Re: Newbie Saying Hello and Some Questions
Originally Posted by
Cassady
Hello, I'm a newbie bongo player and found this forum recently. I've only been playing for a few days--I mostly play guitar (with a smattering of ukulele and harmonica), but wanted to add a percussion instrument. Bongos seemed like a good choice because they're inexpensive, portable and look like they're just plain fun.
I've got a couple of Trevor Salloum books on playing bongos, The Bongo Book and Bongo Drumming/Beyond the Basics and have found a few instructional sites on the Internet.
I bought a set of LP Aspire bongos as a scratch and dent item from one of the large online retailers and they seem like they'll be acceptable for learning on, but I'm not getting nearly as high a pitch on the macho as many of the videos I've seen. I have seen suggestions to tune the macho up as high as you can without damaging the head of the drum and I've tuned it up until the tuning wrench seems pretty hard to turn further. I'd like to avoid splitting or tearing the head, but don't know how far I can tune up until I go too far.
Does anyone have any tuning suggestions for me? It also occurs to me that some of the tones that I hear in videos are more related to technique and less to tuning. Is this an accurate assumption?
Next, and it's related to my tuning question, has anyone tried the Remo Fiberskyn heads for the Aspires? They seem to be fairly priced and I was wondering if a synthetic head would give me the higher pitch I'm looking for. Even if the Fiberskyn heads wouldn't help my pitch problem, would it be a good idea to buy a set of heads to have as spares? The replacement heads that LP sells for the Aspires seem to cost nearly as much as I paid for the bongos themselves and this is a bit off-putting to me.
Thanks for your patience with a rookie,
Cassady
And thanks for your patience with ME!
After all the kind words our brother drummers said about me coming in to answer your questions, I'm a little that it took me so long to answer them! Let me answer the questions in the order you gave them!
Bongos seemed like a good choice because they're inexpensive, portable and look like they're just plain fun.
Agreed! I play set as well as hand drums, but given the choice, I grab the bongos and congas nine times out of ten.
Ted Reed has a book that was first published in 1961, Progressive Steps to Bongo and Conga Technique. I believe it is still in print, and if you can find one, grab it! It covers a lot of territory for a relatively small book, and it was the book I bought when I began to seriously study hand drums...and Reed also recommends that you "take this book to a good drum teacher" to learn not only the bongo exercises, but the rudiments of drumming. (That was before DrumBum, of course!)
A couple of tips on tuning: Make sure you're tuning the macho (the small head, BTW) and the hembra (the large head) evenly. It's old school, but my drum teacher takes a ruler and literally measures the number of threads--the depth--of how much he's tuned. I would suggest you tune the heads no more than one-quarter of a turn at any one time. In other words, say your wrench is at 12 o'clock as you start tightening a lug. Go no further than 3 o'clock; tighten them evenly as you would the lug nuts on your car's tire when you're putting on the spare.
And if you haven't, Cassady, get a bottle of Lug Lube or other lubricating oil and lightly lubricate the threads. The last thing you want to do is strip the threads on a nut or a lug.
You don't say if your shells are fiberglass or wood, but overtightening the heads could not only split them at the hoop, but may also actually crack the fiberglass shell. If you have a bongo-playing buddy near you, you might check with him to help you tune the heads to the sound you want.
Incidentally, you're correct that technique is involved with those high-pitched pops you hear on some bongo recordings. They come from a different sort of tightening--the bongosero puts his thumb or the heel of his hand on the skin to further tighten the skin for that "crack" you're hearing. It takes some doing to get it, but it's worth it, bro'. (I am assuming you're a guy, but if you're not, my apology in advance!)
I have played Fiberskyns on bongos (see my review in DRUM REVIEWS), and I love them! But be aware that it may be tough to find Fiberskyns for some LP drums. I broke a conga head on a pair of CP congas I've played since 1987, and apparently Remo does NOT have Fiberskyns for my particular quinto (9 5/8" head). Hope you're more fortunate, because they feel good, they sound awesome, and they pop like crazy...and, as you've already noted, the prices are right.
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! Welcome aboard, Cassady, from another "bongo brother!"
keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!
Charlie
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
"There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi
"Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck
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