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BB, I thought your were playing the congas with your feet. I was looking for a video. I would like to see the technique you inquire about.
Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
Strange that the resident hand drum "expert"has a comment about playing technique!
After taking drum lessons for over 20 years--and rockin' the hand drums as part of those lessons--I am only NOW beginning to get the heel-and-toe technique down on my conga playing.
For really newbie hand drummers, heel-and-toe refers to placing the heel and fingertips of your left hand in different positions as you strike the conga head with your right (these can be reversed on lefties, of course!). It gives you more sounds from the same basic drum, especially on slaps...
...but for years, I was heel-and-toeing as if I had a turned ankle! That is, I was doing the heel-and-toe with the heel and the pinky side of my left hand. It sounded killer but I kept watching other congueros do the heel-and-toe in the traditional style...and finally tonight, after mucho practice, I realized I was truly heel-and-toeing for the first time!
Okay, a big build-up to what is actually a simple question--really, two:
How long did it take YOU to master the heel-and-toe? And how many of you do a sideways version like me?
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
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
BB, I thought your were playing the congas with your feet. I was looking for a video. I would like to see the technique you inquire about.
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
39 years and counting!
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
Bongobro, most congueros play with the "heel toe" hand pretty flat but I've seen videos of some great congueros like David LaMole Ortiz who slightly cups that hand.
L4C
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
Originally Posted by Northern Redneck
HAHAHA! I thought you were talking kick techniques!
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
HAHAHA! I thought you were talking kick techniques!
I had to check myself bongobro to see how I do it. When it is a slower tempo I am usually cupping my hands slightly, I find this gives me more volume and a more solid heel-toe. As I increase speed to like a roll speed my hands straighten a lot more.
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
Dance Da Fandango!!!!!!...I'M NOW LEARNING WITH ONE HAND & BOTH PHEAT!!!!!
"FEEL DA GROOVE & PLAY IT FORWARD..."
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ENJOY IT ALL,,, MY BROTHERS & SISTERS"
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Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
It took me a little while to figure it out - lots of slow practice with some basic patterns. What helped me the most though was that I was exposed to a great teacher in Vancouver, BC at the time:
http://www.havedrumswilltravel.com/dido/bio.html
Mandido (Dido) was living in Vancouver when I started to play hand drums. Ray Ayotte (Drums Only - Ayotte Drums) turned me on to him and I signed up for some private lessons - lucky me! I wasn't the greatest student by any means but I learnt, and practiced the basics. I also got some good cassette (long-time-ago) tapes with the patterns written out and went from there.
It does take a while to get the technique down but by watching others - especially today with Youtube - it all comes together. Ssssssssssslllllllooooooowwwww to-begin-with of course - we all know that.
Cheers,
Kona
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
As it turns out, I just found this vid on YouTube, which shows you exactly what I've called "heel-and-toe", but is in fact the "tumbao," which is one of the most basic steps in conga playing! Hope this clears up the confusion (and besides, you wouldn't want to see, hear or smell me playing congas with my feet!)
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
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
"Tumbao" heel- toe- slap- toe- heel- toe- lift-open- open..... funny because if you just add a couple of open tones to a second conga it changes Tumbao to Mambo, Bolero or Chacha, Sun even Songo.
L4C
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
And add a third conga, brother, and you're really"Tumbao" heel- toe- slap- toe- heel- toe- lift-open- open..... funny because if you just add a couple of open tones to a second conga it changes Tumbao to Mambo, Bolero or Chacha, Sun even Songo.
L4C!
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
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
L4C, I've seen his vids and I've tried it both ways. As Gretschhead noted, the cupped hand adds a little more "pop" on the slow tempos, but you have to flatten it out a bit to get your speed up...
Cool how all of us do the same thing in different ways--and it still sounds awesome no matter how we do it!
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
Re: Heel-and-Toe: How long did it take you to learn it?
HOLA como estas BONGOBRO*MI AMIGO (DRAGON) creative artistic open minded Drummer & manos tambores Rojo caliente TAMBORES PLAYER within GREAT AWARENES *WISDOM (KNOWLEDGE) THATS VERY COOL I know I use these techniques And More ** LOVE IT DRAGONStrange that the resident hand drum "expert"
After taking drum lessons for over 20 years--and rockin' the hand drums as part of those lessons--I am only NOW beginning to get the heel-and-toe technique down on my conga playing.
For really newbie hand drummers, heel-and-toe refers to placing the heel and fingertips of your left hand in different positions as you strike the conga head with your right (these can be reversed on lefties, of course!). It gives you more sounds from the same basic drum, especially on slaps...
...but for years, I was heel-and-toeing as if I had a turned ankle! That is, I was doing the heel-and-toe with the heel and the pinky side of my left hand. It sounded killer but I kept watching other congueros do the heel-and-toe in the traditional style...and finally tonight, after mucho practice, I realized I was truly heel-and-toeing for the first time!
Okay, a big build-up to what is actually a simple question--really, two:
How long did it take YOU to master the heel-and-toe? And how many of you do a sideways version like me?
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