Here is the first of two lessons on Bongos. I discuss different types of heads, the bongos themselves and the basic strokes. I also explain the Martillo rhythm.
My sister was visiting Cuba and was on one of the last planes out before Castro took over and she brought me a pair of bongos as a gift. They were very crude by todays standards as the skin was stapled on etc. but I had fun practicing to Mr. Bongo’s Africa Cuban record and playing at party’s and beatnik coffee houses on S. California’s Venice Beach as a kid. Now playing in a church band here Costa Rica 🌴😎🌴 Thanks Rick for a very informative video 👍
Just got Bongos, Aspire Tye Dye. I play drum.set in a rock band and we now play quieter inside. I play Cajon and added Bongos, a splash cymbal I hit with hand. Excellent videos!
Ok…what CAN’T you do?!! I just came back from Cuba and have been on an Afro-Cuban music kick for the last month and actually tuned up my old Bongos today…and I see this video…. The algorithm is working and my phone must be “listening” to me (and my playlists!)
Thank you for your very useful video. I recently bought a bongo set LP Aspire 6 3/4" - 8". I am beginner and tuned them like this: M= E4 - H=G3 I'm disappointed that I can't get a higher sound on the macho, i mean a really light and crisp sounds, without risking damage. Is it due to the dimensions of the macho: 6 3/4 ? Thanks for a reply if you have time to..
Thats the lower end of the LP line and they skimp on the heads so change the macho to a synthetic bongo head like the ones I talk about and your should be able to get your hi macho sound.
I don't know how to ask this so it makes sense. (And this doesn't have to do with the introduction.) But I've seen people hold bongos between their legs., and (in your case, for example) on a stand. Would it make a difference in sound if they were on the floor, in front of you? (like if you were just sitting or lying on the floor playing them)
Hi Traditionally they are held between the legs. I would imagine that if you play them flat on the floor or on a trap table they would loose some volume since you are closing off some of the space below them. It would also be uncomfortable after a while.
@@rickdior Thanks for answering my question. I'd like to know is if there are any short, small stands for bongos, so I can still sit on the floor when I'm playing.
Thanking you, very good. One question, is there a left and a right bongo? I noticed that some players play with the smaller bongo on the left and the bigger on the right. Cheers
Yes, there is. Most right-handed players set up the smaller drum (the macho-male) on the left and the larger drum (hembra-female) on the right. You don't have to do this, but it is the traditional way the bongos are played.
@@rickdior Thanking you Rick very much. Okay so i am playing the macho on the left but it feels weird, hope that is how it should feel when your just starting out. on the drums, the right is what I hit the hihat with.
I just found a set of Bongos in a thrift store for 12 dollars, they are 55 dollars on Amazon. They are 8 inch and 7 inch in size, but they were loose, but I found butterfly bolts inside one and tightened them. They look like they maybe were used by a High School student and not used much at all. I need to get a tuning Key so I will visit a local music store and see if they are in tune. I discovered siting in bed they do not sound like bongos, but sitting up in a char or standing they sound like Bongos, so note to self; Do not cover the bottoms. I hope I can learn these as they are small, portable and sound like a good variety of beat styles can be played on them. LeSage 7 in and 8 in Natural Bongo Set
Hey Rick. Can you explain the obsession with the Martillo? Almost every bongo video is just people playing a martillo. Drum videos aren’t just people playing a rock beat. Don’t understand. I get it has its place in a samba rhythm section, but that’s it it seems. Surely an instrument is there to be used as you like, taken to new ground, played in new ways. There are a thousands of genres and rhythms beyond martillo/samba… a million rhythms that can work musically within and around any accompaniment. Jimmy Hendrix played his guitar upside down (and no he didn’t learn to play it the right way round first!).
Hi Sam The Martillo is just the basic bongo rhythm that came out of the Cuban dance forms (such as Mambo) which was made popular in the states in the late 1940's. It exists in several forms. It is not originated in Samba which is Brazilian in origin although bongos are certainly used in lots of Brazilian music these days. You can think of it as the Ride cymbal pattern in Jazz or the 8th note hihat rhythm in rock. Since bongos are primarily used as a "color" instrument (as opposed to the congas or timbales which are very much the heart of the Cuban dance form rhythm sections), the bongo Martillo is just a stepping off point. You can listen to lots of Soul music from the 60's and 70's and hear both bongos and congas playing these standard types of rhythms that originated in the Cuban dance forms and were changed over time as they were copied from group to group. I suggest you watch some Latin group videos to see what the bongos are doing there. A good place to start would be the many Poncho Sanchez band videos online so you can see and appreciate the role they play in the music of their origin.
