Besides rhythm, do you need musical ability...

[RitmoBoricua]

Here is some music rhythm theory... The role of the conga is too "add" to the bass figure or "tumbao". It literally plays around the bass line. So in other words your drums are like 2 or 3 "added" bass strings. When I first learned to play latin music, Joe Panama, Gil Suarez, were my first 2 bandleaders that played piano. One they told me to sit close to or sometimes in between the piano and the bass player, those days there weren't any mic's for everybody, just the singer. So we had to be tight together, and close. They told me to listen to the bass and as I was told to "lock and rock" or "marcha" with the tumbao. It is the same way for playing R&B and other styles, sometimes you actually play the bass line on congas. I teach a Mongo pattern I call "kun kun kun" which is the first 3 notes on the bass for "masacote", Mongo opens his tumbao with cung cung cung- right left right on his congas. Which is part of his pattern bass line in his tumbao. Check it out! So keep in mind that when your playing "lock in" with the bass figure and of course the other drummers/percussionists. Remember "less IS more".....try it you':ll like it!....At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA..... :;):

I am with you 100% JC. You know how beautiful Patato's and Candido's unique tumbaos are and when I hear them I think basslines, since both of them were string players they know how to get them bass-lines onto the tumbadoras. The bass in a latin setting is just like another drum. People like Eddie Palmieri or Papo Lucca always have the bass player right next to them. But anyway beautifully put JC, that's the essence right there.

[rhumbajo]

... It could only help you.
TIP: most conga players, make good bass players.

Would you say, that the opposite can also be true?

The bass guitar has been part of my life for 18 years - here's hoping that helps me in learning congas ???

-r