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Posted: **Mon May 08, 2006 12:17 pm**

First I learned to play slap with a right hand cupped and left hand on the drum. It took some months to make it sound. Then I tried to teach it to left hand.
Somewhere in this process, becouse of good teacher and movement economy, I changed my mind and now the 'correct' slap is not with cupped hand, but just like an open tone, but with fingertips digging in head. The left hand does not have much misconceptions and it often does weak, but correct slap. For right one there is a struggle between getting sound I want and position I want.

The idea I have today is not to correct slap, but just learn another slap. One cupped, other not and use them both at will. I did so on djembe. I have some 3 different slaps there. Depending on drum they sound different. Then I don't have to unlearn and it might give more variety one day on good sounding drum.

Edited By Smejmoon on 1147116790

Posted: **Mon May 08, 2006 4:29 pm**

More usable sounds/hand...good idea. I have a right hand with arthritis in the tip joint of my middle and ring fingers. The slap is pretty painful in that hand, unless I use a technique of almost a bass tone hand position and cracking it like a whip at the surface of the drum. Using the head grabbing technique really hurts my finger joints from the added muscle tension I guess, but works perfectly on the left hand without the arthritis (guitar seems to have fended off the arthritis there.) I use both of those slaps and the one you described on the left hand. Only the one you described and the flat finger one on the right. Because all the drums sound a little different from varying head thickness and diameters, etc, I like to slap them all from time to time, just for the variety you mentioned. Hang in there...make lots of music.

God bless!

-Ron

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2006 4:57 pm**

Saludos Smejmoon,...the concept of correct/slap has a historic,and physical connotation on it...In the 30's and 40's the percussionist didn't have the benefit of the Rod Tuning System to tight the instruments as much as you wanted,so there was the need of pressing the drums and to use the copped/technique in order to obtain the sharp/pitch,.Then with the evolving of the tuning system,the Congas could be cracked it up,so it was easier to obtain the crispy sound,by pressing down without the copped/technique...it also have to do with the development of Callous in the hands,if somebody doesn't have the Callous,trying to do the press/down technique could muffle the Congas...Also in the early 1950's the congeros in the Conjuntos weren't using the Quinto which have an small diameter,(facilitating the high/pitch),they were using Conga and Tumba sizes instruments,the Quinto was incorporated later,(that is the physical part of the subject).Dr. Zaragemca

Edited By zaragemca on 1147367986

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