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For other uses, see Conga (disambiguation).
A pair of congas
A pair of congas

The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum of African origin, probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums or Sikulu drums commonly played in Mbanza Ngungu, Congo. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. The Sikulu is a tall narrow single-unit Drum commonly found in Bas-Congo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A person who plays conga is called a "conguero".

Although ultimately derived from African drums made from hollowed logs, the Cuban conga is staved, like a barrel. These drums were probably made from salvaged barrels originally.

They were used both in Afro-Caribbean religious music and as the principal instrument in Rumba. In Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances Congas are now very common in Latin music, including salsa music, as well as many other forms of American popular music. Latin music, includes the music of all countries in Latin America (and the Caribbean) and comes in many varieties Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Latin American Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more

Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned drumhead. They are usually played in sets of two to four with the fingers and palms of the hand. Typical congas stand approximately 75 cm from the bottom of the shell to the head.

The drums may be played while seated. Alternatively, the drums may be mounted on a rack or stand to permit the player to play while standing.

Because congas are an understudied instrument, opinions vary on the names of the drums. Although they originated in Cuba, their incorporation into the popular and folk music of other countries has resulted in diversification of terminology for the instruments and the players. A sampling of current conga websites finds the following:

Conga players are called congueros, while rumberos refers to those who dance following the path of the players. The term conga was popularized in the 1950s, when Latin music swept the United States. Latin music, includes the music of all countries in Latin America (and the Caribbean) and comes in many varieties The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cuban son and New York jazz fused together to create what was then termed mambo, but later became known as salsa. The City of New York Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Mambo is a Cuban musical form and Dance style The word mambo (which means conversation with the gods) is the name of a priestess in Haitian Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Latin American Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad In that same period, the popularity of the Conga Line helped to spread this new term. The conga is a Latin American Carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s

Desi Arnaz also played a role in the popularization of conga drums. Desi Arnaz (born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III) ( March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban American However, the drum he played (which everyone called a conga drum at the time) was similar to the type of drum known as boku used in his hometown, Santiago de Cuba.

The word conga came from the rhythm la conga used during carnaval (carnival) in Cuba. The drums used in carnaval could have been referred to as tambores de conga since they played the rhythm la conga, and thus translated into English as conga drums.

Contents

Playing the Congas

Strokes

There are five basic strokes:

Also, to bend the pitch of the conga, a "conguero" sometimes uses his elbow to shift around on and apply pressure to different parts of the head; this causes the note to change. Portamento is a Musical term primarily denoting a vocal slide between two pitches and its emulation by instruments such as the violin and in 16th century This is not a traditional stroke, but it is common in modern salsa and rumba.

Rhythms

Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican

There are various rhythms for the conga, the most well-known being the marcha. This rhythm is commonly played on 1 to 3 congas, but has no true limit for the amount used. The marcha is the most common rhythm in Salsa/Son. Some songs that include the marcha or slight variations (Guajira)(chacha) of the rhythm are:

Countless other songs use this rhythm. Tito Puente Sr, ( April 20, 1923 &ndash May 31, 2000) born Ernesto Antonio Puente Jr Pedro Navaja is a salsa song written and performed by Rubén Blades, about a criminal of the same name Willie Colon may refer to Willie Colón, Puerto Rican salsa music icon Willie Colon (American football, American football tackle Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa Singer, Songwriter, Lawyer, Andrés Montañez (born May 71942 better known as Andy Montañez, is a famous salsa singer from Puerto Rico. Ramón (Raymond Ayala (born February 3 1977 known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award -winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording " Watermelon Man " is a Jazz standard written by Herbie Hancock, first released on his debut album Takin' Off (1962 in a grooving Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría ( April 7, 1917 in Havana, Cuba &ndash February 1, 2003) was an Afro-Cuban Afro-Cuban All-Stars is a Cuban band led by Juan de Marcos González (formerly Tres player for Sierra Maestra) Omara Portuondo (born 1930 is a Cuban singer whose career has spanned over half a century José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito (born Almería, 1958) is a Spanish Flamenco guitarist Bobby Rivas is an extremely respected artist of the salsa of El Salvador Sidestepper is a Colombian band centered around English DJ/producer Richard Blair and Colombian producer/songwriter Ivan Benavides Ricardo "Richie" Ray (born February 15, 1945) is a virtuoso Pianist, Singer, music arranger Composer and Religious Bobby Cruz (born February 1, 1937) is a salsa Singer and Religious minister. Fruko y sus Tesos is a salsa group from Colombia which enjoys immsense popularity throughout the Latin American world Spanish Harlem Orchestra is a Latin dance music orchestra based in the United States, founded by Aaron Levinson and Oscar Hernandez. Oscar Emilio León Simoza, better known as Oscar D'León (b July 11[[ 943]] is a Venezuelan musician who became internationally famous for his Caballo Viejo is a Venezuelan Folk song written and performed by Simón Díaz, which appears on the 1980 album Caballo Viejo

There is also the bolero rhythm, which goes 1-2-3 1-2 1-2-3. Bolero is a name given to more than one type of Latin-American music and its associated dance and song Being very similar to the marcha, it involves a minimum of two congas and can be heard on:

More complex rhythms can be heard in the music of Santeria and Abakua rituals, many of which also apply to the bata drums, such as Guarapachangueo and Chacha-lokafun. The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities becoming a popular location for musicians to meet Rubén González ( May 26, 1919 in Santa Clara Cuba &ndash December 8, 2003 in Havana Cuba) was a Cuban Andrea Bocelli, Grande Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana OMRI (born 22 September 1958 is an Italian Operatic pop Tenor Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born April 19, 1970) known as Luis Miguel, is a Santería, also known as La Regla de Lukumi (Lukumi's Rule and The Way of the Saints is an Afro-Cuban religious tradition derived from traditional beliefs Abakua or Abakuá (various spellings are used is an Afro-Cuban men's initiatory fraternity or Secret society, which originated from fraternal associations In Cuba, variants of Guaguanco, Bembe, and Abakua change from province to province, so there is no true stating to what is or isn't correct.

