\n
Open Tone<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The open tone is the simplest and most straightforward way to strike the bongo drums. Gently hit the drum near, but not directly on the bearing edge<\/strong>–more towards the center of the drum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/picture>An open tone can be done with one or more fingers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nOne very important aspect of the open tone is that you immediately raise your hand after hitting the drum. <\/strong>You don’t snap it back, but it’s more similar to the physics of your hand bouncing off of the drum, gently pulling back after hitting. This is what gives the drum an open <\/strong>tone, and you’ll hear your drum resonate slightly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n
Muted Strike<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The muted strike is done by pressing the thumb into near the center of the drum and then striking near the bearing edge<\/strong> (not directly on the bearing edge<\/strong>) with the opposite hand’s index finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/picture>Muted Strike<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n
The Heel<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The Heel and Toe make up the Manoteo, which is simply your (mostly left) hand rocking back and forth between the heel and the toe. The heel in the Manoteo sets up the muted strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/picture>The heel tone in the Manoteo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n
The Toe<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The toe is the other half of the Manoteo. I’m exaggerating how far you’d rock your hand so you can see what’s in contact with the drum. It’s simply the last two or three fingers of your hand. The Manoteo would then repeat with the hand coming back into the heel position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/picture>The toe tone in the Manoteo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nNow that you have the some bongo techniques under your belt, it’s time to incorporate these into different rhythms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Basic Rhythms to Play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Let’s start back with the basic rhythm we learned before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quarter Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/audio>2 bars of quarter notes at 80BPM (beats per minute)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAlthough this is a simple rhythm, you will be light years <\/strong>ahead of other beginners if you can nail<\/strong> playing this rhythm steadily without variation of time between the notes. Evenness in your rhythms is critical to successful bongo playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEighth Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Now, we’ll throw in some eighth notes to make the rhythm more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/audio> 2 bars of quarter notes and eighth notes at 80BPM (beats per minute) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis is a fairly basic rhythm but would actually do really well in keeping time <\/strong>in a song. The best part about bongos is that you can embellish and make this rhythm interesting as is tasteful for the style of music you are playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe eighth notes (if you’re new to sheet music) are half<\/strong> the value of the quarter note. Listen to the rhythm a few times and you’ll see that the eighth notes fall exactly between the length of a quarter note. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Martillo Rhythm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Next I’m going to show you a fundamental rhythm to many types of Latin music that can be used in many different genres: the Martillo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Martillo rhythm is basically synonymous<\/strong> with the bongos. Every bongo player learns the Martillo rhythm as a matter of course. Does that mean that Latin music only plays the Martillo in every song? <\/p>\n\n\n\nWell, no, but it serves as the foundation, and in fact many bongoseros will play complex rhythms and then come back to the Martillo, because the rhythm serves as an anchor for the song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Martillo is more complicated than what we’ve learned previously. I recommend watching my video on the Martillo if you want to accelerate your learning.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>
Martillo for Beginners With Easy Variations<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>