Bongo question

Hi...any Bongo masters out there?

I need help.....

I have been listening to many bongo albums, including those by Jack Constanzo, and others.

I have a nice pair of expensive Bongos, but can't seem to get them up to the correct pitch..my bongos are LP fiberglass, not the cheap ones..but no matter what, I can't get that "aerosol spray paint rattle" sound that I am hearing on records...I have tightened them up as far as I believe is safe, but still seem to be about 4-5 notes too low.

Were most of these old-school players using either smaller bongos or tri-bongos (with the much smaller high drum)?

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.

Thanks mach Tiki!

I had the same problem, where I am tightening, and I am hearing this horrible cracking sound! I want to think that I won't snap them, but it sure sounds scary!

Plus, I would have to go about 4-5 notes higher then I am now....

Here is an example...if you have ever heard "bongoland" the lounge compilation...the first song has only bongos at the beginning...and my bongos (which are very good quality LP) seem to be MUCH lower! it's almost as though it's a smaller set that I am hearing on the song, compared to mine..I feel I could go a bit higher, but as it is, there is no "play" in the head right now! I am sure to go 4 notes higher would just totally snap the head!

Tiki Mick,

I know the sound you're talking about. It sounds like the bow of a ship in a typhoon that's about to hit land. Kinda like that?

Anyway, LP's site is a fantastic help for beginners like us. I found a link that is SPECIFICALLY about tuning Bongos:

http://www.lpmusic.com/Play_Like_A_Pro/Tech_Support/tuning_bongos.html

This should explain it all to ya.

P.S. Wise choice on LP's. That's what my Congas are as well. When I looked into what to buy, EVERY single hand drummer I talked to recommended LP's.

[ Edited by: MachTiki on 2004-05-28 13:09 ]

Yeah! thats exactly the sound! And it is damn unerving! It also reminds me of "das boot" for some reason!

I know I can get these things higher....but what is that damn cracking sound? The lugs moving around? Or the head stretching to the breaking point? My Banjo also makes that sound, but has not exploded yet!

LP makes good stuff...these Bongos are really heavy and pro-quality..cost about 250!

On 2004-05-28 14:29, tiki mick wrote:
Yeah! thats exactly the sound! And it is damn unerving! It also reminds me of "das boot" for some reason!

I know I can get these things higher....but what is that damn cracking sound? The lugs moving around? Or the head stretching to the breaking point?

Mostly it's the sound on the wood or fiberglass compressing. Which is 100% natural.

[ Edited by: MachTiki on 2004-05-28 14:56 ]

It also has to do with how you play it and how the microphone is mixed. Often on old records the technique is more like a slap than a tone. A skilled percussionist can make even a very dull drum sound sharp and slappy, if you know what I mean. I'd spend a little time experimenting with how many kinds of sounds you can get out of them - often it's quite a few.

-Randy

The bongos are my secong instrument!!!

Well, I broke down and bought a book on Bongos..it explained a few things!

it seemes that with a new bongo, you must tune it up in stages, a little higher and higher over a 2-3 day period until you get it as tight as can be. Then let it "set" for a day. From then on, it supposedly is easier to bring up to pitch. But it also said to detune it after playing.

I tried this, and then recorded the sound. It was good. Exactly what I was looking for. (specifically, I wanted the sound of "dino" from the flintstones running!)

I love my bongos now!

I think that they are my favorite drum sound of all. I like them even more then congas or even my pro-quality dumbek!

The sound is instant exotica, in fact, you NEED bongos for exotica!

After I learned how to tune them properly, I was rewarded with that high slap sound and open tone...like a hammer hitting a nail..the "martillo" sound!

I think the secret lies in the quality of the bongos, and the quality of the head. My Drums are fiberglass american made LP...this company has some bargain brands too, like Aspire, Cosmic Percussion and Matador..and they all suck...I had a pair of the matadors and the aspire, and the tone was dull....boring...not inspiring at all!

These fiberglass bongos must weigh about 30 pounds! The heads say "hand picked" on them, and that is where they differ from the bargain brands...which are lesser quality end-cuts from the hide.

The tone is crisp, and they record very well indeed!

All in all, if you are serious about playing bongos..(which I am) then spend the extra 150 and get the fiberglass, or generation 2 or 3....and for the most top of the line, 350 will get you the Galaxy Giovanni Hidalgo signature...and those things are beautiful indeed!
I was listening to the Very cool Martin Denny double CD last night, and noticed how predominant the bongos are, out of all the other percussion used..those bongos were the show piece on so many great songs like "oro""mau mau" and others!

