Help: Tuning bongos

Subject: Tuning bongos
From: Cappuccino
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 03:00 PM

I've got a feeling I'm on a loser before I start with this one... but a friend wants to know how to tune pairs of bongo and conga drums. The best advice we can find so far is 'until it sounds right', which isn't a lot of help.

Is there any conventional pitch or interval between the tuning of a pair of bongoes/congas?

- Ian B

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: Sorcha
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 03:55 PM

I don't suppose this site is much help......

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: Cappuccino
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 05:21 PM

It includes the fascinating data that "The macho head is usually tuned tighter than the hembra head, which can be as much as a full octave lower than the macho."

The mind boggles. Thanks, Sorcha!

- Ian B

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 03:16 AM

The really difficult bit is tuning the drummer's head.

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: Cappuccino
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 03:23 AM

A-ha, now we find something - apparently a pair of bongos or congas is tuned in fifths, which means roughly the same as playing alternate bass notes.

- Ian B

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: mooman
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 06:07 AM

Dear IanB,

The suggestion "until it sounds right" isn't a bad one at all!

You can, of course, tune both congas and bongos to suit the predominant keys the other instruments will be playing in. Convention tuning of congas is that you tune the conga to a key compatible with the rest of the ensemble, the tumbadora (the biggest drum in the normal set of quinto (highest), conga (middle) and tumbadora (lowest)) is then tuned so that, on playing both you get a "here comes the bride" interval between the two (haven't got my musical head on... this being a drum thread!) but would that be a fourth? The quinto is tuned a similar interval above the conga.

I tune my bongos so that I get a "pleasing" scale rising from tumbadora up to the higher bongo! Don't ask me what the notes are! Conventionally your higher bongo is an octave above the lower one but I tend to tune for a pleasing progression rather than rigidly following this rule.

Hope this helps a little (I suspect not!)

mooman

P.S. You've probably guessed by now I "moonlight" in the Latino music genre as well as my usual Irish/Scottish, blues and folk modes (runs for cover...ducking the hurled tiples and noseflutes...!)

Subject: RE: Help: Tuning bongos
From: Cappuccino
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 06:25 PM

Well, it does, actually... thanks.

You'll be telling me next you also play the Chilean rainstick.

All the best - Ian B