Funk Congas

[JohnnyConga]

OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH!....I have to admit it is a very creative and inventive way of playing for sure..but I'll be damned if that WAY of playing don't take it's toll on the hands overtime...he's BEATING the drums up!...but it's hip!...

[ChuyPu]

==

[congamyk]

Here you go....including the Karate chop stroke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sao_s55R ... re=related

Ahhh the battle of the go-gos on tha congoz!

[burke]

Thanks Mike! I remembered a thread on go-go a while back but could not for the life of me recall what this style was called.

[roberthelpus]

Gotta hand it to them. At least it is an actual style and not a bunch of smelly hippies going bump de bump, bump de bump and claiming that its some kind of "tribal" spiritual exercise and refusing to practice because it would destroy their creativity. I wonder where it will be ten years from now hopefully it will progress further.

[JohnnyConga]

They wont have hands to play with 10 years from now the way they 'beat um up!"...Im 62 still hitting hard but you learn to finesse the playing and how to save your hands..these guys dont study the drum ...they make it up as they go along, and it is a style in it';s own..but I dont see the longevity of it...IMHO...

[Quinto Governor II]

They wont have hands to play with 10 years from now the way they 'beat um up!"...Im 62 still hitting hard but you learn to finesse the playing and how to save your hands..these guys dont study the drum ...they make it up as they go along, and it is a style in it';s own..but I dont see the longevity of it...IMHO...

JohnnyC,
I just don't see it that their way of playing is necessarily any harder on the hands then any other way. Some of thier strokes look similar to Candido's to me. Can you really tell what the impact on the hands are by sight? Someone critiqued Mongo's technique in comparison to the modern technique of today's players, in another thread a couple of years ago. IMO theirs is a technique that's as legitimate as any. It is a younger evolution of one of the many strands of styles that emerged in the diaspora of Africa. It is not as developed as the others I believe mainly because of the disconnect with the drum that took place in North America. The more I see of this style, the stronger my respect for it grows. I noticed this style early on when I started playing drums 10 years ago. I would come accross an older guy who didn't even know guaguanco, but would get on the drums and play in a similar style. I think this style will continue to evolve. As an African-American I wish I knew more of its history, and wish there was some documentation of how it has gotten to this point. Drum circle druming will also evolve. Whether some of us like it or not it is a developing culture also.

[Derbeno]

Damn, I remember a video of an older guy actually teaching a youngster the 'correct' way to play this style with all it's finer nuances. If only I can find it again. I wil keep looking.

[congamyk]

My favorite of all of the gogo congoz vids.
Go-Go Mickey opens and tunes his "brand new coon-gas right outa the bag."
Karate chop slap in full effect right outa the bag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF20FaHkzeQ

[JohnnyConga]

Here he's in the studio laying it down...very very nice ..with his Karate hand press to slap very evident...nice swing!..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Iyb4bo18EA

[Craig]

Concerning the "karate hand slap," you will notice that it is the only muffled stroke used. Every other stroke is open tone.

I worked with a trumpet player in the early 1970s who loved to play congas and he used the same technique. He was untrained as a percussionist. The "karate" stroke was the only way he knew how to muffle the head to get a closed tone slap with his other hand. We tried to keep him off the congas.

In my opinion the "karate" stroke is used by guys who never learned or mastered the heel and toe muffled strokes.

[roberthelpus]

There is a cat in town that is now playing in a Latin Jazz and Salsa band. Very good too. He was in an Afro Beat band and I thought he was OK, but he really impressed me in this new outfit. Anyway he came from DC and mentioned something about being in the Gogo scene. I need to ask him more about that the next time I see him. If he has anything interesting to say I'll post it up.

[alabubba]

Here is my funky contribution to this topic. I had not played with this band before, and didn't know quite what to expect, so I shot video of my hands really just so I could critique my technique and style choices later. This was simply an application of boogaloo or funk (aren't they the same?) out of Michael Spiro's book to a particular song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxbVCVcnE9E

[JohnnyConga]

Nice! Tight! and of course FUNKY AND GROOVIN!...WHOAEEEEE OOOO EEEEE OOOOOOO....

[alabubba]

Concerning the "karate hand slap," you will notice that it is the only muffled stroke used. Every other stroke is open tone.

I worked with a trumpet player in the early 1970s who loved to play congas and he used the same technique. He was untrained as a percussionist. The "karate" stroke was the only way he knew how to muffle the head to get a closed tone slap with his other hand. We tried to keep him off the congas.

In my opinion the "karate" stroke is used by guys who never learned or mastered the heel and toe muffled strokes.

I don't know for sure, but when I look at the video, it looks like the "karate hand" is not a stroke but a stylistic way of muting the macho with his left hand for a particular "pop" with his right finger(s)...his groove is undeniable and it would be a blast to funk along with him