How to Choose the Right Bongo Drums

You probably thing about beatnik poet embellishing one’s obscure petry flourishes on a pair of little drums when someone mentions playing bongos. Though this depiction may seem ridiculous, the role of the bongos as an instrument of improvisation isn’t far from true.

Bongos came from Cuba within the Son style of music in the mid 19th century. Son is an organic merging of African and Spanish music from the eastern part of Cuba. They were originally the only drums used in Son music and, because of their soft sound and high pitch, were played only during the introduction and verses of the songs. The bongocero, which is a name for the bongo player in Cuba switched his or her playing to a cowbell during the louder sections of the songs.

The sound of the bongo carries a high pitch, and, as noted, employs a fast, if not rapid, beat. Drums are played between the user’s knees with the hembra usualy placed to the right. The tune of the bongo is created in a number of ways with brushes, sticks, the palms, or the fingers. Indeed, the rhythm of the bongo is strongly emphasized in Latin America music as it is used heavily in such dance moves as the conga, mambo, and salsa.

Tuning Bongos

The hembra and macho bongo drums are typically joined by a sturdy piece of wood and the heads are generally made of animal skins. The bodies of the bongos are made of composite materials, metal, or wood. Heads of the drums can also be made of synthetic by drum makers as well. Drums are manufactured so they can be readily tuned with metal lugs.

Bongo heads comes in two different sizes, and because of this, the sounds that are produced will be different for each of the drums. All players must have a good ear for combining the tones and pitches produced by the drums. Tapping the drum head in different spots will as well create different sounds.

To tune the drums is not too difficult as indicated above. When tuning the bongo drums, your goal is to make sure that each head stretches out smoothly. Therefore, while tuning the bongos, make sure you also focus on the head of the drum as well. Start by giving a lug on the drum a specific number of rotations with a ratchet, or by givign each lug approximately two or three turns. Make sure each lug is turned the same the same number of times so the head is affixed to the drum uniformly.

If you’re looking for a great bongo drums, then we suggest you to get the one from Hip Bongo Drums. It is made of premium materials, and easy to tune. It can be your go to bongos to learn and play for fun.

For more information, go to https://www.artsdel.org/musical-instruments/drums/

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