by 120decibels » Tue Oct 22, 2002 10:16 pm
Johnny,
I thoroughly agree with you. When I first took up a serious study of the congas, I thought that I could learn from the videos. A figured, what the ####, I've been playing and practicing at a professional level for a long time.
It is much more difficult to learn when you don't have the whole story!
Once I found a teacher that had experience, could teach me the rhythms, how to develop them, and most importantly (in my opinion) thier history, I really started to get it. The videos are great to supplement things. I've learned a lot from Gio's, Anga's, Jerry Gonzalez's, and Skip Brummel's (has anyone heard of Skip?) tapes, but I could have sat there all day and analyzed what they were doing. I wouldn't have figured out the feel, the way the rhythm fits with the rest of the band, etc. A good teacher is the only way to do that. I have learned a lot about musicality and congas from my teacher that could never be taught in a video (again, in my opinion).
My $0.02,
Zach