The conga drum is a greatly misunderstood and underrated instrument. To begin with, the Cuban name “conga” is just one of many names used for drums of this type throughout Western Africa and the Caribbean. Since it was Cuba that introduced this drum to us in various forms of Latin music, “conga” is the name by which it is known. There are two approaches to learning the conga drum: the modern and the traditional. Using the modern approach, the percussionist— who may have no previous background in this instrument—learns two or three different sounds which can be produced on the conga, and then proceeds to make up whatever rhythmic patterns he feels may fit the music he’s accompanying. The traditional approach, however, involves learning at least five distinct sounds plus variations on each of them, bringing the total up to around fifteen. Furthermore, it involves learning possibly hundreds of rhythms […]

August September 1982 Issue