Las Congas (Ingles)

THE CONGAS


The conga, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum. Although ultimately derived from African drums made from hollowed logs, theCuban conga is staved, like a barrel. These drums were probably made from salvaged barrels originally. They are used both in Afro-Caribbeanreligious music and as the principal instrument in rumba. Congas are now very common in Latin music, including salsa music, merengue music, and Reggae, aswell as many other forms of American popular music.
Playing techniques
Strokes
There are five basic strokes:
-Open tone (tono abierto): playedwith the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant tone with a distinct pitch.
-Muffled or mute tone (tono ahogado): likethe open tone, is made by striking the drum with the four fingers, but holding the fingers against the head to muffle the tone.
-Bass tone (tonobajo): played with the full palm on the head. It produces a low muted sound.
-Slap tone (tono seco): the most difficult technique producing a loudclear "popping" sound (when played at fast and short intervals is called floreo, played to instill emotion in the dancer).
-Touch tone (toque depunta): 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 combine a touchof the palm with a touch of the fingers in a maneuver called
-Heel-toe (manoteo), which can be used to produce the conga equivalent of drumrolls.