Opinions appreciated!!

[busyflyin]

I posted earlier about tuning pitches for a conga/bongo combo but didn't get any replies.. perhaps because it's an individual thing, but I could really use some opinions about this. Right now I have the congas tuned to C and G and the bongos tuned to E and G. I'm not sure that give me much of a pitch "flavoring", so I would really like to hear what some experience is telling you...

[pastor_bob]

Hi busyflyin. I can't help too much on this for you. I am primarily a kit drummer, and I dabble on the congas/bongos. Basically, I just have my congas and bongos tuned to a sound I like, and it was just a shot in the dark. Bongobro is one of a good handful of members here that could help you. You might try PMing him with your question, so that he sees it when he logs in.

[Bish]

I'd let this post sit for a few days until the hand drummers have time to read it.

[busyflyin]

Keep em comin' !

[VIbes]

This is just mho and I use it on drums too. I have never tuned my drums or conga's to a note. I pitch them. Every drum has it's on point of best tone. According to the type head, wood, Fiberglass, etc. Of course you have to have a idea of the range of a particular size drum. Like your Quinto is going to be a higher pitch than your conga and the Conga is higher than the Tumba. You pitch them by intervals.

[busyflyin]

This is just mho and I use it on drums too. I have never tuned my drums or conga's to a note. I pitch them. Every drum has it's on point of best tone. According to the type head, wood, Fiberglass, etc. Of course you have to have a idea of the range of a particular size drum. Like your Quinto is going to be a higher pitch than your conga and the Conga is higher than the Tumba. You pitch them by intervals.

Conceptually I understand how a drum would have a sweet spot in pitch, but how do you find it? And what do you mean by intervals? Thanks.

[pastor_bob]

When VIbes referred to the interval between drums, he meant the musical difference in pitch between 2 notes. For instance, between C and D the interval is a full step, while between C and C# is a half step interval. Tuning between drums can be done in harmonics, such as an harmonic 3rd (3 notes apart), an harmonic 4th (4 notes apart), or even an harmonic 5th (5 notes). There are songs that can be hummed to find the intervals, such are the phrase "Here comes the bride." The first 2 notes of that phrase are a 4th apart.

[busyflyin]

PB; not trying to be smart (cause I'm really not!!) but I play guitar too and I'm familiar with what you are explaining. The part (because I'm not THAT smart) that I'm trying to figure out is the practical meaning behind this and how it is applied the way Vibes stated. If I understand, Vibes is saying to find the drum's point of best tone and then tune other drums a 3rd/4th/etc up or down from there. The thing is,,, now will the other drums be tonally correct? I dunno.. maybe I still don't understand. But, I'm interested/intrigued.

[pastor_bob]

Sorry busyflyin, but I misunderstood your question then. My apologies.

The thing is that you can find each drum's sweet spot, or you can tune then in intervals. For the toms on my kit, I found the sweet spot on the smallest tom, and then tuned the rest of the toms in intervals of a 4th. I absolutely love the sound of my toms. Others simply find the sweet spot of each individual drum and don't worry about the exact interval. They love their sound too.

What I am saying is that maybe you should try tuning both ways and see which sounds best to you.

[busyflyin]

PB; it's looking like there is no favored way to tune these. Soooo much for me to learn but that's part of the fun! Maybe it's trial and error for me. Anyone else have some words for me? Thanks!!

[bongobill]

Hey Busyflying,
I have used both ways. When I had two sets of Valjes I tuned them to pitch-C E G for one set and A C E for the other, the bongos where tuned to a minor third D and F. This worked well because our entire percussion studio was tuned to C harmonic. Now I tune my drums to where they feel good to me and don't care too much about pitch. I don't know what kind of music you are playing--I play a lot of choruses and adjust my drums to fit with key (or keys) of the set we are playing. I also have to watch out for the bass player particularly when we are hitting the same note/beat. So for this situation a too pitched drum can be a detriment.
I hope this helps.

[busyflyin]

Thank you for all of your help! This is a great forum!!

[bongobro]

No need to PM me, busyflyin (first time I've stuck my head in here since ya posted the question, bro'!), but bongobill has pretty well nailed the advantages and disadvantages of tuning your bongos and congas to distinct pitches. As regards bongos, Bobby Rosengarden, who played percussion on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" in the '60s, tuned the small bongo head an octave higher than the larger one. Sounds cool that way....

Like most of our bongo and conga brothers, I tune them to the way they sound "right" to me, and tweak them up and down to compensate for changes in humidity, temperature, etc. Keep in mind, too, that you can get other sounds from your drums by experimenting with thumb and hand positions...I must admit I'm gonna have to have a buddy who knows which notes are which to tell me which notes I'm actually playin'!

[Redeye]

For the life of me, I can't remember where I first read this, but I'm pretty sure it was from a legit and experienced source. In a three conga setup, the tumba and quinto should be a fourth apart and the conga should be a second below the quinto. Since I always find it hardest to get my tumba to sound good, I find a sweet spot on it first, then go to the quinto, then to the conga. I don't tune to specific notes. I have no input on the bongos, sorry.

I have also found that tuning my timables a 4th apart works well.

[Jerry Bembe]

Bongos are tuned an octave apart. I have a set tuned to A1-A2 and G1-G2.

Congas I have various tunings. Tune each conga to the best voice for that drum and later match the congas together by sound not looks.

For example:
I have a Super Tumba (13") at G, Tumba at C, Conga E and Quinto G. This is not traditional but it sure sounds good. I suggest to tune a little sharp so the congas don't get lost in the mix of the band's sound.

If 2 congas are used then I would tune Tumba G and Conga C or Tumba A and Conga D.

Listen to your drums and you will find the right sound.

Happy Drumming.

[busyflyin]

Bongos are tuned an octave apart. I have a set tuned to A1-A2 and G1-G2.

Congas I have various tunings. Tune each conga to the best voice for that drum and later match the congas together by sound not looks.

For example:
I have a Super Tumba (13") at G, Tumba at C, Conga E and Quinto G. This is not traditional but it sure sounds good. I suggest to tune a little sharp so the congas don't get lost in the mix of the band's sound.

If 2 congas are used then I would tune Tumba G and Conga C or Tumba A and Conga D.

Listen to your drums and you will find the right sound.

Happy Drumming.

What is A1-A2 and G1-G2?

[Jerry Bembe]

What is A1-A2 and G1-G2?

A1-A2 means an A tuning an octave apart. G1-G2 means a G tuning an octave apart.

Tuning is a taste issue. Many great congueros just tune up by ear and by ear create the interval of "Her Comes the Bride" for a fifth apart. Some others are very particular for exact tuning.

One thing for sure is you will definately hear a certain range of tuning will sound best on any conga. Generally this is a 4-6 pitch range in a scale.

[Jerry Bembe]

There is a nice conga tuning guide online from Gon Bops. These are good suggestions but not always the rule. There are so many factors that affect the optimal tuning of any drum and head combination.

All tunings are in the Bass Clef the sizes are Gon Bops sizes.

9 3/4" Super Quinto upper G to D# (or Requinto)
10 3/4" Quinto F to D
11 1/2" Conga Eb to Db
12 1/4" Tumba Eb to Db
13 1/4" Super Tumba D to B

[busyflyin]

So far here's what I'm walking away with... I'm going to retune my bongos to an octave apart and a harmonic from my congas. My Q and Super Q are set to G and C, and that is in line with the Gon Bops guide and follows what I saw in Youtube for tunings. So now the question is what note I choose for the bongos. I think that like any other "hobby", experience will wring out the best understanding.