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In the track "Descarga Cubana" what drumming style is Carlos "Patato" Valdes is using? ???

I was listening to "Descarga Cubana" track a few minutes ago. Is it some form of guaguanco? All responses are valued.

Hi, I think you are referring to "Descarga Cubana" performed by the Cal Tjader Ensemble. I have not listened to that particular tune in years. With Patato you are going to get lots of melodies and armonies on his conga playing. Rarely if ever you hear Patato doing a normal tumbao, he came-up with his own stuff which by now is legendary to say the least. Take Care

Patato is playing "his" tumbao on that tune with Tjader. It's from the SoulBurst album 1963-4. He is only playing 2 drums then, but the way he plays it almost sounds like 3...At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA...

Giovanni addresses that particular Patato tumbou on his video Conga Virtuoso (notation in the booklet alongside). It really is trademark, percussionists across all disciplines have utilised that kind of funky, slap-ridden take on the tumbou - I bought a new (old) LP of Bob James' in which Leonard 'Doc' Gibbs Jnr uses it on at least one track.

Simon B

Wow! I thought it was a slap happy guaguanco (Forgive me, I forgot the name for this type of guaguanco) for example:

Tumba Open-O
Conga Open-C
Conga Slap-X


R L R L R L R L L R L L
O X C X C X O X X X X X

repeat again from the beginning.

last five slap are quarter notes.

cool rhytm, are there vatiations too?

RayBoogie wrote:Wow! Â I thought it was a slap happy guaguanco (Forgive me, I forgot the name for this type of guaguanco) for example:

Tumba Open-O
Conga Open-C
Conga Slap-X


         R L  R L R L R  L L R  L  L
         O X C X C X O X X X X X
Â
repeat again from the beginning.

last five slap are quarter notes.

Hey people, hope all is cool and everyone's well. Forgive my ignorance but could you please explain the term " quarter notes. I'm still a newbie in conga playing. I appreciate all your info. Thanks. And peace be with you all.

Ok here goes...a whole note-O gets four beats -a half note -ol-gets 2 beats- a quarter note gets one beat...does this help u? If not i would recommend a book on percussion,how to read notation. At your Service... JC JOHNNY CONGA...

Yes, there are different variation to this guaguanco. You could use the traditional guaguanco and add what I call the "slap happy guaguanco" with it. Sounds very funky once you have down. If notation is required please ask.

As a matter of fact! I have the Patato Tumbao mastered in the title track "Descarga Cubana". It took me five month to transcribe and actually play it on the congas. If notation is required please ask.

Another Tjader track to listen to is "Descarga Cuban". It's not the same as above, but just as funky. I'm not sure what album it's from, maybe JC would know!

What's up JC! How's life?

I'm sorry brothers but that's not really Guaguanco that is one of the variation for the Bata sequence(Lucumi),but just played with congas.

zaragemca wrote:I'm sorry brothers but that's not really Guaguanco that is one of the variation for the Bata sequence(Lucumi),but just played with congas.

Which batá sequence?

Jorge Ginorio

Really, Zara? My former teacher used to use this form, and I believe he doesn't play bata drums. If look at it, it seems very similar.

Guaguanco in question:

Tumba Open-O
Conga Open-C
Conga Slap-X


R L R L R L R L L R L L
O X C X C X O X X X X X

Traditional Guaguanco:

Tumba Open-O
Conga Open-C
Conga Slap-X
Heel-Tip (drop)-D
Tip-Heel-Tip-T

R L R L R L R L R L
O X C X C X O D X T

Zara, I'm not saying your correct or incorrect. I'm just saying do you see the similarities. Minus the open slaps in the guaguanco in question its pretty close. I combine the traditional and the guaguanco in question, back and forth. Sounds really funky, plus if you add riffs to it, it has a really full sound. If you get what I mean.

To all my brother,remember the principal (in Cuba drumming) that all the pattern created in the Congas were transfered(some of them with little variation) from several original African Pattern(and this took place before anybody out of Cuba would know about what was taken place).It was a continuos process of presenting differents things under the guiding of the African foundation which was brought to Cuba from our ancestors and transfered form the originals drums to the Congas.That's part of my Advanced Percussion Structure Teaching.



Edited By zaragemca on Nov. 14 2003 at 14:57