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Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:21 pm**

Hello,

Are there any tips for improving your creativity when playing congas?

My teacher has me working on fills and improvising lately and it's been a real challenge. I seem to be more of a technician, if he tells me "Do this" I can pretty much do it but when he tells me to create something my mind goes blank and nothing comes out.

This has been my biggest challenge so far, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:16 pm**

join the club

i feel the same

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:54 pm**

It is a mixture knowledge, and technique,of course, practice, state of mind and being 'in the zone'.

Knowledge, technique and practice--we know what to do, but the other two come from within.

Personally, I only think I've been a couple of times, to that place where solos seem easy, original and flow, but it is worth putting in the hard work to get there.

Most of the time I am stringing together patterns I have practiced or learned from other great Congueros but very occasionally, I guess when I am relaxed and near the zone, a new idea pops out, which gets filed immediately.

Someone once told me that a good solo tells a story, and a good book to read is 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron.

Apologies if this sounds like pretentious cr*p, can anyone else help Vinnie here?

Suave

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:20 pm**

Improvisation should have a beginning a middle and and end to it....the concept of 2'and 3's, which i have covered in other posts, is indeed part of the "ol skool' way ...though today everyone wants to be fast and furious, unless u really know what ur doing it will sound like gibberish....it is also a matter of 'confidence' in your 'knowledge" and 'mastery' of the instrument....and LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN!....and Memory...repetition is key....I will tell all of those just starting that want to solo, LEARN Mongos 2;50 second conga solo called "My Sound"....if you can "cop" that lick for lick, your on your way..Just like guys try to cop Coltranes solos, on sax, you have to break it down, undertand the flow, the attack, how the dots are connected, and where your going with it....your instrument is an "extension" of who you are....and its about 'conversation', dynamics, technique, and imagination, not always about "how fast and furious" you can get. My 3 congas...Johnny Conga...

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:34 pm**

I'd also like to add the "call and response" technique, using for example a "riff/floreo" starting with tones and then answering with slaps or vice versa......Johnny Conga....

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:05 pm**

Improvisation comes natural to me ,

Today I had my first expierence of playing impro with a seasoned Congureo Steve a friend who runs the bloco I play with . we started 2 congas each guagaunco my style which a litte funked out I was amazed how he filled in between and they talked to me in a way as never before . Ive watched others on utube and often wodered if i could cut it with another guy ,majical stuff , from within like diceman says.
Went on to a monteo me on the bongos my friend on 3 congas got pretty improvised in the middle but again everything just flowed.
Ok sorry for kinda jacking this thread Im just still a little high form what Ive had this afternoon , which was a congasmical afternoon .

I need to get down to my studdies and become more disciplned now , I got my chops down pretty tite just need more days like today learned a million things clave 6/8 patterns ..........

Edited By Congadelica on 1191179235

Posted: **Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:52 pm**

peace & riddim,
i try to get inspiration from the music of nature as well:
if you get the chance to take one drum and go in a park or on the beach and hear what the birds sing, the cricket's pattern and flow, the balance of the wawes...
conversate with them, answer those patterns and introduce new elements (in my experience the cricket will soon play with you and some birds too)

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:57 am**

Funny you mention that (my sound by Mongo) Thats what i have on my myspace page!

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:30 am**

transcribe the solos you love. Play them back on your drum. Eveyday. eventually the music will become part of you.

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:33 pm**

Well it's a good suggestsion if you know how to transcribe, and I will assume that most here Do Not even know how to transcribe a solo, so the only other way to learn is by EAR and using your minds eye to envision what the hands are doing, if you have any kind of understand of improvisation....please read my post above...in my 43 years of playing I have never had to transcribe a solo. I learned it by ear....once again I challange anyone here to learn "lick for lick" Mongo's simple conga solo called "My sound" . It is the first solo I ever learned...any questions?...Johnny Conga.....

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:45 pm**

I like to start with a simple riff, build it, change it up a little, then deconstruct it and take it back down to the original pattern. At some point you go totally outside that riff in like a two bar burst and then go back to it. I think what JC mentioned is a great way to go. You do a call and response with slaps and open tones, play it so much that you internalize it and then you can flow in and out. That way you have like a base to work from that can help you venture out and explore your creativity. I am no expert but that is one of the things that I did to help develop some creativity, spontaneity and confidence. Good luck, I hope that helps!

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:18 pm**

JC is on the right track...

another is example is look at Tata Guines, his technique and crispness is outstanding, but he is really not doing much...he is just doing it perfectly...Tata's solo on "Como Mi Ritmo No Hay Dos" is textbook...I use fragments of that solo when I play consistently...i do find however that being in the zone, does make a very big difference, I can be playing on a song, and the piano will finish a solo, and come back in with the montuno, and I'll just feel it, and start building it up, something intuitive happens and it just "feels" right, other times it won't happen...but you should get to the point where your solos are tasteful no matter what going on around you...

Posted: **Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:23 pm**

JohnnyConga wrote:LEARN Mongos 2;50 second conga solo called "My Sound"....

I finally got that song. I've been really struggling with internet music downloads. The one service I've used wanted to do an upgrade and it would never work and most of the others want a monthly subscription. I had to really jump through some hoops to get an account where I can just buy a song and download it. It can only be played on real player though and I don't really like it.

Is there any place where you can just pay for a song and download it as a standard mp3? I have no problem paying for my music but it's no wonder people pirate music when you have to go through all this to buy it legally.

Posted: **Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:08 pm**

Chris,
A resource few people are aware of is the nearest large public library. My wife works at one and they have a huge selection of CD's available--from all over the world including tons of material from the standard jazz repertoire. I've gotten all of Mongo's early stuff there, all of Poncho's, tons of Putomayo and Shahachie albums, world music, lots of Afro-Cuban albums, etc. Bring 'em home and copy them onto a CD... HIT THE LIBRARY. You'll be surprised.

Posted: **Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:52 pm**

I spent my first 5-6 years mostly learning the basic parts of as many rhythms as my teachers and friends were willing to share. Going to camps,,, learning,, practicing,, working on technique over and over again; before finally I began to even think about soloing.

During that training time, I felt as if I'd lost a large part of my creative potential. Before I started learning I was more creative than after..
However, it's starting to come back! :;):
It was a matter of developing competency in the basics, so that the creative potential could flow after the drilling had done its job.

Here in Boulder there is a large group of hippy drummers and dancers who are as incompetent as it gets on drumming,,, but there's enough of us who study Afro Cuban and can hold a rhythm, that when I go to drum circles - like the one this weekend - we can play some real stuff and flow into and out of creative spaces.. It was great for my quinto practice! I could set up a rhythm, then start soloing and periodically come back to the basic part, since nobody cared and everyone dancing was pretty much unconcious of what it "should" sound like..

My recommendation is to play with as many different people as you can. And keep working on technique!

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