I do not know what they are called, but I was hoping someone could help me figure it out. They sat on a stand and had a deeper tone than what a set of bongos would have produced. They were similar drums, but they were taller. When I was in Jamaica I saw a reggae show, and one of the percussionist was playing a set of drums that looked like the bongos drums. I hope this is what you were looking for. You should be able to find pictures of these online. Sometimes I will get together with friends and we will play a little reggae. I have a pair of Remo conga and Bongo drums and they are lots of fun. However, they are often part of the percussion set in a reggae band. They are not Jamaican drums rather they are Afro-Cuban drums. Although sizes for each type of drum can vary from one model to another, the following sizes are the most common among the top brands. Congas are larger in diameter, and the depth of the shells is much larger than on bongo. All they had was traditional drums and a few kids hand drums.ĭecember 12, PelesTears- I think what you are referring to are conga drums. The size of the drums is the most obvious difference between congas and bongos. We’ve got a growing library of Bongo, Conga, and Timbales Lessons and Courses, over 10+ hours of exclusive Practice Loops, and an amazing Community Forum where you can meet and discuss with other bongo players, as well as get 1-on-1 feedback on everything you’re learning.Does anyone know all the types of music a bongo drum can play? please help me.ĭecember 15, Amphibious54- Where did you buy your bongo and conga drums? I went to my local corporate music emporium and the high school aged kid behind the counter looked at me as if I was crazy when I asked him about the types of drums used to play reggae music. If you’re interested in learning more about this incredible instrument, come check out our Memberships. The history of the drums, as well as how to tune the bongos, how to hold the bongos, and of course getting started learning how to play the bongos, are some of the essential beginner topics that we cover in-depth in our step-by-step online bongo lessons here on the the site. EastRock Bongo Drum 4 and 5 Set for Kids Adults Beginners,Percussion Bongos Drum With Tuning Wrench (Red) 4.7 (4) Save 14. This allowed the bongos to be tuned much higher and with more consistency. In the 1950s, the construction of the bongo drums was altered to include a mechanical tuning system made up of a securable rim, lugs, and adjustable lug nuts that allowed the bongo player to tune the drums with much more precision. Moistening the drumhead lowered the pitch, and heating it allowed the drum to be tuned to a higher pitch. So in order to change the pitch, the skin needed to be either moistened or heated. Just as with conga drums, up until the 1950s, the drumheads were secured to the wooden shells with tacks or nails. Traditionally, bongo drums were non-mechanically tuned percussion instruments. Ethnomusicologists have theorized that the origin of the word “bongo” comes from the Bantu words ngoma or mgombo, meaning drum. The earliest documentation of bongos as know them today comes from the eastern parts of Cuba, an area heavily populated by Bantu slaves from Congo and Angola, and their descendants, in the 19th century. Today’s bongos still use cow skins, as well as water buffalo, steer, and other animals, in addition to synthetic heads.Īs with most hand drums that evolved in the colonies of North and South America, the bongo has deep African roots, specifically from central African regions populated by Bantu tribes. The very first bongos used mainly cow or mule hide for the heads, which was tacked on to the shell. As with its cousins the congas, the bongos can also be fitted with either animal or synthetic heads. Learning to hold the bongos between one’s knees securely, can prove to be a tricky but essential step for the beginner learning how to play bongos. Bongos may be mounted on a metal stand for a standing or sitting player, but are traditionally played by being held between the player’s knees. The two drums are held together by a small bridge normally made up of a composite wood, regardless of the material of the shells. The larger of the two drums, referred to as the “hembra,” is typically between 8-10’’ in diameter, while the smaller drum, the “macho” is generally 6-8” in diameter. The modern bongos, or bongó as they are called in Spanish, are a set of two drums with shells typically constructed of a hardwood such as oak or mahogany, or of fiberglass.
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