Кубинский барабан конга: история и разновидности

Cuban drum

The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). Congas were originally used in Afro Cuban music genres such as conga (hence their name) and rumba, where each drummer would play a single drum. Following numerous innovations in conga drumming and construction during the mid 20th century, as well as its internationalization, it became increasingly common for drummers to play two or three drums. Congas have become a popular instrument in many forms of Latin music such as son (when played by conjuntos), descarga, Afro Cuban jazz, salsa, songo, merengue and Latin rock. Although the exact origins of the conga drum are unknown, researchers agree that it was developed by Cuban people of African descent during the late 19th century or early 20th century. Its direct ancestors are thought to be the yuka and makuta (of Bantu origin) and the bembé drums (of Yoruba origin).

[[File:Conga's 01. jpg|thumb|220px|A pair of congas (front) with a pair of bongos (back) mounted on top. The combination of congas and bongos was pioneered by Cándido Camero in New York City. Historically, terminology for the drums varies between genres and countries. In ensembles that traditionally employ a large number of drums, such as comparsas and rumba groups, a detailed naming system is used, which has been taken up by major conga manufacturers. The drums are listed from largest to smallest diameter (drumhead sizes vary considerably by manufacturer, model, and style):

The supertumba or rebajador can be as large as The tumba or salidor is typically The conga or tres dos is typically The quinto is typically around The requinto can be smaller than The ricardo can be as small as Since this drum is typically played while hanging from a shoulder strap, it is considerably shorter and narrower than a traditional conga. In conjuntos that play son cubano, as well as in charangas and other ensembles where one or two congas were introduced to complement other rhythmic instruments, the drums are named like the bongos: macho (male) and hembra (female), for the higher and lower pitched drums, respectively; an additional drum would be called tercera (third). Open tone (tono abierto): played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant sound with a higher pitch than muffled and bass tones. The muted or pressed slap tone (toque tapado normal) involves playing an open tone while the other hand rests on the drumhead, which produces a higher pitch. There are open (tono tapado abierto) and half open (tono tapado semi abierto) variants, in which the playing hand briefly rests on the edge of the drumhead after the stroke, followed by another stroke with the other hand. When played at fast and short intervals, this is called floreo, which is often used to instill emotion in the dancers. Other strokes can be used to enhance the timbral palette of the instrument. They are not used by all drummers, but have become the hallmark of congeros such as Tata Güines. Touch or toe tone (toque de punta): as implied by the name, this tone is produced by just touching the fingers or heel of the palm to the drum head. It is possible to alternate a touch of the palm with a touch of the fingers in a maneuver called heel toe (manoteo), which can be used to produce the conga equivalent of drumrolls. Nails stroke (toque de uñas): played with the tip of the nails, usually finger by finger in quick succession, starting with the pinky.

The deslizado, moose call or glissando is done by rubbing the third finger, supported by the thumb, across the head of the drum. The finger is sometimes moistened with saliva or sweat, and sometimes a little coat of beeswax is put on the surface of the conga head to help make the sound. The moose call is also done on the bongos. To bend the pitch of the congas, a conguero sometimes uses his elbow to shift around on and apply pressure to different parts of the head; this causes the note to change. This is not a traditional stroke, but it is common in modern salsa and rumba.

Guaguancó uses three congas. The smallest conga is the lead drum known as quinto. The following nine measure quinto excerpt is from the guaguancó “La polémica” by Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (1988). This passage moves between the main modes of playing (A, B, C). The A section is the basic lock or ride, as it is known in North America. It spans one clave (measure). An alternate phrase (B) is also one measure in length. Cross beats, the basis of the third section (C), contradict the meter. By alternating between the lock and the cross, the quinto creates larger rhythmic phrases that expand and contract over several clave cycles. Los Muñequintos quintero Jesús Alfonso (1949–2009) described this phenomenon as a man getting “drunk at a party, going outside for a while, and then coming back inside.”

thumb|center|450px|All modes of quinto in context. Quinto excerpt from “La polémica” by Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (1988).

There is also the bolero rhythm that is used for ballads. The conga part is similar to the marcha.

Beginning in the late 1960s, band conga players began incorporating elements from folkloric rhythms, especially rumba. Changuito and Raúl "el Yulo" Cárdenas of Los Van Van pioneered this approach of the songo era. This relationship between the drums is derived from the style known as rumba. The feeling of the high drum part is like the quinto in rumba, constantly punctuating, coloring, and accenting, but not soloing until the appropriate moment (Santos 1985). center|375px|thumb|Basic form of songo tumbadoras part. Triangle notehead: high pitched drum slap; regular noteheads: high and low drum open tones. In several songo arrangements, the tumbadora ('conga') part sounds the typical tumbao on the low pitched drum, while replicating the quinto (lead drum) of guaguancó on the high pitched drum. The quinto like phrases can continually change, but they are based upon a specific counter clave motif. [See: "Songo Patterns on Congas" (Changuito).

Tomás Cruz developed several adaptations of folkloric rhythms when working in Paulito FG's timba band of the 1990s. Cruz's creations offered clever counterpoints to the bass and chorus. Many of his marchas span two or even four claves in duration, something very rarely done previously. He also made more use of muted tones in his tumbaos, all the while advancing the development of The example on the right is one of Cruz's inventos ('musical inventions'), a band adaptation of the Congolese based Afro Cuban folkloric rhythm makuta. He played the pattern on three congas on the Paulito song "Llamada anónima." Listen: "Llamada Anónima" by Paulito F. G.

The conga repertoire includes many other rhythms found in genres such as danzón, mambo and cha cha cha, as well as foreign styles that have adopted Afro Cuban percussion such as Jamaican reggae, Brazilian samba and bossa nova, and American soul, funk, Latin jazz and Latin rock. In the 1960s, the conga became a prominent instrument in Haitian popular music styles such as konpa, yeye and mini djaz. Conjuntos and orchestras playing Colombian dance music have incorporated cumbia rhythms, traditionally played on tambores known as alegre and llamador, to the conga drums. The standard Colombian cumbia rhythm is simple and played slowly; it goes 1 2 2 1, also heard as 1 2 1 2. In the Dominican Republic, the fast merengue rhythm, which goes 1 2 1 2, can be played on the conga. It can also be heard as 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2. Essentially, it is the rhythm of the tambora applied to conga. In merengue típico (or cibaeño), the rhythm is usually more complex and less standardized; it can range from simply hitting the conga on a fourth beat to playing full patterns that mark the time.

Cruz, Tomás, with Kevin Moore (2004). The Tomás Cruz Conga Method v. 3. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay. Mauleón, Rebeca (1993). Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble. Petaluma, California: Sher Music. Peñalosa, David (2011). Rumba Quinto. Redway, CA: Bembe Books.