Question about conga playing

[shabutie2113]

i play the kit mainly but im gonna be in the studio again soon and i wanna make this new drum project for my friends band as cultural as possible buy like mixing the bosa nova with some indie rock beats i wrote well any way all the kit parts i already wrote is there a traditional bossa nova beat on the congas and to build up my skills on the congas do i just play rudiments and then progress eventually

[bongobro]

Hey Shabutie!

I'm taking the liberty of moving your question to the PERCUSSION section since I think you'll get more responses about your question about playing congas with our hand-drumming DC members (including yours truly).

Here's my take, bro'...

I can't say this often enough--the rudiments--and in your case, the bossa nova beat--transfer EASILY to the hand drums. Most people are scared witless of hand drums; they think there's some mystery about what you do with your hands, but there's nothing to be afraid of.

In your case, it's simply a matter of of practicing the ruds (and for that matter whatever else you're working on) on your congas or other hand drums--just as ya did on your kit! Start slowly, and work up your speed. Also, you might want to pick up a book or DVD on hand drumming to study the hand positions!

Keep us posted on your progress, bro'!

[shabutie2113]

alright thank you very much bongo bro

[Redeye]

Giovanni Hidalgo, whom many consider to be the best conguero ever (myself included) is a huge proponent of rudiments on the congas. The basic traditional beats are what he uses for songs, but during solos he is all about the rudiments. Check him out on youtube or in instuctional videos for an amazing display of talent.

[red1]

Hi Shabutie,

I have a couple of Giovanni Hidalgo's DVDs: "Conga Virtuoso" and "In the Tradition". Definitely worth checking them out!

[luv4congas]

i play the kit mainly but im gonna be in the studio again soon and i wanna make this new drum project for my friends band as cultural as possible buy like mixing the bosa nova with some indie rock beats i wrote well any way all the kit parts i already wrote is there a traditional bossa nova beat on the congas and to build up my skills on the congas do i just play rudiments and then progress eventually

shabutie2113 What level are you at? Do you have the basic hand movements or are you past that? I can recommend some really good vids depending where your at. No disrespect to the master but at times Giovanni can be a little tough to fallow depending what level your at. Let me know and I'll paste a vid that I think would be appropriate for you.
L4C

[shabutie2113]

hm well i got rythm cause i play the kit but other than that i say im a begginer at congas

[luv4congas]

hm well i got rythm cause i play the kit but other than that i say im a begginer at congas

This is Rudy Quesada, He's not as famous as all the others but he does a very good job explaining step by step and starts very slow which works well for me. Here is the "open tone" and "bass tone". Then look for his "slap tone" then the "heel toe", there's more but you've got to get the tones correct before you begin rhythms. Hope this helps
L4C
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKbv_...eature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Hm_...eature=channel

[Gretschhead]

Rudy has excellent videos for beginners, and he has TONS of different rhythms all broken down!! I would consider his vids to be some of the best conga learning vids on you tube.

[luv4congas]

Rudy has excellent videos for beginners, and he has TONS of different rhythms all broken down!! I would consider his vids to be some of the best conga learning vids on you tube.

Gretschead,I second that And as for slow step by step rumba, Congamaster classes with Michael Spiro does a pretty decent job.
L4C

[shabutie2113]

thank all you guys so much

[BongoCajon]

Gretschead,I second that And as for slow step by step rumba, Congamaster classes with Michael Spiro does a pretty decent job.
L4C

Also check out Johnny "JC" Conga. He has about 17 different free lessons on-line. He has an excellent style for training. He offers a 1 week CongaCamp in Seattle WA. that I would love to attend some time.

Here is one of them:
http://www.ehow.com/video_2385008_pl...-drums-32.html

[luv4congas]

Also check out Johnny "JC" Conga. He has about 17 different free lessons on-line. He has an excellent style for training. He offers a 1 week CongaCamp in Seattle WA. that I would love to attend some time.

Here is one of them:
http://www.ehow.com/video_2385008_pl...-drums-32.html

Yes, JC conga has great vids, I like the way he teaches playing with clave.

[BongoCajon]

Yes, JC conga has great vids, I like the way he teaches playing with clave.

I called him yesterday about signing up for Summer CongaCamp but $$$$ ouch!
Not at this time.