Where do I begin? - I want to start, but don't know how.

[windhorse]

Not sure where in Florida you are,, but in Miami there are many great players and probably teachers as well..

Dave

[JohnnyConga]

Once again may I remind you "great players" do not necessarily make "great teachers".....and yes there are many "good" players in Miami, and maybe one or two "might" be teaching.....understand there are a lot of players that don't care to "share' what they know with others, something in my 43 years of playing i have witnessed many many times, and have come to realize it was a way of them getting rid of you cause they really couldn't teach or had no "method' of teaching.....or just didnt care....so keep an open mind and ask questions like
How long have you been teaching?
references from other students on how the person is as a Teacher and does ne know what he is doing or just fumbling around....
What are his "methods' of teaching?
What does he teach?
Counting,reading,notation, clave,rhythms,theory,etc etc....
What are your needs for learning? and can the Teacher recognize your needs? Your individual goals for the drum?

These are my recomendations in looking for the "proper" Teacher......"JC" Johnny Conga....

[RayPaganJr]

Great. Those are things to certainly take into consideration. Thanks again.

[phillyjo26]

Guitar Center & Sam Ash have web sites that you can buy drums from. Guitar center has a performer series that is a little better than the aspire but they are below the other models. However, they aren't too expensive. Sam Ash has an ardiente model that I thought sounded nice. I believe that LP makes these drums exclusively for these stores. However, you can check for yourself. I am also a late bloomer. I am 47 & just started playing for the last 3 years. I like video's but you need a teacher. For me it has taken I while to get a 1/2 decent sound out of the drum. However, I play for my church & dance classes here in Philly. There is a group of guys who play every saturday & I jam with them on occasion. This is the best hobby. I love playing.

[ozrivera]

Saludos Hermanos

tomas cruz conga method is an excellent choice to start.
do not rush the practice. there are percussionists here that have been playing for decades and still practice. its not the type of instrument that you're really going to get really good in just a few months.
however in a couple of months you should be playing a decent tumbao and your strokes should sound good also. and you should be able to follow along with a song. the rest of the stuff will literally take years to a lifetime to master.
if youre on a limited budget, IMHO the best congas to get are LP Matadors or Meinl Marathons. they will give you the best bang for you $.
other than that, and youll hear this over and over again. theres no secret tricks or anything like that, its all about practice, practice and practice.


suave

Oz

[blas]

one basic thing no one ever told me when i first started... Correct posture when playing seated!!! keep your back straight, don't hunch over

[moses]

hi everyone,i'm moses and just got a set of congas and i don't have a clue,,any ideas on how to
set up ,maybe tuning,any advice would be great,,thanks

[burke]

Hey Moses - welcome!

Thats a pretty big question! Maybe the best advice would be to start with the congabook and if something specific isn't there use the search function for the forum - its quite good and almost anything (like say tuning) will have been covered ad-nauseum. Everyone who replies will also say pretty much the same thing I'm about to - find a good teacher in your area if you can.