How to Play Conga Drums in Clave Rhythms
Playing in clave rhythm is one of the first things you learn in conga drumming. The basic tumbao rhythm, played along with the 3-2 son conga pattern, is the basis of countless songs, from traditional Cuban music to jazz and pop. In the article the basic tones are all referred to by the first letter of their names. Thus, the slap sound is "s." The letter "x" refers to a 1-beat pause. Here's how to play conga drums in clave rhythms.
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Instructions
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1
Learn the basic conga sounds. The heel-finger hit is played by hitting the conga with the heel of your hand, followed by the finger tips, using a rocking motion. The open tone is played by landing your palm on the rim of the drum with your fingers outstretched so they briefly strike the surface of the conga, making it ring out. The slap sound is played by landing the hand like you are going to play an open tone and then grabbing at the skin of the conga to make a "pop" sound. For more information, follow the link below.
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2
Get two congas. You want a "quinto," or small conga, and a medium-sized one, simply called "conga."
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3
Learn to play the first part of a tumbao on the quinto. Play all the heel finger sounds with your left hand and the other sounds with your right hand. Each note should take the same amount of time. The rhythm is: h t s t h t o o.
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4
Learn to play the second part of the tumbao. The heel, toe, slap and high open tone are played on the quinto, and the low open tone, indicated by capital "O," is played on the conga: h t s O O t o o.
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5
Put the two together. Practice playing the measure from Step 3 followed by the measure from Step 4.
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6
learn the 3-2 son clave rhythm and record it on a tape. It is a simple 2-measure rhythm, with 3 beats (marked "o") in the first measure and 2 beats in the second measure. It goes as follows: o x x o x x o x and x x o x o x x x.
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7
Play the tumbao along with the clave rhythm. Begin the first measure at the same time as the first beat of the 3-2 rhythm.
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8
Play the tumbao along with the 3-2 rhythm again, this time reversing the order of the measures. Start the second measure of the conga rhythm in time with the first measure of the clave rhythm. The tumbao can be played along with the clave rhythm in either order.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a friend who is willing to sit in, have her play the clave rhythm while you play the tumbao.
If you can't afford good congas to start with, one high quality drum is better than two poorly made ones. You can always simply play the whole rhythm on one conga.
