Playing with Conga Player(empezando aqui con el sabor latino, ayudame!)

tito0515 · #1 02-20-2010, 12:53 AM

Hi All,

I have started playing with a conga player - playing latin music with the goal of playing old school salsa. This is the beginning of a band - hopefully. I have been playing for close to about a year and half to two years, a beginner (man, so much to learn!). He is good, and as dedicated to percussion as I am to bass - boderline obsessive! Thing is, I know the clave 2:3 and 3:2 by heart, but I am still struggling to lock in. He is good at meeting me where I am at, he fills in really good. I want to meet him where he is at. I have listened to latin music all my life. (My mom and all my aunts grew up in Brooklyn in the 60's, how can i not?!) A lot of what I hear is doubling up with the piano player's comping or the horns. We are building up, and as of yet, do not have a piano player or a horn player- the key to the band. But still, I want to lock in. We have a cuatro player, a conga player and a bataa player - looking to bring some old school Maelo sound to the fore. The bataa player has been meeting me there, hitting the deep part of the drum when I hit the deepest part of the rhythm. Still, want to work with what i got. Especially the conga player, because he is, Jesus, dedicated to it. I would like to play with him for a long time, solely for his love for the genre. I have the whole guanguanco rhythm down, the root octave 5 down, bolero and merengue as well. I want the flavor that only our 'sofrito' can give. PLEASE GIVE A BROTHER STARTING OUT SOME HELP!

Tito

bongomania · #2 02-20-2010, 01:45 AM

One of the things I hear when listening to old-school Latin bass is that the initial finger strike/pluck is just barely ahead of the beat, so that the biggest peak of the note, the swell that burps out most strongly a split second later, peaks exactly on the beat. This is how they can be "locked in", even though a plucked upright bass has a slow note attack.

Andrew Jones · #3 02-20-2010, 02:02 AM

What exactly is the problem? Flipping the clave' like a pancake? Grooving....the feel? There's a little loopyness to the groove like a egg rolling. The And of 2 pushes and 4 in ON the beat.

There is no real short cut but....

Get Stanaro's book,learn the rhythms upsidedown and back wards

Learn to play a couple of simple conga beats your self,,,, Learn to play a clave with him and a cascara (sp?) pattern.

Learn the "Notes" that make the melodies of the drums and how the line up with other instruments.

Learn how to beat out a clave with your mouth and clap a whole bunch of latin rhythms over that,,,

Go DANCING!,,,,,yes I'm serious.

Aj