Playing congas with one arm

[Victor]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question but I lost my right arm in an accident twenty years ago and have always been interested in percussion.

I can do single handed maracas and cowbells but have always been interested in playing congas. I can do open tones pretty good and slaps as well, but the heel-toe seems kind of empty if I don't have the other hand to slap and open tone with the rhythm.

The drummer with Def Leopard is one armed as well so I don't see this interest of mine to be an impossibility but I am trying to adopt some of those techniques to the congas.

Can anyone here help ?

[mangorockfish]

Brother, anything is possible. Rick Allen uses a lot of electronics that he plays w/ his feet. My conga teacher says that he uses the heel and toe alot of time to just keep rhthym and to fill up spaces. With that in mind, there is no reason you can't play. Lots of luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.
Saludos

[zaragemca]

You could play congas with one hand,(I don't know how far you want to go,like playing with a band but),as I said before,I was forced to play the congas with one hand while holding the Timbale's bells,or cascareo with the other hand,doing the bridges(fill ins) with both hands and returning to play the congas with one hand.You might need to accomodate the set up, to facilitate the transition from one to another.The incorporation of the quinto facilitate one hand slap.



Edited By zaragemca on 1086738310

[L.Fonseca]

Victor go for it! Gio is more faster with one hand that I am with two:) My best luck for you!

[bongoz]

Hey Victor.... about that one handed drumming thing...if you're interested ,Roland has an electronic percussion pad called the Handsonic which allows the use of finger and hand technique which I know could work for you if you're open to it. Not sure what your budget is but you might wanna' audition it at a local music store who has one...Good Luck

[Coalacao]

Victor,

If you like percussion, the only limit is your imagination. Sky is the limit. Heel-toe with one hand, play with the feet the campana or wood-block, electronic stuff like Roland Handsonic hpd 15 is good too. Go for it ! enjoy !

[Sonorito]

Of course it is possible to play congas with one hand. The hands I have is, equipped with five fingers each. They can be used together (closed), singlevise, in pairs, in threes or fours, on different places on the drumhead, and I can assure you that you will get very many different sounds and tones out of a decent congadrum.
I needed to meet an indian guy about 25 years ago before i undestood it. He looked at med play, and thougt i was a complete idiot who did not use all the possibilities that reside in my hands. After that he told med a thing or two about indian percussion (tablas etc) where the hands differently shaped produce different sounds (bols, called in the indian tradition).
You may come to break som rules according to some congaist fundamentalist sect, but what does it matter as long as it sounds good, is fun and helps in keeping you going on? Good luck!

[vaconguero]

Hey Victor,

I see that people have already put alot of replies up, but I have just a few more.

1 - I agree with Sonorito's suggestion of studying Indian classical drumming - the right hand gets a real workout there. I would also look into the pandeiro, a Brazillian tamborine that is played one handed at a fantastic tempo. It has a heel-toe type movement akin to the baqueteo movement on congas, and many of the patterns are unbroken sixteenth notes. I would think that studying these patterns, even if you eventually use them on congas, would be a fine place to start.

2 - Once you become comfortable with whatever techniques you figure out, I think that you would have alot to teach to ALL percussionists out there, and you could really break some ground as far as technical ability and endurance goes. Alot of us have become complacent with two hands and rely on splitting the load between them more than actually building better chops.

Best of luck to you,

Lee

[congastu]

I agree!
So much good conga playing is about finding the holes anyway [re, anything by Patato] and I think a lot of us, myself included, fall into the trap of going for rolls when its actually superfluous; at slower tempos, it should be possible to play all sixteenth notes anyway. I think the idea of learning pandeiro technique is an excellent idea, and I also recommend getting finger- thumb rolls going.
Practise getting all the tones spot on [even closed slap will come eventually] and really work on those offbeats- a good exercise is to practise the offbeat sixteenth notes on a
variety of different tempos: this will send your sense of timing right up!
Good luck, Stu

[Johnny Conga]

Victor do you have a prosthesis ? If you have one it could at least help you to hold a stick in your left and play bell while your right hand plays 2 congas/tumbao.....I do that when I am performing in concerts......JC JOHNNY CONGA.... :;):

[RayBoogie]

Victor, everyone has made great suggestions. I believe anyone can do anything they want as long as you have the DRIVE. I believe their's a congueros that LP endorses that has no finger tips (he has thumbs though) and as I understand he's a Fantastic conguero. I don't know his name, but I will get that information for you. Victor if you really want to do it "JUST DO IT"! Much respect to you man and please keep us posted!

[Isaac]

In 1980 I went to see Daniel Ponce perform at gallery/music space
called Soundscape. On Timbales he had a guy ( I don't remember his name) missing one hand and a bit more , the other hand was
also missing a couple of fingers but enough to handle a
a stick well. On the forearm without a hand he taped on a
light weight timbale stick. I showed up early and watched as he prepared for the show. His playing chops were incredible and he keptup with the athletic Ponce in some innovative Songo/Jazz and
Rumba. I never did get his name, but he managed to inspire many there, myself included. I've since met others that remember seeing him on the scene in those days but don't know what became of him.
~ ISAAC

[RayBoogie]

His name is Celio Gonzalez Jr.

Here's his page:

http://www.congahead.com/Musicians/Meet ... zalez.html

And again, best of luck!

[Isaac]

I forgot to mention - this timbalero with one hand was
a teenager.

[RayBoogie]

I just remembered Giovanni Hidalgo plays the tumbao with one hand. Victor you could definately play it.

Tumbao:
HEEL-TOE-SLAP-TOE-HEEL-TOE-OPEN-OPEN

Start off slow and work your way to a faster pace.

GOOD LUCK.