Afro-Dominican

The merengue rhythm, used in orchestral merengue, goes 1 2-1-2. It can also be heard as 1-2-1-2 1-2-1-2-1-2. Essentially, it is the rhythm of the tambora applied to conga. This can be heard on Elvis Crespo's Suavemente and Grupo Mania's Me Miras y Te Miro. Elvis Crespo (born July 30, 1971 in New York City, US) is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Winner Puerto Rican - Grupo Manía (sometimes spelled Grupomanía or GrupoManía) is a popular merengue group from Puerto Rico that released its debut album in Originally, this rhythm was derived from the trap drumming of African slaves from various animist religions.

In merengue tipico the rhythm is usually more complex and less standardized; it can range from simply hitting the conga on a fourth beat to playing full patterns that mark the time. Merengue típico (also known as merengue cibaeño or colloquially as Perico ripiao) is a musical genre of the Dominican Republic.

South American

The cumbia rhythm, simple and slowly played, goes 1-2-2-1, also heard as 1-2-1-2. Cumbia is originally a Colombian Folk dance and Dance music and is Colombia 's representative national dance and music along with Vallenato It can be heard in Fito Olivares's Mosaico Fiestero and La Cumbia Sampuesana y La Cumbia Cienaguera by Ancieto Molino y Los Sabaneros. it was an important thing to know

Other Genres

There are many other kinds of rhythms for the conga. It is constantly applied in new genres of music, therefore taking up the rhythms of that specific style, such as punta, reggaeton, Brazilian forms such as samba and bossa nova, and even reggae, funk, go-go, and country music. Traditional Punta is a form of Garinagu Dance music performed during celebrations or festive occasions Reggaeton (also spelled reggaetón, and known as reguetón and reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of urban music which became popular Samba ( is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. It is widely viewed as Brazil's national musical style Bossa nova ( is a style of Brazilian music popularized by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and João Gilberto. Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Go-go is a subgenre of funk that originated in the Washington D In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity

Tuning the Congas

Conga drums are tunable to different notes. The original drums were tuned by adjusting knots and tension ropes on the drumhead, or, where the drum-heads were tacked or nailed to the top of the shell, by careful heating of the head. Modern congas use a screw-and-lug, tension head system which makes them easier to tune (or detune).

As was discussed above, terminology for the drums varies. Here, the naming system used is a composite of those mentioned before with those currently in use by major conga manufacturers. The drums are discussed in order from largest to smallest; the sizes of the drumheads given vary considerably by manufacturer, model, and style.

Tuning Systems

Congas, being percussive instruments, do not have to be tuned to any particular note in purely percussive settings. In Music, there are two common meanings for tuning: Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice However, when playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Generally congas are tuned using the open tone (see above).

In general, the particular note will depend on the make, model, and size of the conga drum. The drum should be tuned so that the bass tone resonates, the open tone rings, and the slap pierces through the musical mix. If the tuning is too loose, the bass and slap tones will sound "flabby"; too tight, and the drums will sound unnatural and "pinched. " With a single drum, it is easy to tighten the drum until it makes a pleasing sound and then tighten a little more to reach a uniform desired pitch. It is very important to ensure that tuning is uniform around the drumhead, which can be checked by placing one finger pad in the center of the head and tapping the head near the edge above each lug location to detect any change, adjusting as necessary. Uniform tightness will help "let the drum speak. "

Another important consideration is that head tension can greatly impact the ease or unease of the player, and generally a looser drumhead can lead to hand injury more than a tighter one, because a looser drumhead has less rebound and more muffling effect (hence potentially bruising joints and bones under spirited playing). Also, producing a crisp slap tone is nearly impossible on a loose head. During tuning it is suggested to "let the drum speak" and to conform tuning reasonably closely to the natural resonance (pitch) that the cavity of the drum interior presents. This resonance can be heard by singing or playing loud notes near the drum opening (this is true of tuning any drum) and noticing which pitch decays slowest (that will either be the fundamental [resonant] frequency or one of its simple overtones).

When two or more drums are used, there is a potential for more variation of which notes are chosen, however tuning between or during compositions is rare in live performance. With only two drums, it is common to find them tuned a perfect fourth apart (the same interval used in "Here Comes the Bride") as is the tradition in western classical music for the timpani. The perfect fourth () is a Musical interval which spans four scale degrees The " Bridal Chorus " from the Opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is the standard march played for the bride's Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family

Having three drums (typically the tumba, conga, and quinto) invites experimentation and individual customization. Some congueros like using the intervals of a major chord (e. In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical In Music theory, a major chord ( is a chord having a root, a Major third, and a Perfect fifth. g. F, A, C); some use the second inversion of a major chord (eg. In Music theory, the word inversion has several meanings There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and G, C, E); and some prefer a major second between the quinto and conga, with a perfect 4th descending to the tumba. A major second () also called a whole step or a whole tone, is a Musical interval that occurs between the first and second degrees of a Raul Rekow of Santana often plays five conga drums and chooses to tune them to the opening phrase of a Latin tune he likes.

Famous Conga Players

References

See also

External links

Dictionary

conga

-noun

  1. a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin
  2. a march of Cuban origin in four-four time in which people form a chain, each holding the hips of the person in front of them; in each bar, dancers take three shuffle steps and then kick alternate legs outwards at the beat; the chain weaves around the place and allows new participants to join the back of the chain

-verb

  1. To dance the conga.
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