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Posted: **Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:45 pm**

hello everyone.
i've been playing for about 7 or 8 months and i'm pretty happy witn my techniques

on open tones and others expect for the open slap. i practices some times for hours and very once and a while i would hit one ok slap but, that's it.
i would appreciate any advice on this.

gracias

y que viva nuestra musica

Posted: **Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:14 pm**

keep at it, it takes time.

do keep your hand flat, not cupped.

If you can get the sound with very little force, you are on to something.

Tony

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:02 am**

:D hello tony

thank very very much. you know is funny all of the instructions a got so far they say to cup your hands but, i tried your way and i think i'm begin to see better results.

thanks again my brother.

que viva la musica.

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:30 am**

tico take your time and FOCUS on the SOUND you are making.
Don't worry about volume, focus on the tone of the slap.
After a while - a few months - the volume and speed will increase naturally.
Don't worry if it isn't loud, make the sound cut, the rest will come as you practice and focus on the exact hand shape when striking that makes the best cutting slap sound.

~~~It's all about the sound~~~

Edited By congamyk on 1196231470

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:16 am**

Hi ticoloco,
To achieve crisp, clear sounding slaps, good technique is very important.

Hours of practice with incorrect technique will set you back - then you have to unlearn everything.

So, my first suggestion is to find a really good teacher and study their technique. Really study what their hands are doing.

When I was in Cuba I studied with an elderly rumbero who showed me his technique for at least 4 kinds of slaps: open, closed, rumba (his closed rumba slaps were almost deafening...) and tapados.

But for now let's just look at the 2 main kinds of slaps: open and closed. The technique for each is different.

It's a little hard without video but here goes...

To get the open slap you should be feeling the pressure of the impact mostly in the very tips of your fingers. The fingers are not cupped. The fingers go in almost a whipping motion with the middle/lower part of your palm acting as a fulcrum point. The fingers do not remain in contact with the drum head.

The closed slap is different in that your fingers after impact are remaining on the skin of the drum. They are not bouncing off the drum head at all. However, you are still feeling the pressure of the impact in the very tips of your fingers.

The fingers are not cupped - but the technique I was shown in Cuba had a very small gap (maybe quarter of an inch). If your fingers are completely flat, you are more likely to make a muff tone.

All the best and happy slapping.

Pavlo

Edited By pavloconga on 1196238058

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... slaps2.jpg

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:32 pm**

Everything that was said above...

also, start S L O W... achieve the sound that you want. Speed and definition of sound will come through MANY repeated sittings and practice sessions. And for me anyway, only in small steps. I stand by the old motto: "Practice is the mother of all skill"

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:31 pm**

Nice and helpful photos, Pavloconga, thanks for sharing!
The only thing I´m wondering are the thumbs.
Is it not wiser to keep it away while slapping or is it really a necessary integral part of the slap? Could be quite painful... ???

As I said - I´m just wondering - I wasn´t so lucky to have good teachers at all..

Edited By Mike on 1196260519

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:44 pm**

Pavlo!

That was fat. Nice work.

According to my teachers, Babatunde Lea (studied with Giovanni) and Sandy Perez, Pavlo's technique for these slaps is almost perfect. I would only add that the hand should be almost entirely flat, and ive been taught to use more of my hand, with the rim hitting the center of my palm, but its almost nit picking.

Yes, i to have a small gap and finish on the finger tips on these slaps.

So many players play with cupped hands, and this is why you see all the tape all over everyone’s hands. This cupped technique will ruin your hands over time. Flat handed slaps are faster, safer, and require less effort. It does take longer to develop the right sound, but its worth it. Also, you can really 'let it rip' with a flat handed slap and not worry about getting hurt - thus some really fat and sharp slaps when you want them.

I would stress that you can work on this technique with very little force, just your hand falling to the drum, from the wrist only with no arm movement.

Pavlo, id love to see your explanation of the rumba slap and the tapados, as the above description was so clean. Who did you study with in Cuba?

Tony

Edited By blango on 1196261315

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:53 pm**

[quote]rumba (his closed rumba slaps were almost deafening...) and tapados."

Pavloconga - I would pay to have you elaborate and give a technical breakdown of tapados. I've searched this forum, brought the subject up as a topic twice now, written to people outside the forum who make passing reference to it and the written to the school you mentioned you learned the correct technique from in Cuba and ripped the internet apart. Other than your one reply (about learning the right way) nothing with any detail.

If you could just give a brief breakdown and maybe some situations its used (sections of various rumba styles - other?) I promise everone in the forum I'll finally shutup about it!!!

If there was someone local I could ask up here in Nova Scotia I would but alas the one guy I thought who might have helped and not been full of sh%t passed on (Matthew Kaiser - RIP).

Darrell

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:03 pm**

blango - we must have been writing at almost exactly the same time - freaky

I was also taught the 'cupped hand slap' (and the bullshit muted rimshot - bongolike slap) and am slowly working toward the flat hand way.

also working on unlearning the 'heel/toe' and moving more to the palm/tip as in another thread. Will take months or maybe years and as soon as I play at speed the exersices kick out and the old stuff kicks in.

Ah well - thats why playing and music is a lifelong journey eh and this forum rocks so freakin hard!

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:32 pm**

:D

yea, Ive reworked my technique three times. The last adjustment took me 6mo of work to apply. Sounds like you are on the right track. Its funny, Mongo's style is a thing of the past, as far as technique.

I think Giovanni's tapes are the best for learning technique, other than working with a master.

On a side note. Ive always thought these other slaps came from Bata technique and the quest for the crisp sound of a cha. ie the use of the smaller fingers on the 'rumba slap'. Or perhaps its the sound of stick on drum they were after. Any thoughts?

Tony

Edited By blango on 1196264153

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:47 pm**

I'm afraid I don't have the chops to offer any worthwhile thoughts on that - other than I know JC has talked about bata slaps - which he has described as basically made with the palm closer to the centre of the drum and the slap happening at the far edge (please correct me if I'm mangling this JC) and maybe bata slaps and tapado are the same...?

Thats why I'm really hoping Pavloconga will chime in next time he has a boo at the thread.

As to books - I've heard that too alot in the forum - but almost equally I've heard folks rave about the 3 Tomas Cruz books for learning technique - have you used both?

Darrell

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:45 pm**

I think that the tomas cruz books are the next best thing to 1 on 1 teacher. The DVD's clarify a LOT that cannot be interpreted from the text alone.

M

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:47 pm**

Burke, I don't think it will take you that long to get over the heel toe and move to palm tip. I got completely over it in about 2 weeks but then again I'm sure I wasn't playing as long as you. I really had to concentrate a lot though cause it happens on its own.

Question: Do the size of your hands matter as far as placement when slapping or is it the same for everyone just depending on the drum.

Posted: **Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:28 pm**

Yeah 20+ years of doing it one way (plus having kinda stupid hands in the first place) will be a challenge - but the nice thing about it is, its kinda easy to put the mentronome on (or the TV) and just zone out on palm/tip.

Working on tumbaos with PT takes concentration though and sloooowing down. Guaguanco (and other rumba styles) not so much for some reason - perhaps because I haven't been palying them that long.

I know I've seen other comments indicating that hand size does make a difference to placement.

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slap technic - needs help