Short Player needs Help/Ideas

[mydogsowner]

I have the Gon Bops Tumbao Pro Conga and Tumba Set. I really enjoy them but I have been having a unique problem.

I am only 5"1" tall and also have the Gon Bops Cradle Stands to go with them. But, they are too tall at their lowest setting for me to play properly standing.

Any cheap suggestions for me to play properly standing or sitting?

[BMac]

Have you considered building a boogie deck? I'm 5'7" and sometimes run into stand situations that are a little too high, so I commiserate, but I play my drums on the floor. I have several nice thick ply boards coated in polyurethane that I use as my floor whether that's outdoors on grass or on someone else's carpet, etc. Grass and carpet kill my sound, so I carry my boards around when needed. Other guys here have showed off their round 1-drum platforms with centering pieces and such, some with mic stands. So other players are already carrying around floor gear. You probably will be uncomfortable jacking a drum stool up high enough because your legs might dangle and you won't feel stable. So maybe you could just build yourself a six-inch high stage. There could be several sections that interlock for stability so you can move around behind several drums, or just use one for single drum folkloric playing.
Maybe I'm suggesting the obvious here, but you can't lower the drums, so maybe you can raise your floor with your own custom-made boogie deck. You could get fancy with adjustable legs, but that might not be needed. After all, your height is always the same, so if you had a box to stand on that's about 6-8 inches in high, you'll be up to fairly standard height.
Instead of building something, you may could use some of those rectangular plastic pedestals they use in step classes. They might be pink or purple or kinda girly colored unfortunately if you want a manly-man appearance, but I see those things at the curb by trash cans fairly often enough. People buy them and never use them and throw them out. Some of them nest together for variable height.
That's my two-cents!
Cheers and Good Luck!
BMac

[bongosnotbombs]

You don't like sitting and playing your drums on the floor?

[mydogsowner]

Those step thingies may work. Actually I am a woman. My only concern would be if I fell off and sprained my ankle or something like that.

I don't want to lug more around with me, like a platform. I also need the support for my back rather than sitting on the floor.

I am hoping something exists out there that would suit me well. I was wondering what other smaller stature players did to manage this.

[jorge]

I don't think BNB meant you sitting on the floor, I think he meant sitting on a chair with your drums on the floor (rather than on some kind of stand that raises them up even higher). Are your drums too high when they are standing on the floor and you are sitting in a regular chair? Why use stands? You can get a lot more sounds and often better sounds with the drum on the floor.
If a regular chair is not high enough without the stands, bring your conga to a music store and try out drum thrones with adjustable height, spin the seat up to a good height so you feel comfortable sitting and playing. They even have some with backrests, although they are heavier to carry. If your feet are off the ground even at the lowest comfortable playing height, you will probably have trouble with leg pain while playing as the edge of the seat presses the backs of your legs. You can either try different size blocks to rest your feet on, or consider playing standing up. I personally don't like playing standing up, but some people prefer it. If you decide to play standing up, shop around for conga stands that place the skins at the right height for you, not too high or too low. Until you find the best height, an adjustable height stand might be a good option, then try to find fixed stands that are that height.
I recommend against putting your chair up on a portable platform if that platform is small enough that one leg of the chair might slide off an edge. If it is big enough, it will probably be too bulky to carry with you.

[bongosnotbombs]

I don't think BNB meant you sitting on the floor, I think he meant sitting on a chair with your drums on the floor

Yes, exactly.

[mydogsowner]

Wow, BNB, I really read your post wrong. I was wondering what floor sitting technique you knew about.....

I sit most of my day at work, and prefer to stand when playing my congas. Maybe I am in the minority here?

Funny thing, I prefer to sit when playing my Djembes though.

[Anonimo]

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[bongosnotbombs]

Wow, BNB, I really read your post wrong. I was wondering what floor sitting technique you knew about.....

This would be all wrong