Conga/Bongo Suggestions???

[RP]

I've long plateaued on the guitar and am seriously considering taking up learning to play conga/bongo drums for a change of pace. Suggestions??? Hints???? Admonitions???

[PorkPieGuy]

A lot of people will point you towards playing a cajon, which is fine.

With that said, I prefer a djembe. I can get more sounds out of a decent djembe than I can a set of bongos and a set of congas (and it's a lot less to carry around).

My advice is to get one of those Remo djembes (mondo series?) that you can tune with a drum key. Get either a 14" or a 16".

[jwing]

Playing conga or bongo takes as much practice and dedication as playing guitar.

If you believe me and you are willing to put in the effort, buy high quality instruments, just as you would buy a high quality guitar.

If you think I'm exaggerating, then buy cheap so that the purchase of your new dust-collecting knickknack won't have wasted too much money.

[Kerbie]

Like PorkPieGuy, I much prefer djembes and Remos are my preference. I have a 12" "World Percussion" model which is wonderful. Looks pretty much like this one. I used to have a 14" and it sounded great... obviously, a deeper tone, but I found it less practical. Mine is made in the US.

Remo is a good company... been making excellent drums and drum heads since about 1957. You can find cheaper, but their quality is hard to beat. If you want less expensive, I believe they make some smaller ones without the tunable heads. If I were going to buy any type of hand drum, it would be a Remo.

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by RP

I've long plateaued on the guitar and am seriously considering taking up learning to play conga/bongo drums for a change of pace. Suggestions??? Hints???? Admonitions???

Be careful...I said the same thing a year ago and ended up buying a kit, everything that goes along with doing that, signed for lessons and listen to Art Blakey for hours on end and can now name most of the obscure drummers I never ever heard of a year ago.

The drum culture is as bad or worse than the guitar culture. And I mean that in a good way.

FWIW, I am having a blast. I told my wife two days ago that i'm going to kick my dad in nuts for having me play clarinet for all those years when I was a kid in school instead of the drums.

AND playing the drums has helped my guitar playing in intangible ways that never occurred to me before. Timing is the biggest benefit, followed by note discipline (that could be old age too)

[KevWind]

I will third the Djembe suggestion

[patrickgm60]

Give it a try, OP. I started playing djembe around New Years. Now have 2. Will probably sell the Remo, as I prefer the more natural tone of the wood/skin drums.

I go to local drum circles, 1-3 times a month, with my djembes, shakers, maraccas, agogo bells, and clave. Having a great time. Will likely pick up bongos, next.

[PorkPieGuy]

Originally Posted by Johnny K

Be careful...I said the same thing a year ago and ended up buying a kit, everything that goes along with doing that, signed for lessons and listen to Art Blakey for hours on end and can now name most of the obscure drummers I never ever heard of a year ago.

The drum culture is as bad or worse than the guitar culture. And I mean that in a good way.

I'm more of a drummer than a guitar player, that's for sure. I've been playing drums for almost 25 years. Gigging-wise, it's a lot more work than guitar, but IMO it's much more fun too. And don't get me started on the gear. People think that drums are expensive, but just wait until you have to start buying cymbals. Sheesh. I've got waaay more money in cymbals, hardware, drum thrones, and cases than I do cymbals (and I have some really nice USA-made drums).

Originally Posted by Johnny K

FWIW, I am having a blast. I told my wife two days ago that i'm going to kick my dad in nuts for having me play clarinet for all those years when I was a kid in school instead of the drums.

When I was in elementary school, my brother (who was in middle school at the time) started a band, and they all practiced at my house. The drummer left his drums at the house and told me it was ok to play on them. I became obsessed with them and would go and play them for hours. I absolutely loved it. I was hooked. I asked for a drum set from my parents. I got a piano instead. Granted, piano is a great thing, but drums is where it's at for me. I can't help but think how good I would be now if I got a set back then. I didn't get my first drum set until I was 19 years old.

Originally Posted by Johnny K

AND playing the drums has helped my guitar playing in intangible ways that never occurred to me before. Timing is the biggest benefit, followed by note discipline (that could be old age too)

Playing drums is about 100% commitment to a note. Unlike playing guitar (or bass, piano, etc.), there's not place to hide. When you are playing guitar and you hit a wrong note, some people will notice, but most won't. However, when you play drums and miss something, EVERYONE notices. Learning to play drums teaches a person how to 100% commit to a note and a song no matter what. It has definitely had a positive effect on my piano playing and my guitar playing.

[Tone Gopher]

Originally Posted by RP

I've long plateaued on the guitar and am seriously considering taking up learning to play conga/bongo drums for a change of pace. Suggestions??? Hints???? Admonitions???

Pick one - congas and bongos have very different techniques. If congas are what you want to hear, don’t settle for djembe or cajon - different techniques, different sounds.

Find a real percussionist that will help demo some congas for you. Used congas can be a good buy, especially if they have good heads. You can get a lot of mileage out of one conga (vs a set) - start with a conga (vs quinto or tumba), learn good technique, then see where it takes you.

Here’s a webpage of a real conguero: http://michaelpluznick.com/the-ten-b...-market-today/

Enjoy!

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by PorkPieGuy

I'm more of a drummer than a guitar player, that's for sure. I've been playing drums for almost 25 years. Gigging-wise, it's a lot more work than guitar, but IMO it's much more fun too. And don't get me started on the gear. People think that drums are expensive, but just wait until you have to start buying cymbals. Sheesh. I've got waaay more money in cymbals, hardware, drum thrones, and cases than I do cymbals (and I have some really nice USA-made drums).




When I was in elementary school, my brother (who was in middle school at the time) started a band, and they all practiced at my house. The drummer left his drums at the house and told me it was ok to play on them. I became obsessed with them and would go and play them for hours. I absolutely loved it. I was hooked. I asked for a drum set from my parents. I got a piano instead. Granted, piano is a great thing, but drums is where it's at for me. I can't help but think how good I would be now if I got a set back then. I didn't get my first drum set until I was 19 years old.



Playing drums is about 100% commitment to a note. Unlike playing guitar (or bass, piano, etc.), there's not place to hide. When you are playing guitar and you hit a wrong note, some people will notice, but most won't. However, when you play drums and miss something, EVERYONE notices. Learning to play drums teaches a person how to 100% commit to a note and a song no matter what. It has definitely had a positive effect on my piano playing and my guitar playing.

I have a lot a cash tied into my drumming addiction. But oddly enough, and thru shrewd buying and wheeling and dealing I still haven't spend as much on all my collective gear as I did on my Martin HD28V. But the gap is narrowing fast as I have starting investing in Zildjian K Custom cymbals, one at a time. I have 3, a 20" dry ride, an 18" fast crash and yesterday i picked up a 16" fast crash. Collectively those three cymbals cost me almost as much as I paid for my 2nd drum kit, a used Gretsch Catalina Maple 7pc kit. My first kit is complete Pearl Roadshow kit i bought new, which If I try to sell will maybe net me as much as I paid for the K Custom Dry Ride cymbal. However, cymbals do hold value and I will probably never lose money on used K's. So I will keep buying them when I can. I am thinking of selling the Pearl kit with the Sabian B8's cymbal pack that came with the Gretsch kit. I want a set of K Custom 14" Dry hi-hats. and a DW9000 hi-hat stand. A DW9000 Double pedal would be nice too. I asked my wife to get me a Roc-Soc tractor throne (the nice hydraulic one) for Christmas. I have a round DW screw throne now and it cuts off circulation in my legs. Oh and then there is that Gretsch chrome over brass USA snare....

[RP]

Thanks for all the great suggestions & thoughts. Keep them coming....