Post #93279 by MachTiki on Fri, May 28, 2004 11:00 AM

Maybe I can help a little. I play congas. Well... play may be too strong of a word... BASH... thit's it. Anyway, I've only been playing for a short time, but my teacher told me this about tuning hand drums: to tune the drums to eachother play the song "Here comes the Bride" (sounds silly, but it works). Hit the low tone first, That's the "Hear". Now hit the high tone three times, that's the "...Comes the Bride".

Sing along with this at a regular register. You should be able to tune to your own voice.

Next, about tuning. only tighten each nut in 1/4 turn intervals moving around the head. Then go back and tap the wrench on the skin right above the hardware. tap all the way around the head and listen for a consistant tone. Tighten or loosen nuts until it sounds the same all around the head.

Lastly, the first time my teacher tuned my congas, I was sure he was tightening them too hard and they were going to snap. As he tightened them, he kept pushing the palm of his hand into the center of the skin. He explained that there sould be just a little play. Then he told me to mellow out, because it's skin and it needs to streach out.

Hope this helps.