BEGINNERS GUIDE TO BONGOS - Pete Lockett - 01

Article 1
Six detailed lessons taking a look at basic techniques for the Bongos from the very beginning. It is an instrument I am very fond of and tend to use on a lot of projects. The versatility and easy application to many genres of music is a real inspiration for me. The only thing that surprises me is that one doesn't hear more of them outside of the Latin arena. They are so portable and easily accessible that I am amazed that the Djembe took off more than them.
We will be looking mainly at applications outside of the traditional setting, opening the doorway to usage in pop, rock, jazz and more. Of course, we will touch upon the traditional but that is not the focus.
Pairs of drums like this are found the world over and back into our very distant history. However, the main articulate form of Bongo technique comes from Cuba and Latin music from that area. By using the thumb and finger tips of the left hand to mute certain tones, a very rich and unique sounding instrument really gets to show its potential. In this lesson we look at the basics of the drum, from holding to tuning before going on to learn the basic touch and accented tones on the smaller drum.
NOTATION WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE AT www (dot ) petelockett (dot) com