Anyone can play bongos - just have rhythm and practice. Bongos add rhythm to salsa and other Latin American or Caribbean sounds. Although they are rarely in the spotlight, except for occasional solos, they can be the soul of a party and in general of any rhythmic module.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Right Bongos
Step 1. Choose bongos that are the right size for you
The smaller the drum, the higher its pitch will be. Larger bongos produce deep, low-pitched sounds. In general, a wider range of notes can be achieved with larger bongos, in addition to what smaller bongos can do.
While larger bongos are more fascinating, it is preferable for a beginner to start with something small. Think about your first driving experience: would you rather start with a bicycle or an articulated lorry? This way you can focus on the fundamental techniques before worrying about all the notes that can be produced
Step 2. Evaluate bongos made of different materials
The material from which bongos are made can greatly vary the sound, the length of the notes and the timbre of one drum compared to another. Since bongos come from all over the world, there are so many materials they can be built with. Try several before choosing one.
The body of the bongos is made of wood, but some bongos are also available in fiberglass or metal. The head is generally made of leather, but there are also synthetic materials. It is just a matter of personal tastes and needs
Step 3. Experiment with different quality bongos
The price of a pair of bongos ranges between 50 and 350 euros. They all have different personalities and sounds. Before setting your eyes on one in particular, make sure you've tried several. You might be impressed.
If you plan on playing them often and not just bothering your friends during the holidays, invest in a couple of decent bongos. When it comes to bongos, quality often depends on the price
Part 2 of 4: Knowing How to Position
Step 1. Sit in a comfortable chair that does not hinder your movements
You should sit in a comfortable, armless chair. A simple kitchen chair that does not sink into and without armrests that prevent you from moving freely is also fine.
The chair should also be of the right height, in any case not excessively high. You need to be able to arrange your legs comfortably so that your feet rest on the ground. Many drummers find themselves moving their knees up and down to keep the beat, and more experienced drummers even play the foot tambourine, both of which require a surface to rest their feet on
Step 2. Get into a comfortable position
Sit on the edge of the chair and make sure your legs form a 90 degree angle. It will be much easier to hold the bongos if the chair is out of the way and your legs are in the right position to support them.
Step 3. Fold the small (macho, ie male) drum forward on the left knee
This is if you are right-handed. If you are left handed, reverse the position. Place the large drum (hembra, or female) on your right knee. Keep the drums still in place with both legs. Make sure you are in a comfortable position (you may need to adjust).
If for some reason you cannot sit or are not comfortable, there are special supports on which to place the bongos or special supports that are used to insert them inside a battery
Part 3 of 4: Learning to Play
Step 1. Find the rhythm
It is a very different thing compared to time. It is what you feel in your gut when you listen to music, what you indulge in when you dance or the way you move your head when the first notes of a song start. It is usually a very simple thing. Put on some music that you can play bongos on and try to hear this rhythm. It will help you find the tempo you want your bongos to accompany the music.
Probably, if you are sitting with your bongos, you will find yourself moving one or both legs up and down in the wake of this rhythm. Keep doing it - it will help you keep time
Step 2. Begin with high percussion (the left drum) with your left hand
It should be the smallest drum, the male. Now go with the beat: a simple 1, 2, 3, 4 or whatever tempo suits the music.
This is called "interval". It should match a precise shade and is located on the edge of the drum closest to you. It corresponds to the first measure and is the structure of the rhythm that you will realize
Step 3. Tap the drum lightly with the last two phalanges of your fingers
As you play the fundamental rhythm, be sure to hit the percussion with the last two phalanges of your fingers. Gently, without using a lot of force. Your fingers should rise immediately after hitting the drum to avoid compromising the sound quality.
For now, avoid using the hoop and just play the drum head. The fingers should rest on the edge closest to you
Step 4. Play a tone on the right drum with your right hand
This will be on beats 2 and 4. As you play 1, 2, 3, 4 with your left hand, turn towards the larger percussion (the female drum) and play between beats 2 and 3 and between 4 and 1. In other words, with both hands you will play 1, 2, and, 3, 4, and.
Hit the edge of the right drum in the same way as the left one. Use the last two phalanges of your fingers and keep a gentle touch. For now, avoid playing the hoop
Step 5. Experiment with other types of basic shots
For now, you know how to perform one of the basic strikes. The time has come to learn more. For your information, we've just covered the open tone.
