congaplace.com

I know this is a GUAGUANCO, but I would like to know the precise name of it. Can anyone help me??


Tumba Open- X
Conga Open- O
Conga Slap- S
r l r l r l r l l r l l
X S O S O S X S S S S S

Start from the beginning

Last five slaps are quarter notes.

All responses are welcomed.

Thanks.

Sorry guy's, here's how it should appear:

Tumba Open: X
Conga Open: O
Conga Slap: S

r l r l r l r l l r l l
X S O S O S X S S S S S

remember, last five slaps are quarter notes.

Thanks again!!

I don';t know of any "precise" name for guaguanco except guanguanco. There are styles of guaguanco that come from Cuba and Puerto Rico. You have your "yambu" your "guaguanco" and your "rumba" the three forms of guaguanco. As for a precise name pick one of these. Cause if a name exists other than these I;d like to know about it.....At your Service..JC JOHNNY CONGA....

The style written here is what I call Puerto Rican guaguanco...just that your missing a palm stroke at the next to last S....At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA....

Thanks JC!

I believe I know that Puerto Rican guaguanco your talking about:

Tumba Open: X
Conga Open: O
Conga Slap: S
Conga Palm: P

r l r l r l r l l r l l
X S O S O S X S S S P S

Am I correct??

U got it main!.........JC JOHNNY CONGA...

The rhythms up there are off, check out some Guaganco examples at:

http://1ww.free.fr/guaguanco.htm

If you follow the clave, the conga part starts at the count of 1, check out the Tumba and how it "rewinds" the rhythm at the end.

Too many slaps make the rhythm monotonous, give it some flavor with variations of Heel-Toe-Bass-Slap between the open tones of the conga/ tumba, its the "Chaka-PumTa" feel that gives it a richer flavor: HTBS

Nothing wrong with slaps, but vary their emphasis:

sSs
Sss
Ss Ss
SSSsss
S S SS



Edited By TresGolpes on April 24 2003 at 21:08

Are you talking about the example I first I asked or the Puerto Rican guaguanco that JC brought up? If it's the example I question, I actually heard someone play that same rhythm in a performance that was televised on "Salsa en la Calle" (back in the days). Of course, he add a few licks in between that guaguanco.

Hey TresGolpes,thanks for that guaguanco website. Very informative! Some of the guaguanco soundclips are sooooo.. different than any guaguanco I've ever heard. Thanks again!

Tres Golpes... Thanks for the guaguanco link.But NO rhythm is monotonous. If it bores you maybe you should play something else. I can't understand that. Repetition is the key in playing Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Tumbao is probably the most played rhythmic pattern ever, and yes it is monotonous but doesn't it feel great when played properly? I am tryng to figure out what the younger people coming up are learning and how there learning it. It seems there is a lot of "rule breaking" going on when it comes to playing and I don't understand that. I am sure there are lots of ways to play the guaguanco so if one pattern has more slaps than the other so what! Remember "the more you have in your arsenal the better the player".....At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA...

JC: I agree 100%, the minor comment had to do with ssssss which after a while should get some variation, that is what gives that unexpected fill that audiences like. But these fills, if taken to the extreme, can also do harm. It is a question of balance

Ray: My major comment (and the real point I want to get across) is that:

The first example is:

X S O S O S X S S S S S Example at top of thread

O - S O S X S S S S X S Guaganco aligned with clave
Note that the first O starts on 1, there is more spacing to the S O...also note how there is a Tumba at the end with a S that starts the rhythm all over again on O (on 1)...Even though it sounds S O S O it is actually a O-SO......XS that wraps around to the next bar...

So when you hear Pum-Pan---Pan-Pum, the first Pum starts at the END OF THE PREVIOUS BAR, so it makes more sense like this:

Pan--Pan--Pum-----Pum--Pan---Pan--Pum (and now you hear it together, wrapping around as if the Tumba starts the first part of the rhythm..that is the important point)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Edited By TresGolpes on April 25 2003 at 21:31

I forgot to mention that while your playing this rhythm your playing against the clave. You start playing on the third beat of the clave.

Example:

Ta-Ta-Ta-TaTa
X S O S O S X S S S SS.

A lot of congueros plays with the clave, but very few other than the Cubanos, plays against the clave. As JC knows, this is the way my teacher taught me (Ray Turull). A fantastic teacher and Master percussionist.

He has taught you well grasshopper....... JC JOHNNY CONGA.... Give Ray my best......

(WHOA) Funny that you mention Grasshopper that is what he calls me. (LOL)

Hey JC, Ray Turull say's "What's up", also!