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Conga
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The conga is a tall, narrow,
single-headed Cuban drum of
African origin, probably derived
from the Congolese Makuta drums.
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.
Contents
- 1 Terminology
- 2 Playing the Congas
- 3 Tuning the Congas
- 4 Famous players
- 5 References
- 6 See also
- 7 External links
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Terminology
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 1950's, 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.
Playing the Congas
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 (which combined with the first is called the tumbao - played in most salsa and rumbas today).
- 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 emotions on 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.
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 players
References
- Dworsky, Alan; Betty Sansby (1995). Conga Drumming: A Beginner's Guide to Playing with Time. Dancing Hands. ISBN 0-9638801-0-1.
- Sanchez, Poncho; Chuck Silverman (2002). Poncho Sanchez' Conga Cookbook. Cherry Lane Music. ISBN 1-57560-363-2.
See also
