conga tuning by knocking

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conga tuning by knocking

Postby congavalde » Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:42 am

I am looking at how I tune my congas, and I know you can tune to particular notes by using a piano for instance. I also have seen references that each drum, though, has a particular tune or nature that one can find by knocking on it, and listening to what note it sounds like, I guess?

I have just bought two more congas and want to have the tonal options and am interested in what others know about the inherent tuning of each particular drum.
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Re: conga tuning by knocking

Postby Derbeno » Sat Nov 16, 2013 6:27 am

Don't get too hung up on it, here is a good recording sound wise. Try and get as close as you can to this tuning and you are good to go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGEAT1Q9LRg
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Re: conga tuning by knocking

Postby rhythmrhyme » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:42 am

I would add that all drums have a "sweet spot" in their tuning range. It probably matches in some ways with the tonal qualities you hear when "knocking" on the shell. When in the sweet spot a conga will resonate with it's best voice, likely because the resonance of the head matches best at a certain tension with the shape and tonal qualities of the shell. I spend a lot of time tuning and handling my drums, not everyone does, but I know this spot for all of them. They also have a "secondary" resonance, that sometimes I'll push the drum to in order to have them meet a certain tuning interval goal. But, when playing a drum on its own, I always bring it back to it's natural voice.
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Re: conga tuning by knocking

Postby congavalde » Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:37 am

RR- that's what I thought I've heard. Another question- there are differences when knocking on the belly of the drum vs towards an edge- is that the secondary resonance that you are referring to?

Ive noticed that there are letterings inside each LP drum, could they include the resonant note?

I guess I will have to get to know my drums better.
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Re: conga tuning by knocking

Postby sdrum » Sun May 11, 2014 3:06 am

All drums have their special sound based on shape, materials, skins and of course your technique. Let the drum talk to you. Tune it and hit it. When the tuning is right the drum will play sweet and easy. Listen to it.
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