Conga Tuning -again - What am I listening for? confused*#$?!!

[spiff46]

I want to say to the people keeping this page going, "Great Job". This web site rocks!

Ok, I've been playing congas for about a year, just after work and during lunch, etc. However, I am still struggling with tuning my congas (mainly getting each lug in tune with each other). I try tuning 123456, you know one after another, but I don't really know what I am listening for. It is as if I hear two different tones when I strike around the drum at the lugs. One tone is kind of a ringing and the other is a deeper tone. Questions:

1. What is this ringing? Is the drum suppose to ring? Do I have it too tight?
2. As I tune around the drum it affects the pitch of the other lugs. Kinda like I am chasing my tail. How do I avoid this?

Thanks everyone.

[timo]

hi spiff46,
the ringing that you hear is the overtone, its natural on all drums. what i do is tune the drum to a certain level, and as equal as possible (going around 1,2,3...), and then start "re-tuning" it (i tune by overtone) by placing a finger lightly on the center of the head and then tab about 1" into the head, close to the lugs and around the head (1,2,3,4,...), to only get the overtone, once the tone is the same all around, the head should have uniform tension, and sound better.
hope this helps.

[amcr]

instead of tapping 123... try tapping & tuning the opposite lugs to avoid chasing your tail....
happy drumming!

[limberic]

Spiff46 - I always tune-down to release the tension on the head, after I'm done playing.

When I next play here's how I tune - and it works great for me.

1) I first whap on the head to get an idea of how 'loose' it is - then tighten lugs 1-6, in order, as most every one does. I usually only crank each lug about 1/2 to 3/4 turn depending, and it may take me two go-rounds or so to get the sound close to what sounds right ...

2) When I get close to the sound I want (and sometimes I'm tuning my conga low - more like tumba, sometimes high - more like quinto) - then its time to 'close-tune' it - to finesse the tuning so the sound at each lug is pretty identical to the sound at each other lug.

3) Tilting the head towards my body, I push my left thumb into the middle of the head to tighten it, then maintaining tension, I begin taping the head about an inch inside the rim at each opposite pair of lugs 1-3, 2-4, 5-6 with the edge of my tuning wrench. I tune the lug-pairs up/down, comparing the sound of opposite lugs (and adjacent lugs). At this point I'm not tuning 1-6 sequentially in a circle any more. And I am only cranking a lug a 1/8 or 1/4 turn. I often find that only one pair of lugs or only one lug is out. And I can close tune to the others.

This technique has worked really well for me, otherwise, as you point out - you're always chasing your tail and never getting there.

I guess you originally asked, "What's it 'sposed to sound like? Hard to tell on a Internet post but I know it when I hear it and it is usually a sweet mellow tone, with lots of resonance but no ringing, which I think indicates a head that is too tight.

Hope this helps,
Eric

[JohnnyConga]

Yo Spiff If you want to know what the sound is similar to on the 2 congas try "Here comes the Bride" Low high high high, a fourth apart. that is standard tuning. At your Service ...JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[Bongo Boy]

Just wanted to corroborate Eric's experience. I only just began tuning this way, based on his post, and my experience is identical--after tightening up the head from a relaxed state, I find I only need to adjust 1 to 2 individual lugs. Usually one point on the head rings a bit higher than everywhere else, and on my drum I find I end up with one lug backed off quite a bit--you can tell by the amount of torque you have to put on it to turn it.

I'm guessing this is due to one or all of a) the natural hide is irregular in it's strength and/or thickness in the affected area, and b) the rim of the drum itself is a bit higher in that area, or c) the portion of the skin that's folded over the metal ring in the head is thicker, etc.

Point is, tuning this way SEEMS to allow one to tune the drum higher with less audible harmonics than you otherwise can--this could be pure fantasy, I suppose.



Edited By Bongo Boy on Jan. 23 2002 at 19:10

[kinoconga]

I tune my tumbadoras "1234etc" until I get the correct pitch.
I tune my middle drum to the middle "C" and the other two drums around that one.
Before finishing tuning the drums, I hit them in the center of the head with a firm stroke, to normailze the tension around the head. Then check the tuning again.
Hope this will help.

[JohnnyConga]

Hi Spiff Normal tuning for 2 drums is low drum G high drum C I tune my third drum to Bflat to my left, quinto middle bass to my right. I tune it to the song "It's cheaper to keep her". 2 drums is "Here comes the Bride". If there is no piano around to tune to. The "pinging" is an "overtone", u may want to try an X configuration of tape on the inside of the head or on the inside of the shell,to stop it. Also a good thick skin,like Mule would absorb a lot of that overtone. There is a lot of good instruction here so take your pick on the info it's all good. At your Service....JC JOHNNY CONGA...CHEK MY SITE at http://www.ShowGigs.com/JohnnyConga for 15 minutes of FREE music......

[spiff46]

Ok thanks guys and girls(?). Lots of replys. It seems that tuning is a very personal issue and everybody does it their own way. However, that doesn't mean we can't learn from each others. I have found that if I detune my conga completely, i.e., loosen all the lugs until they are just tight enough to not rattle, and then start tighting 123.., giving one equal turn per tug until the drum is to the desired pitch, I find that this makes it a lot easier to tell which lug(s) are out. I have been tuning by pressing in the center of the drum and listening to the overtones (I guess that's the overtone?). This seems to work for me. However, it requires that I detune each time I finish playing and retune before I play again. With three drums, this cuts into a lot of playing time (which is only about 1 hr / day at best). However, until I train my ear to hear the differences, I feel this is my only option because I don't like to play when the drums sound like crap. Thanks everybody. ps my drums are LP Aspire (lower end stuff but I'm happy and would suggest these drums for any true beginner player).