0151 448 2080

Select CurrencyYour Basket 0 items | £ 0.00 Checkout


Meinl Conga Drums: Adding another flavour to your music!

Published: Wed June 17, 2009  News Feed

meinl conga

 A little Conga background or Do the Conga!

The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with an African history . It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a “conguero”. Although ultimately derived from African drums made from hollowed logs, the Cuban conga is staved, like a barrel. These drums were probably made from salvaged barrels originally. They are used both in Afro-Caribbean religious music and as the principal instrument in Rumba. Congas are now very common in Latin music, including salsa music, merengue music, Reggaeton, as well as many other forms of American popular music.




There are five basic strokes:

  • Open tone: played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant tone with a distinct pitch.
  • Bass tone: played with the full palm on the head. It produces a low muted sound.
  • Slap: the most difficult technique producing a loud clear “popping” sound (when played at fast and short intervals is called floreo, played to instill emotion in the dancer).

Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican

There are various rhythms for the conga, the most well-known being the marcha.This rhythm is commonly played on 1 to 3 congas, but has no true limit for the amount used. The marcha is the most common rhythm in Salsa/Son.


The merengue rhythm, used in orchestral merengue, goes 1 2-1-2. 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. This can be heard on Elvis Crespo’s Suavemente and Grupo Mania’s Me Miras y Te Miro. Originally, this rhythm was derived from the trap drumming of African slaves from various animist religions. In merengue tipico 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.


The cumbia rhythm, simple and slowly played, goes 1-2-2-1, also heard as 1-2-1-2. It can be heard in Fito Olivares’s Mosaico Fiestero and La Cumbia Sampuesana y La Cumbia Cienaguera by Ancieto Molino y Los Sabaneros.it was an important thing to know

Other Genres


Please select your country/region



Please select your country/region
