How to Play Bongo Drums

Bongo drums add a little bit of a Latin flare to music. As one component of the rhythm or percussion section, the bongo drums are used to accent and punctuate. Although they require practice and a good ear to learn, bongo drums add another layer to music or enhance a good poetry reading.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bongo drums
• Hands

1. Start by positioning the bongo drums. Sit down in a chair and place the drums between your knees at a slight downward angle. The small drum should be by your left knee and the large drum by your right.

2. When hitting the drum, it is important to remove your hand and fingers quickly to get a rich, resonating tone.

3. Your hand should be open with straight, closed fingers. Hit the edge of the drum with palm of your hand and let the straight fingers tap the drum head just short of center.

4. To create a sharper, slap-like sound, cup your hand a little an place more emphasis on your finger tips hitting the drum.

5. To create a deeper sound, use the heel of your palm to "thud" the drum head.

6. Muted sounds can be created by placing one thumb on the drum and striking with the other hand.

7. Accents are created by hitting the drum harder on some beats than on others, or by using the smaller drum to add a higher pitch, or by switching up the different strokes.

8. Now, feel the rhythm!

Tips & Warnings

• You can also mount bongo drums on a stand, especially if you will be moving between instruments.
• Drumsticks or mallets can be used to create even more tones and sounds.
• It takes a lot of practice to get used to the subtle differences in hand positions that create different sounds.
• Beginners will likely find that this is hard on the hands.

[musicdeb]

on 4/28/2009 good tips on playing bongos5*