Conga

The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from the Congo. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto, tres dos or tres golpes, and tumba or salidor. Congas were originally used in Afro-Cuban music genres such as conga and rumba, in which each drummer would play a single drum. Following numerous innovations in conga drumming and construction during the mid-20th century, as well as its internationalization, it became increasingly common for drummers to play two or three drums. Congas have become a popular instrument in many forms of Latin music such as son, descarga, Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, songo, merengue and Latin rock.
The origins of the conga drum can be traced back to West and Central Africa, especially regions now known as Congo, Nigeria, and Angola. The modern version of the conga was developed by Cuban people of African descent during the late 19th century or early 20th century. Its direct ancestors are thought to be the yuka and makuta and the bembé drums. In Cuba and Latin America, congas are primarily played as hand drums. In Trinidadian calypso and soca, congas are sometimes struck with mallets, while in the Congos, they are often struck with one hand and one mallet.

Characteristics

Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell and a screw-tensioned drumhead. Since the 1950s, congas are usually played in sets of two to four, except for traditional rumba and conga, in which each drummer plays one conga. The drums are played with the fingers and palms of the hands. Typical congas stand approximately from the bottom of the shell to the head. The drums may be played while seated. Alternatively, the drums may be mounted on a rack or stand to permit the player to play while standing. While they originated in Cuba, their incorporation into the popular and folk music of other countries has resulted in diversification of terminology for the instruments and the players. In Cuba, congas are called tumbadoras.
Conga players are called congueros, while rumberos refers to those who dance following the path of the players. The term "conga" was popularized in the 1930s, when Latin music swept the United States. Cuban son and New York jazz fused together to create what was then termed mambo, but later became known as salsa. In that same period, the popularity of the conga line helped to spread this new term. Desi Arnaz also played a role in the popularization of conga drums. However, the drum he played was similar to the type of drum known as bokú used in his hometown, Santiago de Cuba. The word conga came from the rhythm la conga used during carnaval in Cuba. The drums used in carnaval could have been referred to as tambores de conga since they played the rhythm la conga, and thus translated into English as conga drums.

Types of drum

Conga drums are classified according to their size, which correlates to their pitch: larger drumheads have a lower pitch and vice versa. Originally, drums were tuned by adjusting knots and tension ropes on the drumhead, or, more commonly, where the drum heads were tacked or nailed to the top of the shell, by careful heating of the head. Modern congas, developed in the early 1950s, use a screw-and-lug tension head system, which makes them easier to tune. This modern type of tension system was pioneered in Cuba by Carlos "Patato" Valdés and in the United States by Cándido Camero.
Historically, terminology for the drums varies between genres and countries. In ensembles that traditionally employ a large number of drums, such as comparsas and rumba groups, a detailed naming system is used, which has been taken up by major conga manufacturers. The drums are listed from largest to smallest diameter :

The supertumba or rebajador can be as large as.
The tumba or salidor is typically.
The conga or tres dos is typically.
The quinto is typically around.
The requinto can be smaller than.
The ricardo can be as small as. Since this drum is typically played while hanging from a shoulder strap, it is considerably shorter and narrower than a traditional conga.

In conjuntos that play son cubano, as well as in charangas and other ensembles where one or two congas were introduced to complement other rhythmic instruments, the drums are named like the bongos: macho and hembra, for the higher and lower-pitched drums, respectively; an additional drum would be called tercera. These correspond to the tumba and conga in rumba ensembles. When the quinto is played by conjuntos it retains its name.

Tuning

Congas, being percussive instruments, do not have to be tuned to any particular note in purely percussive settings. However, when playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. Congas are often tuned using the open tone. In general, the particular note will depend on the make, model, and size of the conga drum. The drum should be tuned so that the bass tone resonates, the open tone rings, and the slap pierces through the musical mix. If the tuning is too loose, the bass and slap tones will sound "flabby"; too tight, and the drums will sound unnatural and "pinched". With a single drum, it is easy to tighten the drum until it makes a pleasing sound and then tighten a little more to reach a uniform desired pitch. It is very important to ensure that tuning is uniform around the drumhead, which can be checked by placing one finger pad in the center of the head and tapping the head near the edge above each lug location to detect any change, adjusting as necessary. Uniform tightness will help "let the drum speak".
Another important consideration is that head tension can greatly impact the ease or unease of the player, and generally a looser drumhead can lead to hand injury more than a tighter one, because a looser drumhead has less rebound and more muffling effect. Also, producing a crisp slap tone is nearly impossible on a loose head. During tuning it is suggested to "let the drum speak" and to conform tuning reasonably closely to the natural resonance that the cavity of the drum interior presents. This resonance can be heard by singing or playing loud notes near the drum opening and noticing which pitch decays slowest - that will either be the fundamental frequency or one of its simple overtones.
When two or more drums are used, there is the potential for more variation of which notes are chosen; however, tuning between or during compositions is rare in live performance. With only two drums, it is common to find them tuned a perfect fourth apart as is the tradition in western classical music for the timpani. Having three drums invites experimentation and individual customization. Some congueros like using the intervals of a major chord. Some players use the second inversion of a major chord ; and some prefer a major second between the quinto and conga, with a perfect 4th descending to the tumba. Raul Rekow of Santana often plays five conga drums and tunes them to the opening phrase of a Latin tune.

Playing techniques

Strokes

Strokes with one hand

1. Tono abierto. Open tone.
2. Tono ahogado . Muffled tone.
3. Tono seco abierto. Open slap.
4. Tono seco tapado. Pressed slap.
5. Tono seco cerrado. Closed slap.
6. Tono bajo de palma. Bass tone.
7. Tono de talón de mano. Heel tone.
8. Toque de punta de mano. Tip tone.
9. Tono de uñas. Fingernails tone.
10. Tono deslizado. Glissando tone.
Basic strokes

There are four basic strokes in conga drumming:

Open tone : played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant sound with a higher pitch than muffled and bass tones.
Muffled, muted, closed of flesh tone or simply "muff": like the open tone, it is made by striking the drum with the four fingers, but holding the fingers against the head to muffle the tone. It can also be played with a cupped hand or the heel of the hand.
Bass tone : played with the full palm, in a slightly cupped position, somewhat off center on the head. It produces a low muted sound.
Slap tone : the most difficult technique, producing a loud clear "popping" sound. The muted or pressed slap tone involves playing an open tone while the other hand rests on the drumhead, which produces a higher pitch. There are open and half-open variants, in which the playing hand briefly rests on the edge of the drumhead after the stroke, followed by another stroke with the other hand. When played at fast and short intervals, this is called floreo, which is often used to instill emotion in the dancers.

Other strokes can be used to enhance the timbral palette of the instrument. They are not used by all drummers, but have become the hallmark of congeros such as Tata Güines.

Touch or toe tone : as implied by the name, this tone is produced by just touching the fingers or heel of the palm to the drum head. It is possible to alternate a touch of the palm with a touch of the fingers in a maneuver called heel-toe, which can be used to produce the conga equivalent of drumrolls.
Nails stroke : played with the tip of the nails, usually finger by finger in quick succession, starting with the pinky.
Glissando and pitch bending

The deslizado, moose call or glissando is done by rubbing the third finger, supported by the thumb, across the head of the drum. The finger is sometimes moistened with saliva or sweat, and sometimes a little coat of beeswax is put on the surface of the conga head to help make the sound. The moose call is also done on the bongos.
To bend the pitch of the congas, a conguero sometimes uses his elbow to shift around on and apply pressure to different parts of the head; this causes the note to change. This is not a traditional stroke, but it is common in modern salsa and rumba.