dvd for beginers

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dvd for beginers

Postby yoyito conga » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:52 pm

I'm looking for a great dvd for beginers on technique i what to know if johnny conga has any dvd out there someone let me know I got a pair of congas and I what to know how to play thanks
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Re: dvd for beginers

Postby vinnieL » Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:11 pm

Tomas cruz DVD set start with volume 1 then move on to volume 2. Volume 1 should keep you very busy for quite some time. Work on your sound developement get out there and listen to top notch players in person if you can get close listen to their sound and try to achieve that sound in all their hits. DVD's don"t allow you to hear the sound these guys Like Johnny Conga have its when you are standing in front of them that you hear what it's about. If you can at some point find a good teacher and i mean good this will take you a long way.
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Re: dvd for beginers

Postby TONE74 » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:24 pm

You should consider what your goals are. If you are not aiming to go pro or anything like that theres a lot of material as far as videos in youtube (rudy quesada has a lot of good ones) and dvds that can get you going in the right direction. Dvds like Changuito and Giovannys evolution of the tumbadoras for an intro and Tomas Cruz 2 for learning patterns for example. Teachers will help you get there faster and avoid bad technique but it will cost money. If you are carefull (use reliable material ) and do your homework you can get a lot from videos. Another thing I would like to add is to learn the history of the music and do a lot of listening without leaving out the old school I'm talking about Arsenio Chano Mongo etc. If you have an open ear and listen you will start to notice things. Just remember that nothing can replace actual experience.
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Re: dvd for beginners

Postby Derbeno » Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:33 pm

All of the above advice.

Additionally, may I recommend "intro to Conga drumming" by Micheal Spiro

This link contains some samples from one of the best educators.

http://www.shermusic.com/new/242169.shtml
Echale candela, p'afinar los cueros
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Re: dvd for beginers

Postby nobleway » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:13 am

I've been playing a year so I'm just a step past beginner. I have the Tomas Cruz's vol 1 book/DVD combo and I have Michael Spiro's DVD only "Intro to Conga Drumming". Cruz has a volume 2 and 3 books/DVDs for his system and Spiro has his "Guidebook" in the form of a book/CD combo as the next step. To be fair I will compare/contrast only each man's first work though I have each one's follow up.

Both show technique of playing the basic tones. One can learn from both but Spiro does an awesome job. He really is a wonderful teacher and his careful explanation as he shows the correct positions along with bad positions and habits to be avoided is outstanding.

Both show excellent practice exercises essential for developing good sound and maintaining one's rhythm and speed. For variety and number of exercises Cruz does a better job for the beginner. Remember Cruz has a book/DVD combo so all the exercises are written clearly. One can pick up the book and practice the exercises with the book open. Use of the book also trained me to pick up other written materials for rudiment exercises. To learn Spiro's exercises, especially the more complex ones, a new learner would have to rewind many times or buy Spiro's Guidebook. But let me just write that Spiro shows seriously exciting exercises in his dvd that I plan to tackle.

Both DVDs of course show rhythms that one can play. Spiro's one DVD provides more rhythms and variations than Cruz's Vol 1 DVD and gives a broader range from bembe, rumba and salsa (Cruz provides a load of fun and complex rhythms in later volumes) . The rhythms that Spiro teaches in his "Intro" are also more advanced than the ones found in Cruz's Vol 1 which I think would have intimidated me when I first started. I do find Spiro's DVD to be far more interesting after a year of play. I can see myself looking at it again and again while Cruz's volume 1 feels more like super training wheels that apart from necessary rudiment exercises that I will leave behind. I liked that Cruz provided some very basic rhythms to get me started without having to immediately think about clave orientation and bell patterns. Cruz breaks things down really slowly and puts it in writing. My confidence had time to grow as someone who began as uncommited learner testing the waters. For the absolute beginner I have to give the win to Cruz's Vol 1 book/DVD combo. It really is unique and well thought out for the beginner. But for someone with some musical exposure or solid mental resolve I'd say dive into Spiro's DVD for a great treasure. Peace!
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Re: dvd for beginers

Postby korman » Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:05 am

Yoyito, Johny Conga has some videos on youtube that you might find useful. Also on youtube you can look up Rudy Quesada, he's got quite a few videos geared specifically at beginners.

I also started out without a teacher almost two years ago (but because congas are not my main instrument, I am still somewhere just a little bit past the very beginner stage). What I used was Tomas Cruz conga method vol 1. The DVD examples can be a bit boring, but eventually when I had a chance to take a few lessons, the teacher did not say anything bad about the quality of my tones and my hand movements, so I can confirm Tomas Cruz method works (If you work on it, of course:).

At that time M.Spiro's DVD was not out yet, but I think for a beginner this may be even better. From what I've seen in the samples, he does much more explaining, so might be closer substitute for a teacher.
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