congaplace.com

Hi all,

Its not the normal tuning question .....

I've managed to tune my new congas to G and C (they sound the right distance apart and a guitar tuner is showing em as pretty much spot on). However, both drums sound low compared to video clips i've watched on YouTube, and ringing a fair bit, so i'm wondering whether i've tuned mine an octave down. Trouble is, if I try to tighten em up and tune em and ocatave higher but still at G and C I'm scared something will snap lol.

So, if I find the 1st G whilst tightening the larger drum, would you think it ok to stretch em up to the next G ?

I don't read music, so I may even be talking complete nonsense . . .

hi Boston,
I don't think you can avoid overtones (that is the 'ringing' i think you are talking about) with those drums so I recommend you find a tone in that area that you think sounds the least ringy rather than try to hit a "C" note then tune the bigger drum using the 'here comes the bride' interval as you have been doing.

If you are worried about straining something do it over a few days.
I think I am at about C on this keyboard http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano/index.htm

regards R.

Thanks for that.

I've also noticed on stripping the 11" down that the metal ring within the skin is bent in one place. I've just positioned this 'bend' halfway between two lugs and its made tuning it alot more 'even' and made that drum sound a whole lot better.

They are still both low though, they lack that Thwack sound, sounding more like a thwunk.

The 10" skin is very uneven in thickness and rings the most, the lug at the thinner point on the skin always seems to tight and always needs loosening off, given its a stagg set, I'm kinda thinking that i'm not going to be getting anywhere until I replace the heads (I knew I should spent the extra and got the matching Meinl ones to go with my bongos).

I'll have another play around tonight and see if I can't get em sound right.

Thanks.

Just recorded a clip of the open tone on both my 10 and 11"

http://www.gigrigs.co.uk/misc/Sample01.WAV

I'd stick with that more or less.
Play them for a while, you could probly go up a bit but an octave will be too much imo.

R.

thomas newton wrote:I'd stick with that more or less.
Play them for a while, you could probly go up a bit but an octave will be too much imo.

R.

Now i've repositioned that bend, they're sounding alot better. I'm happy with where i've got to with them for now (as per the audio clips above). As i've said, they only arrived day Friday, so i'll let em settle and adjust to the humidy of the new surroundings and tweak em up a bit in a day or so. What would you suggest aiming for based on the audio clips, up to say E & B ?

No more than a couple of tones. Play em, enjoy em, you'll soon know where you want to be with them.

Noticed this thread while searching on tunings of congas. Just like original poster, boston, I too have noticed that nowadays congas seem to be tuned higher. While most books recommend tuning your main drum to middle C, it seems to me that in modern music higher pitch is the norm, perhaps because quinto/conga rather than conga/tumba is used. My musical hearing is not very good, so I can't say for sure how higher the pitch is though.

K
p.s.
I have bauer congas, and i'd say the middle C is about the highest note that I can tune my 11 3/4" drum without getting too much overtones and worrying about damage. But then bauer calls the 11 3/4" drum a tumba.

Bottom line is that you have to tune to your drum's capability and sweet spot. Many drums, even pricier good or even great ones, usually only sound their best in a limited tuning range. To say, globally speaking, that any drum should be "C" or "G" or whatever is not realistic. Tuning to a reasonably close interval between 2 or more drums is, however. Find your sweet spot on one of the drums (which one depends on the sweet spot range of your drums - start with the more finicky one), and tune the other from there.

Every drum (or instrument), not to mention the musical application, is going to make for unique situations. Tune however it needs to be to create the sounds that you are trying to get. There is no one single answer that will apply to every drum or every situation.

That being said, I guess it doesn't hurt to try to discuss. But it would mean a whole lot more if it could be discussed in the same room as the drum, instead of by typing words on the internet in an attempt to describe things. If others can't hear exactly what you hear, then how can they tell you exactly how to tune it to get the sound you want? They can't. Different people are also going to have different things in mind as they attempt to discuss. So take tuning recommendations as suggestions and not as guidelines. Then try out the suggestions to see what works for you.

Still worth reading, some terms can be useful, like "sweet spot"... hopefully one will know it when they hear it. But ultimately you'll still have to find what works best in your own unique situation.