5 Sure-fire Steps On How To Play Congos

Congos or Congas are types of drums made from multiple strips of woods or fiberglass. These instruments were originated in Africa yet mostly seen played in Latin America. As part of Latina’s rich tradition, congas were used in playing their favorite music including salsa and rumba. With the mix of reggae and cultural music, the night is always momentous for locals as well as tourists in the place. Learning how to play congos is actually very easy. All you need is practice and time.

Unlike drums and other bass instruments, congos are more traditional and elegant. With the synthetic materials and awesome sound, musicians from all over America really appreciated such music. Most of the time, congas are played in 3 to 4 sets. By the way an artist who played such instrument is known as “conguero” The average size of congas is about 3 feet. There are also small conga drums known as “nino” and the largest one is called “tumba” Congas were first seen on television played by Ricky Ricardo or Desi Arnaz on “I love you Lucy” The aspect that really needs more time in playing congos is the rhythms and basic tones.

There are five acceptable steps on how to play congos. As a newbie in this instrument, these simple steps will help you a lot in mastering the basics of congo drums.

1. Choosing congas is the first step that you should consider first. You can choose from 3 different sizes and it’s all depends on your taste and ability to play musing using this instruments. Experts recommended buying middle range congas as it sounds excellent and provides both high and low tone.

2. Invest a small amount for tutorials- there are schools and workshops that offer conga tutorials. As you watch experts playing their favorite music, you can get tips and hints and playing it right. On the other side, if you don’t want to spend money you can just watch some videos on the internet.

3. Tune the instrument – like guitars, violins and other instruments there’s no specific tuning for congas because it all depends on the using to choose pitch and tension points. After all, it is always advised to check the elements most especially the heads after playing.
4. Perform some warm ups before playing – as you wish, you can stretch your shoulders and wrists to avoid pulling any muscles. Let it last for about 5-10 minutes and make sure your arms are flexed before playing such instrument.

5. Play loosely – don’t be too wild in playing congas as these create tension in muscles as well as joints. Just relax and protect your joints. Also maintain the 5-inch gap among your fingers down to the air while having a few strokes.

After all, regular practice and continuous playing is the most powerful tip in order to master the basics in playing congas. Always bear in mind that you can’t just do it by one or two days. Of course you have to spend a bit of your time in order to succeed. These steps on how to play congos are just guides in starting your career as a “conguero”

By: Jodi Brown

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Joddie R Brown is a personal appearance worker from New York. For more than 10 years in this job, she was able to save money and established her own business. Aside from cosmetics and other products for women, she also sells instructional dvds online. These include how to play congos, orchestral lessons and other playing instruments that involve online tutorials.