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Having played bongo in a few Salsa bands, there always seems to be confusion as to when the Campana comes in, with the singer calling it in at one point, the Conguero or Timbalero calling it in at another point and the MD calling it in at another. Talking to other Bongoceros, apart from the general consensus that it should be played during the mambo sections and pregon there seem to be differences of opinion elsewhere.
Campana drives the band and dancers so it is important to get it right so the music steps up a gear.

Any of you guys got any gems on that, especially where it shouldnt be played??

Dice, the campana goes up when the montuno start. Yes it drive the tempo and the dancers so it is important to have a tasty rhytm campaneo. Also depends on how the chart is written, sometimes it call the campana then the march an so on. If the chart is known then there should be no problem as when to up the swing with the campana.

The arrangement of the music for the song is what decides when the bongo bell comes in. So...know your arrangements......Obviously, the bongo bell is played in the uptempo parts of the arrangement like the chorus, mambo, mona, etc, etc. (Of course, when you are playing it live is up to the band leader or the player of the percussion players whatever to decide when the bell plays...it could be change nothing is fixed and there are somethings that are not recommended to be changed.....)

There are certain "standards" followed by arrangers that alway have the bongo bell playing in the chorus, mambo and mona. However, is their decision and there thousands of variations of the "standard" or interesting ways in which the arranger decides to use or not to use the bongo bell not following the standards. Most arrangers have in the montuno part, that is when there is preparation to go to the chorus, have the bongo bell right away into the chorus and some have it 8 bars, or two or three "soneos and chorus", , etc, etc. Is the arranger....(Songs like Tito Puente's "Cuando Te Vea", in the original recording, does not have the bongo bell in the chorus, is all bongos, however, most people when they play that arrangement, they have the bongo bell in the chorus. Another example is "Cipriano Armenteros" by Ismael Miranda, the chorus is in the bongo and the soneo has the bongo bell)

Sometimees the arrangement could have the bongo bell in the beginning (acapapo) or even in the bride of the singing into. There are hundreths of variations...Sometimes "numerically" the bongo bell should start in the 1 of the bar sometimes in the 3....This is not set...Is the arrangement and feel of the song while played live...

If you are playing covers, like I said know the arrangement so you could make an argument of when to play the bell, and/or as a group decide when to have bell played or others the benefit of the doubt of when to play it....

Thanks for your wisdom guys. If there is a written arrangement then no problem, but sitting in and playing well known Salsa tunes with no arrangements to follow, there are always some differences of opinion. I guess it depends on what version they have been listening to.
Taking your points I guess it is best to follow the simple 'standards' you have stated and then rely on good taste and big ears after that.....

In most (like 99.9%) of the classic Cuban son recordings, and probably most current ones (talking about son here, and not taking into account modern sounds like Timba, etc.), the standard is that the bell enters when the singer begins his inspirations.

That is, at the beginning of the montuno section, the trumpet usually leads with the melody of the coro, and then alternates with improvisations as the chorus repeats the theme a few times. Then the solista comes in with the inspirations (soneos) and that's when the campana comes in.

To me it's immensely more effective that way, as opposed to when the bell just comes in at the start of the montuno. Something about hitting that bell when the singer comes in just kicks up the energy more than when they come in separately.

Thanks for that insight Guarachon, I appreciate your experience in the music we all love. For me it confirms some things I was unsure of and gives me some fresh ideas. Suave

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Thanks Leedy2,

I'll try that sometime in a quieter section, maybe during a piano, flute or tres solo and see what happens. Always good to revive worthwhile moves occasionally.

Diceman

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Great link Leedy, what is the modern approach (if there is one) to the bongo/campana relationship?

BTW, I used the stick on bongo approach you mentioned, to the surprise of the band, but it worked very well and added a new colour to the sonic pallet.

Dice

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Yup, I got a timbales stick in my bongo bag now. Nice to do a cascara pattern when the Timbalero is on a bell ride.

I guess it shows that 'rules' are there to be played around with or broken.

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Absolutely Leedy, you got to know the rules before you can bend the rules. You just gotta bend them nicely
Yeah, different sticks give different sounds, I'm experimenting.
Digging out all my orphaned drum sticks now.

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