Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-6335-1a Enkelvellige tonvormige buistrom, onderdeel van een set Cuba. The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a conga bar, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. 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. The combination of congas and bongos was pioneered by Cándido Camero in New York City.
Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell and a screw-tensioned drumhead. Since the 1950, congas are usually played in sets of two to four, except for traditional rumba and conga, in which each drummer plays one conga. The drums are played with the fingers and palms of the hand. Conga players are called congueros, while rumberos refers to those who dance following the path of the players. The term “conga” was popularized in the 1930s, when Latin music swept the United States. Conga drums are classified according to their size, which correlates to their pitch: larger drumheads have a lower pitch and vice versa.
Originally, drums were tuned by adjusting knots and tension ropes on the drumhead, or, more commonly, where the drum-heads were tacked or nailed to the top of the shell, by careful heating of the head. 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 tumba or salidor is typically 12 to 12. The conga or tres dos is typically 11. Since this drum is typically played while hanging from a shoulder strap, it is considerably shorter and narrower than a traditional conga.
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Congas, being percussive instruments, do not have to be tuned to any particular note in purely percussive settings. However, when playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. Congas are often tuned using the open tone. In general, the particular note will depend on the make, model, and size of the conga drum. Also, producing a crisp slap tone is nearly impossible on a loose head.
It can also be played with a cupped hand or the heel of the hand. It produces a low muted sound. 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. 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.