I was jealously readng the euro guy's post, regarding starting an exotica band....man, I wish I could find the same thing here in SoCal!

I am down to only one band now (quit my rock band and my jazz band), the fabulous smokin menehunes...which satisfies my desire for great authentic hapa-haole style Hawaiian music....but I am "jonesing to one day start an exotica band...

it;s either that or I try to kidnap the ENTIRE Fisherman vibraphonic!!

And then NYC would hate me forever!

I bought some Bongos last week, but they are cheap ass ones. I had some from Cuba, but gave them to my uncle. So my cousin plays Skin on Skin congas and just said he "sold out and bought some "Giovanni" something or others. He's up to playing with four congas now and has even received props from Poncho himself.. I amd going on and on about my lil cousin because he started playing congas when I started carving. He tightens in a cross pattern and punched the top of my bongos to help seat them. He also put a little lotion on the skins. I know the skins will tighten up in the sun. I was on vacation and all the bongo players had a black skin on the smaller head and it had that sound y'all are talking about. Anybody seen on of these black skins? I'm on the path to bongo playing school. After a lil practice , I think I'll do a little carving on them.

Hey Chikitiki...your primo sounds like a pro conguero!

I also read about putting a little lotion on the heads...in fact, when they came out of the box, the heads were juicy and moist...

I read that a popular replacement head for the smaller drum, (the macho?) is x-ray film...they use that often in cuba and puerto rico....could that be the black head you are talking about?

The giovanni hildago congas and bongos are stunningly georgeous...made of some striped wood, with gold rims....extremely beautiful things!

On 2004-06-10 08:45, tiki mick wrote:
Hey Chikitiki...your primo sounds like a pro conguero!

I also read about putting a little lotion on the heads...in fact, when they came out of the box, the heads were juicy and moist...

I read that a popular replacement head for the smaller drum, (the macho?) is x-ray film...they use that often in cuba and puerto rico....could that be the black head you are talking about?

The giovanni hildago congas and bongos are stunningly georgeous...made of some striped wood, with gold rims....extremely beautiful things!

The innuendos in Mick's post make me ill...

What? Lotion? head? Macho? hidalgo?

Which one Crosby?

"it puts on the lotion or it gets the hose"

BONGOS!

Addendum

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga 2007-05-26 22:35 ]

Jack Costanzo in Harem Holiday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCZvAxb29IE

Although experimenting with tuning is, indeed, the way to achieve that distinctive mid-20th Century bongo pitch, do keep in mind that a great deal of bongos that one hears on the Exotica albums, as well as soundtracks from the 1950s and '60s, are being played with drum sticks. Playing bongos this way will immediately give a higher, sharper pitch. I prefer playing bongos with my index and middle fingers closer to the rim of the head, which also produces a higher pitch. Depending on the complexity of the rhythm, pressing down on the head whilst striking the bongo with the index finger will also deliver a sharp pitch.

EXCELLENT LINKS Unga....ahhhh...those were the days. That is quite a snazzy shirt that Jimmy is wearing... :)

I recently purchased a set of LP Matador Congas and Bongos. Just got them to help me gain some rhythm knowledge (so I can apply the skill to my vibraphone). Thanks so much for posting about how to adjust the skins. :)

Great stuff on here everyone. Thanks! Heres a "Bongo Tidbit" for ya. Since I was a kid I would tune my bongos over a stove burner. Hold you bongos about 2ft. above a med. flame. Keep tapping on the skin w/one or two fingers. You will soon hear the tone rising. When it hits a pitch you like?...your done! I have also tried this on skinned tambourine's from various countries and it works quite well.
Using sticks has been mentioned already, & that is really cool to do in certain situations. A variation on this is to use felt mallets. Try it sometime, you will be amazed at not only the tone, but the rolls you can achieve. Hope this helps....................Remy

Yikes! You guys dug up one of my old posts from 4 years ago!!

My bongos sound fine now. It's just a matter of really getting the pitch up there so tight that there is no "Play" in the head. It has to sound like a nail hitting a hammer. But, I won't use sticks on them, nor will I heat them over a stove!!! Sounds a bit risky on that last one!!

Anyway, that was four years ago. Since them, I have used them on many recordings, and they always sound great to my ears. Fiberglass.