The Conga drum and Afro-Cuban

Tradition

Cubans and Africans are a very colorful people whose culture is filled with laughter,

dancing, good food and enjoyment. Music is the key thing that upholds the vibe of Cuba

and Africa and keeps it living. At the heart of Afro-Cuban music is the conga drum. It is

widely known and has a distinct vertically convex shape that is more cylindrical than

round. Taking a look at one, a conga drum may seem like a curved piece of wood with a

thick leathery sheet on top of it. However, given the diverse sounds and techniques that

are available using a conga drum, it can be compared to a book. You only get to know

about it through “reading” (i.e. playing) it and it most certainly cannot be judged by its

cover.

The term conga refers to certain music groups in Cuba and the instruments they play.

The conga drum is the drum they use and that is where the name comes from. The

conga drum originates from the mid-19th century and knowledge of how to play it has

mainly been passed down from generation to generation. The history of the conga drum

can be considered diverse since its roots originated from Africa but has a rich Cuban

influence as a result of African slaves being taken to Cuba. The conga drum is actually

a descendant of at least one native African drum out of the drums that were taken to

Cuba from Africa. Its likely predecessors are the Makuta, Ngoma, Yuka, Bembé and
Ashiko. Given the fact that the making of the conga drum was not a documented

process, this list is very much not exhaustive or certain to be accurate. As a result of the

varied influence and culture in the history of the conga, there are many styles of play

and different rhythms being practiced. The words “conga” comes from the word

“Congo”. This is a country in Africa where slaves were taken to Cuba from. The world

“conga” developed as a female version of the word “congo”. The playing of the conga

drum was a way for African slaves to preserve their culture after being savagely pulled

out of their homeland. The Africans used the conga for religious practices and important

ceremonies. In fact, there are certain sacred drums used only on special religious

occasions and cannot be touched or played by just anybody.

Amidst all the diverse ways of playing a conga, there are five basic strokes. An open

tone, a muffled tone, a bass tone, a slap/smack, and a simple touch (using the fingers

or the heel of palm). An open tone is conducted by using the four fingers to hit down on

the drum, near the rim, such that a clear and powerful tone is heard accompanied by a

light slapping sound from the skin of the finger hitting the hard leather of the drum skin.

In order to not muffle the sound the hand must be raised immediately sufficient contact

is made. A muffled tone is played similar to an open tone, however the fingers remain

firmly on the drum instead of shooting right up in order to muffle the sound. There are

more complex variations such as a muff smack which is sort of a blend between a

muffled sound and a smack. Such techniques require rigorous practice to master. A

bass tone is produced by placing the whole hand firmly in the center of the drum skin in

a sharp thud. This results in a deep low-end sound comparable to a kick drum. A

slap/smack is a sharp violent motion when the hand is flung (sort of elastically) onto the
drum skin. This makes more of a clapping sound than a sustained tone and that is the

test to know that the sound being produced is truly a smack. Further advanced

techniques include clutching the skin as the fingers touch it and other procedures.

These all produce different sounding sounds and allow the conga to be a power horse

of a drum. One last basic way to add variety to the sound of a conga drum is the fact

that they can be tuned up and down. Tuning is the process where the skin on the drum

is either loosened or tightened to change the pitch and depth of the sound. Tuning a

conga up results in a sharp high pitched noise. Tuning the conga down results in a

slightly more sustained lower and deeper bass sound. Congas are tuned with spanners

and it is important for the lifespan of the conga to tune each knob to the same extent (as

there are knobs spanning the circumference of the conga and should all be in balance).

In terms of actually playing the conga, it is done using rhythms. Conga rhythms are

sequences of strokes, both complex and simple, usually in the 6/8 time signature. 6/8

time is a time signature where each measure gets six eighth note beats. Rhythms range

from simple to complex. A rhythm may be as simple as 2 bass tones and a smack or

infinitesimally complex. Once the basic sequence of a rhythm is obtained it is repeated

for the whole song. Another aspect, one which I consider to be the most “African” part of

drumming, is the conversation aspect. At some point in the rhythm, one of the drums

plays a distinct sequence which starts a conversation between two or more drums. The

other drum(s) must reply to the conversation with its own unique sequence which is

recognized as a reply. This has a strong African history since in Africa one of the sole

purposes of drums was for communication over long distances. This drum conversation

was done amongst the slaves in USA in order to organize escapes and other attempts
at their truly deserved freedom. Some of the most common rhythms are yambú and

guaguancó. These rhythms and other rhythms are not solely drum pieces but are

played with other instruments and accompanied by dances. The overall purpose of

these performances is usually to give a message or portray a certain scenario.

Although the conga drum seems like a self-sufficient instrument, it is actually meant to

be played under the guidance of another “conducting” instrument. The pattern played by

this conducting instrument is called a clave and the instrument used is usually either the

claves (different from clave without “s”) or a bell. A clave can be defined as a rhythmic

pattern used to organize the other instruments playing a song. It is therefore played with

a high sharp pitch and sounds as if it is just sitting on top of all the other sounds if it is

played correctly. If the clave is not played right, the rest of the song cannot be played as

the clave sets the pace of the song and is used as a timeline for every single

instrument.

After understanding the history of the conga, what it is and how it is played, it is

necessary to delve into how it fits into African and Cuban culture. In Africa, drums are

important because they are used for ceremonies. Examples are birth, death, marriage

and coming-of-age. Different rhythms are played at different occasions and are

accompanied by dances and singing. Drums help to add feeling to occasions and bring

a sense of connection and something in common the people as a whole can love and

cherish together. Drums bring people together. It is not uncommon, in Africa or Cuba, to

see a large group of people congregated together playing, singing and dancing. As a

result they have become an integral part of these societies. In the African traditional

religion, drums are used to bridge a connection with the people’s ancestors and call on
them for help and guidance. This is one reason why drums are taken as important in the

culture. In Cuban culture, drums are treated in the same way because it is the same

African culture that was attempted to be preserved by playing drums in Cuba in the first

place.

I personally am of West-African origin and did grow up in West Africa. Therefore, drums

and clave are a part of my character. Growing up in a society that lives and breathes

these rhythms allows me to understand deeply the importance and connect with what

was taught during the Afro-Cuban percussion course. Learning about the drums in class

made me more critical of the culture I came from and through reflection, I have noticed

ways in which it shaped me and everyone else who experienced this culture. Drumming

and dancing creates a sense of togetherness and happiness. Those are two

foundations in which the African culture is built upon. The drumming and dancing for

spiritual purposes also helps create a feeling of calmness. One new thing I did learn

from the class was the skill and technique needed to portray messages from drums

correctly. I assume that growing up in that culture and experiencing it every day is the

reason why I never saw drumming and dancing as important as it is.

In conclusion the culture of drumming and dancing runs strong in the roots of African

and Cuban culture. Drumming essentially holds these cultures in place since drumming

is the basis of ceremonies and religion, two things which are arguably the culture of a

place.
References

Anderson, Brian. AFRO-CUBAN PERCUSSION, ITS ROOTS AND ROLE IN POPULAR

CUBAN MUSIC .

“Conga (Music).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Jan. 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_(music).

“Eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'newworldencyclopedia_org-Box-

2','ezslot_0',106,'0']));Conga.” Conga - New World Encyclopedia,

www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Conga.