. The term ''conga'' was popularized in the 1950s, when Latin music swept the United States. Cuban son and New York jazz fused together to create what was then termed mambo, but later became known as salsa. In that same period, the popularity of the Conga Line helped to spread this new term.
Desi Arnaz also played a role in the popularization of conga drums. However, the drum he played (which everyone called a conga drum at the time) was similar to the type of drum known as ''boku'' used in his hometown, Santiago de Cuba.
The word ''conga'' came from the rhythm ''la conga'' used during ''carnaval'' (carnival) in Cuba. The drums used in carnaval could have been referred to as ''tambores de conga'' since they played the rhythm ''la conga'', and thus translated into English as ''conga drums''.

Contents

Playing the Congas

Strokes

Rhythms

Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican

Afro-Dominican

South American

Other Genres

Tuning the Congas

Tuning Systems

Famous Conga Players

References

See also

External links

Playing the Congas

Strokes

There are five basic strokes:

★ 'Open tone:' played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant tone with a distinct pitch.

★ 'Muffled tone:' like the open tone, is made by striking the drum with the four fingers, but holding the fingers against the head to muffle the tone

★ 'Bass tone:' played with the full palm on the head. It produces a low muted sound.

★ 'Slap:' most difficult technique producing a loud clear "popping" sound (when played at fast and short intervals is called floreo, played to instill emotion in the dancer).

★ 'Touch:' as implied by the name, this tone is produced by just touching the fingers or heel of the palm to the drum head. It is possible to combine the a touch of the palm with a touch of the fingers in a maneuver called ''heel-toe'', which can be used to produce the conga equivalent of drumrolls.
Also, to bend the pitch of the conga, a "conguero" sometimes uses his elbow to shift around on and apply pressure to different parts of the head; this causes the note to change. This is not a traditional stroke, but it is common in modern salsa and rumba.

Rhythms

Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican

There are various rhythms for the conga, the most well-known being the tumbao. The tumbao rhythm is as follows: 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2. Both of the 1-2-3's are played using muffled tones, and the 1-2 is played using open tones. This rhythm is commonly played on 1 to 3 congas, but has no true limit for the amount used. The tumbao is the most common rhythm in Salsa, Latin Jazz, Rumba, Chachacha, Mambo, and other similar Cuban or Puerto Rican styles. Some songs that include the tumbao or slight variations of the rhythm are:

★ ''Oye Como Va'' by Tito Puente

★ ''Pedro Navaja'' by Willie Colon and Ruben Blades

★ ''Se Le Ve'' by Andy Montañez and Daddy Yankee

★ ''Watermelon Man'' by Mongo Santamaria

★ ''Los Dos Jueyes'' by Domingo Quiñones and Zion

★ ''Amor Verdandero'' and ''A Maria Le Gusta'' by Afro Cuban All Stars

★ ''Quizas, Quizas, Quizas'' by Omara Portuondo and Teresa Garcia Cartula

★ ''Armonias del Romañe'' by Tomatito

★ ''Soy Guanaco Salvadoreño'' by Bobby Rivas

★ ''Hoy tenemos'' by Sidestepper

★ ''Ahora Vengo Yo'' by Anthonious Meer, Richie Ray, and Bobby Cruz

★ ''Hipocresia'' by Fruko y Sus Tesos

★ ''Escucha el Rithmo'' by Spanish Harlem Orchestra

★ ''Me Voy Pa Cali'' by Oscar D'Leon

★ ''Boogaloo Chevere'' by Sonora Carruseles

★ ''Virus'' by Bamboleo
Countless other songs use this rhythm.
There is also the bolero rhythm, which goes 1-2-3 1-2 1-2-3. Being very similar to the tumbao, it involves a minimum of two congas and can be heard on:

★ ''Buena Vista Social Club'' by Buena Vista Social Club

★ ''Melodia del Rio'' by Ruben Gonzalez

★ ''Besame Mucho'' by Andrea Bocelli

★ ''La Puerta'' by Luis Miguel
More complex rhythms can be heard in the music of Santeria and Abakua rituals, many of which also apply to the bata drums, such as Guarapachangueo and Chacharo-kafun. In Cuba, variants of Guaguanco, Bembe, and Abakua change from province to province, so there is no true stating to what is or isn't correct.

Afro-Dominican

The merengue rhythm, used in orchestral merengue, goes 1 2-1-2. It can also be heard as 1-2-1-2 1-2-1-2-1-2. Essentially, it is the rhythm of the tambora applied to conga. This can be heard on Elvis Crespo's ''Suavemente'' and Grupo Mania's ''Me Miras y Te Miro''. Originally, this rhythm was derived from the trap drumming of African slaves from various animist religions.

