Yamaha Professional Wooden Mini Bongo Drum With Stand

Bongos

From salseros to beatniks, bongos have captured the imagination of music lovers around the world. The bongos are easy to pick up but difficult to master, making them a rewarding instrument for casual and dedicated players alike.

Construction

A bongo drum consists of two slightly conical, open-bottomed wooden drums joined together by a central block. The smaller drum is referred to as the macho, while the larger, lower-pitched drum is the hembra. The drum skins are traditionally made from rawhide. Some modern bongos use synthetic material instead, which is easier to maintain and vegetarian-friendly. Today, a metal frame keeps the skin taut and can be used to tune the drum to produce different pitches. Historically, though, the drums were tuned by tacking the hide down and then heating it to shrink it.

History

Bongos originated in Cuba, probably as an evolution of earlier African drums. They were widely used in traditional Afro-Cuban music and, later in Cuban Son music. As Cuban music rose to international recognition, more and more people around the world heard the sound of the bongo through salsa and Latin-influenced jazz. bongo rhythms form the foundation of much Latin music.

Usage

Bongos are hand drums, meaning that they are struck with the open hand instead of beaten with sticks. Normally, the drummer sits on a chair and the drums are rested on the knees or held between them. Bongo players can produce different tones depending on whether they strike the drum with the palm or heel of the hand or the fingers. Combined with the naturally different pitches of the two drum heads, a skilled drummer can play many complex and varied rhythms.