If you have a conga at home, you can proudly call yourself a conguero. True, this will take months of training and a lot of patience. You will need a fair amount of perseverance and attentiveness to learn how to play the congas at home.
Instructions
Step 1
Congas can be played standing or seated. Most often, musicians choose the second option - this way the body gets less tired, and muscle relaxation allows you to achieve better sound. Clamp the tool with your knees and inner thighs. Straighten your back, relax your shoulders. Put your hands on the conga. Your forearms should be parallel to the floor.
Step 2
During the game, the impulse to move the hand should start at the wrist and be transmitted to the fingers. Do not raise your arms too high, 15 cm will be sufficient. You can extract sounds from the instrument with both the right and left hand - separately and simultaneously. Depending on which part of the conga you hit, sounds of different heights will be produced. Closer to the center of the membrane, they will become lower and lower.
Step 3
The main movement of the conga is a five-finger strike. Place your hand on the edge of the tool so that your thumb joint is at the edge of the circle. Press all fingers together. Raise your entire hand and hit the membrane, then immediately remove your hand.
Step 4
To achieve a more "closed" sound, move your hand closer to the edge so that your thumb no longer touches the conga. After hitting, leave your hand on the instrument.
Step 5
If you need to produce low sounds, work with your palm. Bring your brush closer to the center of the conga. During contact, the palm should lie flat on the center, fingers can be left raised or touch the membrane with them. As with the previous methods, you can remove your hand or leave it on while muffling the sound.
Step 6
One of the most difficult conga playing techniques is slap tone. Starting position - the brushes are free on the instrument. The base of the thumb should extend over the edge of the conga. Bend the brush as if you want to draw a handful of water, press your thumb against your index finger. In this case, the palm should be turned down towards the membrane. Try hitting with both your right and left hands in this position.
Step 7
To freely master all techniques, alternate between them and carefully monitor the correct position of the hands and body.
