"A good drummer listens as much as he plays." ~ Indian Proverb
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"A good drummer listens as much as he plays." ~ Indian Proverb
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The bass tone can also be called the bass stroke, they are one in the same.
Your palm is the main striking portion for bass stroke.
Your hand, palm & fingers should be slightly rounded.
Your fingers should be closed - together rather than spread apart.
Your fingers should be relaxed but never lethargic; energized but never stiff.
Your wrist remains in-line with your forearm: Your hand should not slap the head; rather your hand should fall down and bounce up from the head. You do not need break your wrist (slap) when creating a bass stroke.
Movement is primarily controlled by your elbow rather than the wrist.
Slight movement will also come from your shoulder, but the elbow is the main controller of movement for the Bass Stroke.
Your fingers & palm should remain in the same position for the entire Bass Tone.
The sweet spot for the Bass Stroke is in the center of the drum. - Photo/Diagram of drum - center, middle, top, bottom, rim, open spot, slap spot, touch spot, bass spot
The Bass Tone-Stroke sound is obviously Bassy. Conga drum bass tones are mellow, warm & earthy.
Bass tones are most effective on Tumbadora (12 1/2") & Conga (11 3/4") size conga drums
Your palm, not your fingers, should strike the center of the drum.
Your fingers should extend to near the top of the head.
Imagine an invisible pole extending, perpendicularly, from your drum head to the sky. Your hand should follow the pole, up and down.
Both the downward and upward movement should be perpendicular to the drum head - follow the invisible pole.
The hand should bounce of the drum head (unless you want a muffled tone).
Tip: Imagine the drumhead as a trampoline in which your hand bounces off.
Tip: Let your hands bounce up and down upon the drum head as if you're dribbling a basketball.
Movement is controlled by your elbow, but sound is controlled by the palm striking the center of the head.
