1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + H T H T H T T T......and work for speed doing this...and then alternate hand ... BTW WELCOME to Our Family of Drummers...you will find answers to all your questions here.... "JC" Johnny Conga...
I don't gig yet as I 'm not in a band but I practice everyday and my routine at the moment is..
Stretching/loosening my whole upper body from neck to fingers.. Alternate left and right hand doubles and paradiddles.. Then I'll start a slow Bolero with my right hand whilst shaking a maraca or mulit guiro with my left and then swap over ...
que wrote:What is the best Exercise for speed in playing three congas ?
Alafia Brother Que! I hope that you are well!
I guess you first should start by taking a close look at the way you set your rigg up! Do you set up with your drums to the right, left, or in a "V" formation?
In a "V" formation is probably the best situation to work on speed. (personal preference )
The way I've worked on speed over the years has been to, obviously warm-up first, then I begin with "mami-papi" exercises on the main drum (the one in the middle). After I've warmed up with that, I continue with "mami-papi" only now, I alternate with my left and right hand to the respective drum on those sides, and continue repeating. I increase the speed gradually. Depending on how your drums are tuned, you can get a pretty cool sound out of them. Kinda like Donna Summers' "I Feel Love" disco hit of the 80's! Oooops! did I use the "D" word!
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + O O O O O O O O R R L L R R L L
R R L L (highest tuned drum #1) R R (middle tuned drum #2) L L (Lowest tuned drum #3)
My set up however is with the lowest drum (#3) on my left side, and my next drum (#2) on my right! You may adjust them however you find comfortable to your style. I normally play with two supertumbas and one tumba (on occassion a conga) as my center/main drum.
Hope this helps! I'm sure that some of the other drummers on this forum can and will offer some great techniques on improving speed. Again, my suggestion is to familiarize yourself with where your drums are in relation to you, then practice on hitting them with good technique. At some point, try it with eyes closed, it should be interesting. ???
Practice your ROLLS .....and practice for speed ....single stroke rolls, building speed gradually, keeping the strokes as even as possible...this is one way to get started ...."JC" Johnny Conga....