- Open tone. To get a clean and nice open tone, hit the edge of the drum with the palm of your hand at the level of the knuckles, letting your fingers bounce against your head (the main part of the drum). Try moving your fingers back and forth up to about 10cm from the center of the drum and hear how the sound changes. You want to get a full, clean sound that has a certain tonality. Overtones (those annoying, resonant sounds that break into the crisp sound) are not part of an open tone.
- Slap (sharp blow). Rather than having your hand totally relaxed, create a small hollow with your fingers as you strike the head of the percussion to generate an accented (louder) note. This will add color and elegance to your playing. After the contact between your hand and the percussion, relax your fingers by letting them bounce against the head of the drum. The result is a popping sound of a higher pitch than the aforementioned hit.
- Palm / finger movement. Rest your hand on the head of the drum. Alternate the use of the lower palm with the use of the fingertips, hitting back and forth. Make sure you always keep your hand in contact with the head of the drum while making this strike.
- Pressed tone. This is done like the open tone, but after the hit the fingers are left to rest on the head of the drum. To do this, it is important to keep your hands relaxed and almost motionless. This strike should emit only a very soft sound: the sound of the light tapping of your fingers against the head of the drum.
Step 6. As you progress, add faster tones and tempos
As you become more experienced, you will begin to use the drum circle, use one hand on both percussion, and delve into the use of eighth notes and sixteenth notes. In other words, it will feel like your hands have taken flight. Once you are familiar with a rhythm, try to complicate it by adding accented notes or alternating between different techniques.
Try not to step further than you can chew, otherwise you risk losing motivation. Man learns from difficulties: although it seems incredibly easy to play bongos, producing harmonious and varied sounds requires real skill. Practice every day to make progress
Part 4 of 4: Experimenting with Variations
Step 1. Try the Habanera
The good news is that the rhythms you just learned to play in the previous section are the foundation of the Habanera, you just need to add an extra beat. Here's how it works:
- Keep time with your left hand on the small drum: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- Then, enter beats after 2 and 4 on the big drum with your right hand: 1, 2, and 3, 4 and.
- Next, enter times after 1 and 3 on the small drum with your right hand. This changes the note and gives the measure a more harmonious sonority: 1, e, 2, e, 3, e, 4, e.
Step 2. Learn the rhythm of the martillo
Get used to the pattern of the "hammer" or martillo, the rhythm that underlies the salsa and many types of musical rhythms. Here's how it's done:
- Use your right index finger to keep time on the small drum circle. The times are 1, 2 and 3.
- Still using the small drum, tap an and after the first and third beat with the fingers of your left hand. For the and after the second and fourth beat, use the thumb of the left hand.
- Play an open tone on the fourth beat with your right fingers on the right drum. Follow the pattern as fast as possible until you can continue without errors.
Step 3. Play the Calypso rhythm
This rhythm alternates tones and touches. You already know the tones (played on the edge of the drum head, a precise sonority), but there are also the touches: just a light tap with your fingers in the center of the drum head, mainly to keep time. It's pretty simple:
- Start on the left drum with both hands. The tones must be on the times 1, and, 3, and. The touches must be on times 2, and, 4, and. Tone, tone, touch, touch, tone, tone, touch, touch.
- Once you have mastered the technique, instead of doing the “4-e” in two touches, play 4 (without “e”) on the right drum as a tone. Pause where “e” would be. Now you have tone, tone, touch, touch, tone, tone, (big drum) tone.
- The hands should move back and forth following the rhythm and swinging as they move from tone to touch.
Step 4. Play a funky beat
This is the most difficult pace we will face, but still absolutely doable. It is just a mixture of tones and touches, with the right, left, right, left variant, just like when we walk, except for the first two times. The rhythm is "1-and-a-2-and-a-3-and-a-4". Here's how it's done:
- Start on the first half with a bass hit on the left drum. In other words, you need to hit the edge of the drum as far away from you as possible towards the center.
- The first “e-un” is a light touch with the right and then left hands on the left drum. The second movement is a tone played with the right hand always on the left drum. The second “e-un” are light touches with the left hand then the right hand again on the left drum.
- The third beat is a tone played on the right drum with the right hand. “E” is a left hand touch on the left drum. “A-4” is a light touch on the left drum, followed by a tone on the left drum played with the right hand.
Advice
- Release your fingers before playing, as they will do most of the work.
- Learn from other drummers. Listen to the likes of Roena, La Rue, Jackson and Peraza for example.
