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Thread: Mini Bongos?

  1. #1

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    Talking Mini Bongos?

    i've been wanting to play the bongos for about a year now. I've got my eye on some mini-bongos [Meinl brand ones], mainly because i intend to bring them with me when i travel, and I'm afraid that i won't actually be able to hold regular sized ones between my legs when i play, on account of i am a small asian girl.

    is there a significant disadvantage to learning how to play bongos on little ones? also, I'm looking into buying a book/CD thing to help me start, as i can't find a teacher... i know there are a lot of tutorial videos and stuff online, so am i wasting my money on getting a book or will it benefit me?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Mini Bongos?

    Welcome to Drum Chat Muddykins!

    If you are a more petite person, then the smaller size bongos shouldn't be a problem, although I'm sure the pitch of the tone will be higher.

    As to whether to get a book, it depends on how you learn best. If you can watch a video and simply play back what you hear, you might not need a book. But if you like to see notes for rhythm, then I would get a book. The problem will be that the book, and the online videos won't go together, so you'll be learning different things from different places. I'd probably start with the online videos and see how it goes for you.
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  3. #3

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    Default Re: Mini Bongos?

    I think a book or dvd would be good as there are alot of different ways of hitting the bongos which affect the sound and i think have to be taught.

  4. #4

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    Cool Re: Mini Bongos?

    I had a feeling someone was callin' my name, muddykins!

    First off, welcome to Drum Chat!

    By "mini bongos," I'm assuming a pair of bongos with, say, a 4" macho head (the smaller one) and a 6" hembra (the larger one).

    As pastor_bob said above, the tone would be higher-pitched than a standard-issue set of bongos (usually 7" and 8 1/2"), but that's no problem. You should be able to play them comfortably between your knees--actually, a bit lower than the knees--they should rest comfortably on your calves, since holding them between your knees will start to hurt after a long practice or jam session. Most smaller ones have cutouts in the shells, but even if they don't, you should be able to play them comfortably. If not, just place them on a firm surface (like a table top); you may lose a small amount of sound quality, however.

    If you play larger bongos, you can mount them on a stand (as I do in our guitar group at my church), but I don't think they make stands for mini-bongos--not yet anyway...

    Have you checked the Lessons section of DrumChat? You'll find links to basic bongo rhythms, and the sister website drumbum.com offers books and DVDs to help you out!

    No matter what size they are, bongos ROCK!!!
    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

  5. #5

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    Lightbulb Re: Mini Bongos?

    Quote Originally Posted by Muddykins View Post
    i've been wanting to play the bongos for about a year now. I've got my eye on some mini-bongos [Meinl brand ones], mainly because i intend to bring them with me when i travel, and I'm afraid that i won't actually be able to hold regular sized ones between my legs when i play, on account of i am a small asian girl.

    is there a significant disadvantage to learning how to play bongos on little ones? also, I'm looking into buying a book/CD thing to help me start, as i can't find a teacher... i know there are a lot of tutorial videos and stuff online, so am i wasting my money on getting a book or will it benefit me?
    Hi, Muddykins!

    I have a pair of LP mini-bongos w/ 4" & 3" heads. I've used them as a 2nd pair being played at the same time as regular bongos. My conclusion from doing that, is that the mini-bongos were only really useful for the sake of adding a percussive "pop". In my opinion, the heads are simply too small to be tonally expressive. I also have an LP mini-djembe w/ a 5" head. That's better in terms of tonal expressiveness, but still less useful than I'd hoped it would turn out to be. So, my answer to your question re. disadvantage, would be "yes, there is". The little ones would be useful for practicing tempo, beats, etc. - but, not very useful for practicing tonal expressiveness. The disadvantage, is that you wouldn't be training your muscles to do the things that can create the many different sounds that full size bongos are capable of.

    Since you say you're a small person, I would suggest that you consider getting a small djembe; perhaps, in the 8" head size. I used to have a 10" djembe that was just wonderfully expressive. Everyone loved it! Since a djembe is a single drum, it's much easier to hold between your knees than a set of bongos.

    Good luck!

  6. #6

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    Cool Re: Mini Bongos?

    Hey, scruffyeagle, I was hangin' out at GC the other day and they had both LP mini-bongos and mini-congas on display. (Not the Giovannis, but the little ones that Muddykins were talking about)

    I have to change my opinion on playing them as your only bongos...they are probably better for decorating your desk top or hanging from a wall or, as you used them, for an extremely high-pitched pop effect.

    I tried playing them and it was like playing a soup can, and you can't easily use your thumb or the heel of your hand for different effects, as you did, scruffy...

    Muddykins, you'd be better off getting that 8" djembe...
    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

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Mini Bongos?

    I have to change my opinion on playing them as your only bongos...they are probably better for decorating your desk top or hanging from a wall or, as you used them, for an extremely high-pitched pop effect.
    Yes, these are made for decoration not to be used seriously in a percussion setup. Yes they do make sound, but no it isn't good. I would suggest looking for an entry lvl set of bongos from LP, Toca, or Meinl. The entry lvl bongos are most often smaller than the traditional sizes and may be more comfortable for you. If you stick to one of these name brands you will still get a great sounding, quality product. As far as traveling with them goes, bongos are a small instrument and you shouldn't have any problems no matter what model you get.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Mini Bongos?

    Quote Originally Posted by Muddykins View Post
    i've been wanting to play the bongos for about a year now. I've got my eye on some mini-bongos [Meinl brand ones], mainly because i intend to bring them with me when i travel, and I'm afraid that i won't actually be able to hold regular sized ones between my legs when i play, on account of i am a small asian girl.

    is there a significant disadvantage to learning how to play bongos on little ones? also, I'm looking into buying a book/CD thing to help me start, as i can't find a teacher... i know there are a lot of tutorial videos and stuff online, so am i wasting my money on getting a book or will it benefit me?
    You can buy a seated bongo stand or just a regular bongo stand and then you can use the standard or even larger bongos with no problems. If you type "bongo drums" into your search engine you will see all the information you will need come up right there. In my experiance nothing beats watching someone playing in terms of learning something. It would be good to get an instructional book and or video that takes you through the basic hand/finger positions and practice these starting slow. You will of course develop your own style and at the same time be confident that you're not developing bad habits that will slow you down or interfer with learning new rhythms.

    Again - if you don't absolutely have to play the drums between your legs it would be better to go with standard sized drums. Also, like it's been suggested here, you would probably be able to play a small Djembe drum too. You can get a lot of sound out of them. There is some information on buying a Djembe on this site too.

    Hope it works out well for you.
    Let us know what you decide.

    Cheers,

    Kona

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