Bongo Drums and Latin Culture
Bongo drums, commonly just known as bongos, are one particular of the most recognizable of percussion instruments. Because of to the pervasive global recognition of Latin audio (thank you, “Dancing With the Stars”), the sounds of these minor drums are acquainted to men and women close to the community. Bongos, as the name implies, at all times occur in connected sets of two. One particular drum is marginally even bigger than the other the bigger is the “hembra” (the Spanish phrase for “feminine), though the smaller sized is the “macho” (the Spanish word for “male”). Bongo drums are able of an awesome deal of flexibility and their music is ordinarily upbeat and rapid.
Like some other drums of the Americas, these kinds of as the metal drum, bongo drums had been initially brought to South The usa from Africa by means of the Atlantic slave trade. The African nations of Nigeria and Cameroon had fraternal companies that used a trio of drums called “bonko.” When the Africans ended up brought to the Americas, vestiges of these companies and their traditions arrived with them. The Abakua is a modern society of Afro-Cuban gentlemen that evolved from people fraternal organizations. It ongoing to use the bonko drums, but the instruments ultimately pass on further than the fraternity. It is believed that this was the origin of the bongo in South The united states. The Abakua still exists in current Cuba and it even now takes advantage of bonkos that, if joined jointly in pairs, particularly carefully resemble bongo drums.
The bodies of bongo drums are normally manufactured of wood, steel or composite components connected by a heavy piece of wooden. The head is historically of animal pores and skin, but as with other contemporary drums, artificial substances are usually used in current situations. Formerly, in the late 19th century, the heads of bongo drums ended up tacked on and tuned with a high temperature supply. But given that the 1940s, steel tuning lugs have been utilized to let for simplier and easier tuning.
The sound of the bongo drums is great-pitched and as described, the tempo is commonly fast. When performed, the drums will need to be held concerning the player’s knees the even larger drum have to be on the aspect of the player’s dominant hand, which is in most cases the proper one particular. The drum heads are struck with each the fingers, palms, and from time to time sticks and brushes, while these past are modern innovations. The sound of the bongo drum can be muted by inserting aspect of 1 hand on the drum head even though striking with the other hand.
Some of the most recognized dance designs of Latin The usa, like the mambo, salsa and conga, make use of the tunes of the bongo drum. The instrument’s capacity for distinct percussion is essential to these styles, which showcase distinctive and regularly swift rhythms. In truth, the new music of the bongos is normally put into use as a solo instrument in such music, a tactic that highlights the worth of a song’s rhythm.
On an aspect notice, while bongo drums are typically taken into consideration instruments of Latin The us, drums resembling bongos can be located in Morocco, Egypt and some Center Eastern nations around the world. These drums have rawhide heads like their American counterparts, but the bodies are of a ceramic nature. These kinds of drums can also be seen in some traditional Spanish tunes, these as flamenco, probably because of to the Moorish affect in that country.
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