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Tuning in on Bongos

(Techniques for Playing, Tuning & Caring for Bongos)

by Kurt Rassmussen

This article is basically going to focus on tuning techniques for bongos. But before we get started, I would like to give you a little information and a brief history on bongo drums. I prefer to refer to the bongos as bongo, it's fine to call them bongos, but the singular is also acceptable. When referring to yourself as a bongo player you are also known as a bongocero.

Like all Afro-Cuban instruments, I can't stress enough the importance of finding a teacher who is well trained in the traditional Afro-Cuban techniques of bongo playing. Even though there are many applications for the bongo and many ways to produce a wide variety of sounds, it is important to lay down good technique before experimenting with other applications.

The bongo was created in Cuba and was first used in playing one of Cuba's most popular forms of folk music called the son. The bongo was the only drum used in a sexteto (a musical group defined by its instrumentation) that played son. Later the conga was added forming the musical group conjunto.

The two individual drums that make a bongo each have their own names. The larger drum is called the hembra (female) and the smaller drum is referred to as the macho (male). The first bongos used only tacked animal skins and were tuned by using heat. Today's bongos are not only equipped with tunable hardware but there are also several types of drum heads to choose from.

About Lug Lube and Tuning

Tuning the bongo is a fairly simple task, once you have learned the basics. This article will give you all the information you need to tune your bongo whether you tuck your own head or use a premounted head.

If you just changed your head and have to put the tuning lugs on you can use some lug oil to help protect the lugs & threads.  LP offers an excellent lug oil called Lug Lube.  A ratchet or LP tuning wrench are excellent tools for tuning.  This tool makes tuning and detuning your drums a breeze.  LP offers the Percussion Survival Tool Kit (LP525), it comes with a compact ratchet, one 9/16" and one 1/2" deep socket and a bottle of LP Lug Lube.

Before you add the tuning lugs be sure to use some lug oil.

The most important aspect of tuning drums is making sure the head stretches evenly. This can be achieved by keeping your eye on the head as you tune your bongo. When you begin tuning your bongo, choose one lug and give it a certain number of turns (a full rotation of the ratchet). When you first start tuning the bongo the head will be loose, so you will need to start with maybe 2 or 3 turns per lug. Make sure that you tighten each lug the same amount of turns, this will also help insure that the head stays on the drum evenly.

Tune in a circular fashion, giving each lug the same amount of turns.

The bongo should always be tuned in a circular movement, start with any lug make sure you go to the next lug in the circle and not the lug across. Once you have tuned all the lugs, look at the drum from the side and check to see if the head is even. If you notice that the head is not even, you will need to go back and tighten the lugs that are causing the problem. As the tension increases you will need to use less turns of the ratchet, perhaps 1 or 2 turns this cycle. Once again, look at the bongo from the side to see if the head is mounted evenly. If it is not even, fine tune as previously mentioned. This method applies to both natural and synthetic heads.

One problem I have noticed is that some players are afraid to tighten the head as much as they should. Sometimes heads do split but this is less likely to happen with LP heads. But as we know split happens, so it is a good idea to always have a back up premounted head.

Generally the macho head is tuned very tight so you get a nice crisp open tone, this way martillo (most basic bongo rhythm) has a nice sharp "tic" to it. The hembra will be tuned much lower in pitch then the macho. I know some players who like to keep the macho and hembra roughly an octave apart. ft you're not sure how the bongo should sound, I suggest listening to some Salsa recordings. When you hear a bongo sound you like, try to match the sound with your own bongo.

Detuning and Changing Your Heads

When detuning the bongo begin with the same lug you started with when you tuned your bongo.

Detuning your drums after playing is extremely important. After you've finished playing take your ratchet and reverse its direction. Begin the detuning process with the same lug you started with when you tuned your bongo. Give each lug 1 or 2 turns, keep going around the drum from lug to lug until the bongo pitch is lowered but the lugs are still snug. A secret to retuning is to remember the number of turns you used when you detuned. To simplify retuning remember to turn each lug the same amount of turns that you used when you tuned. You may need to fine tune a bit but this will definitely keep you in the ballpark.

Remember if you are using natural skins the weather will effect your tuning. If you are using synthetic heads the weather isn't much of a problem. Once again it is not necessary to detune synthetic heads, but I suggest that you do because it keeps stress of the drum shell.

When should the heads be replaced? When you start noticing that your sound isn't as crisp as it once was, this is a clear indication that you should replace your heads. I try to make a habit of changing my heads every few months, this insures that my bongo projects nice, crisp sounds.

Bongo Drums and the Flintstones

I've already mentioned the importance of learning the traditional Afro-Cuban techniques of playing the bongo. Now I would like to touch on other ways the bongo can be used. One of my favorite examples of using the bongo in the studio is in the cartoon series the Flintstones. The sound I am referring to is when Dino the dinosaur starts running. This sound was created by using sticks on the bongo, it is a double stroke roll one stick on each drum. This great idea was created by studio musician and percussion master Emil Richards. This is just one example of using the bongo in a non-traditional setting.

LP endorser Patrick Buchmann demonstrates his unique set up. He often uses brushes on his bongos and congas.

Try experimenting with different sticks like split sticks and assorted mallets. Using sticks for soloing is also quite common when playing Afro-Cuban music. Some musical situations may call for the bongos to be tuned much lower than normal. This is also how the bongos were tuned when musicians played Afro-Cuban son before the conga was added.

Tuning to a specific note is also used quite often in studio situations. Sometimes hand techniques other than the traditional Afro-Cuban style are quite useful. Try different frame drumming techniques or even tabla fingerings on the bongo. Experiment with other hand drumming and creative tuning, this may be just what the music needs rather than the traditional Afro-Cuban techniques.

The Call of the Bongo

In this last section I would like to give you a few listening suggestions. Some of the world's greatest bongoceros are included in the following list. These great artists will give you ideas on how the bongo should sound. This list is by no means complete, but it does give you a starting point. (My apologies to all the great players who are not listed here.)

Jose Mangual, Sr. , Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez, Jr. , Thomas Lopez , Armando Peraza , and Manny Oquendo

I hope that you have found this article helpful and in closing don't forget "es tiempo del martillo"! (It's hammer time!)

Con el Latin de Los Cueros, (With the Beat of the Skins)

Kurt Rasmussen

If you would like to hear Kurt's bongo playing please look for the following cds: Johnny Blass, "Night in LA" and Fred Ramirez, "Dizlocation" both are on the Dos Coronas label.

 

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Bongo Lessons - Essays & Articles by the Pros