South American

The cumbia rhythm, simple and slowly played, goes 1-2-2-1, also heard as 1-2-1-2. It can be heard in Fito Olivares's ''Mosaico Fiestero'' and ''La Cumbia Sampuesana y La Cumbia Cienaguera'' by Ancieto Molino y Los Sabaneros.

Other Genres

There are many other kinds of rhythms for the conga. It is constantly applied in new genres of music, therefore taking up the rhythms of that specific style, such as punta, reggaeton, Brazilian forms such as samba and bossa nova, and even reggae and country music.

Tuning the Congas

Conga drums are tunable to different notes. The original
drums were tuned by adjusting knots and tension ropes on
the drumhead, or, where the drum-heads were tacked or nailed to the top of the shell, by careful heating of the head. Modern congas use a screw-and-lug, tension head
system which makes them easier to tune (or detune).
As was discussed above, terminology for the drums varies.
Here, the naming system used is a composite of those mentioned
before with those currently in use by major conga manufacturers.
The drums are discussed in order from largest to smallest;
the sizes of the drumheads given vary considerably by
manufacturer, model, and style.

★ The 'supertumba' can be as large as 14 inches across (35.5 cm).

★ The 'tumba' is typically 12 to 12.5 inches across (30.5 to 31.8 cm).

★ The 'conga' is typically 11.5 to 12 inches across (29.2 to 30.5 cm).

★ The 'quinto' is typically around 11 inches across (about 28 cm).

★ The 'requinto' can be smaller than 10 inches across (24.8 cm).

★ The 'ricardo' can be as small as 9 inches across (22.9 cm). Since this drum is typically played while hanging from a shoulder strap, it is considerably shorter and narrower than a traditional conga.

Tuning Systems

Congas, being percussive instruments,
do not have to be
tuned to
any particular note in purely percussive settings.
However, when playing with
harmonic instruments, they
may be tuned to specific notes.
Generally congas are tuned using the 'open tone'
(see above).
In general, the particular note will depend on
the make, model, and size of the conga drum. The
drum should be tuned so that the bass tone resonates,
the open tone rings, and the slaps pierce through
the musical mix. If the tuning is too loose, the
bass and slap tones will sound "flabby"; too tight,
and the drums will sound unnatural and "pinched."
With a single drum, it is difficult to go wrong with
tightening the drum until it makes a pleasing sound.
When two or more drums are used, however, there is
much variation on which two notes are chosen. With
two drums, it is not unusual to find them tuned
a perfect fourth apart (the same interval used in
"Here Comes the Bride").
Having three drums (typically
the ''tumba'', ''conga'', and ''quinto'')
invites experimentation and individual
customization. Some ''congueros'' like using the
intervals of a major chord (e.g. F, A, C);
some use the second inversion of a major chord
(eg. G, C, E); and some prefer a major second between
the ''quinto'' and ''conga'', with a perfect 4th descending
to the ''tumba''. Raul Rekow of Santana often plays five conga drums and choses to tune them to the opening phrase of a Latin tune he likes.

Famous Conga Players

★ Chano Pozo

★ Jose Luis Quintana "Changuito"

★ Giovanni Hidalgo

★ Armando Peraza

★ Candido Camero

★ Jose Vazquez-Cofresi

★ Lary Crews

★ Poncho Sanchez

★ Miguel 'Anga' Diaz

★ Randy Jackson (musician)

★ Mongo Santa Maria

★ Carlos Patato Valdez

★ Kevin Jones

★ Pedro Martinez

★ Ray Barretto

★ Raul Rekow

★ Michael Spiro

★ Fermin Goytisolo

★ Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez

★ Carlos "Don" Alias

References

★ Conga Drumming: A Beginner's Guide to Playing with Time, , Alan, Dworsky, Dancing Hands, 1995, ISBN 0-9638801-0-1

★ Poncho Sanchez' Conga Cookbook, , Poncho, Sanchez, Cherry Lane Music, 2002, ISBN 1-57560-363-2

★ A History of the Conga Drum, , Nolan, Warden, Percussive Notes, 2005

See also

★ Caribbean music

★ La Conga Nights (1940 film)

★ Kickin' the Conga Round (1942 animation)

External links

★ Introduction to the Conga Drum at the Drum Dojo.

★ Plans to build your own conga drum.

★ Hand Drumming at Wikiot.com - A wiki devoted to music. Contains some Conga lessons and videos.

★ http://www.nolanwarden.com/Conga_Drum_History(Warden).pdf -Infomaiton on the Origin of Congas and other facts.