congaplace.com

Im wondering how to play a good pattern for spanish rumba.
Gipsy kings music...

If u have any idea plz share it with me..

/carlos

Hi, just wanted to add that Im also interested in this issue..

what is a cool pattern for this kind of music.
Not just gipsy kings, other spanish rumba also..

/cabdriver

In playing spanish rumba from Spain the "cajon" is used and not congas, so it has a whole nother approach on style, and sound. R u familiar with the 'cajon"?....At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA...

Hi,
Yes Im familiar with the cajon.

I do not now how to play the cajon.. but I seen and heard it play, still for example the gipsy king crew use congas, so im interested in this secret holy pattern they use for this.

/cabdriver

Sorry but I am not sure which pattern you are talking about as I have no Gypsy Kings music to refer to. sorry....JC JOHNNY CONGA...

The only way to decifer a "holly pattern" is by listening and capturing the rhythms, as you would do with any other song. Listen to the song over and over until you get it. Do it in segments rather than trying to listen to the entire song. Play the segment as many times as you need to. Write the music to if you have to. If you can't write music, write the patterns down and memorize them. It doesn't matter if is cajon, congas. Identify the instrument; if you don't have it borrow it or buy it and then practice.
I hope this will help you,
El Sacer...

Thanks sacerdote...

Im in to this specific mission right now actually.

But until I get the pattern Ill play a tumbao for 3-2 salsa/son..

It sound quite okey but surelly not forgiveable.

So if u have like a common pattern to share I would gladly accept it.

Thanks
/cabdriver

There is an excellent book on the Cajon from a German percussionist who does a lot of work with flamenco musicians in Europe - Conny Sommer - I don't know whether it is available in the US. He lists dozens of 'Rumba Flamenca' patterns that you could try transposing congas. This is the basic rhythm:

B-F-F-O-F-F-O-F / B-F-F-O-F-O-O-F

B-bass
F-finger-tip
O-open

You might want to change those bass tones to slaps because unlike the conga the bass note of a cajon can be pretty thunderous.

Good luck!

Simon B

Hi simon,

im looking into this pattern...
ill try out in the morning else my neighbours will definetly kill me .

thanks for the tip, ill investigate more into conny sommers.

/cabby

Hi, I usually play in a rumba gitana band and we play all the Gipsy Kings tunes and the congas rhythms are all normal tumbao or rumba. Listen to "Bamboleo", "Djobi djoba", "Ben Ben Maria" and similar where the congas are easier to ear.
Somewhere I have 2 vhs of Gipsy Kings concerts and I can send you (from Italy) if you want. Nice to help you, Fabrizio.
P.S.: Gipsy Kings is not still existing: now it is divided in two different bands playing the same style.

Hi fabrizio,


Ive been doing some research in this issue and as I can consider all the info that I have gives me the conclusion that the pattern to use is the tumbao but I will consider this rumba pattern. It would be great if you would like to send over 1 VHS tape,
Thanks for this important information.

/cabdriver

It all started with the marketability of the Flamenco Music which have been around for long time,they were trying to make it more accessible to the general market(in order to sell it commercially).and that's when they added the basic Rumba-Tumbao, and after that, happened the samething than with Jazz(Latin-Jazz),even when the interaction in this music is with the horns, and in Flamenco is the guitar doing the interaction.The Congas would add a rainbow of flavors which could not be produce with a Cajon(of course for a good conga player).



Edited By zaragemca on Nov. 07 2003 at 18:37