How I Open Slap on Congas

TUTORIAL THURSDAYS!!! Letting y'all know how I Open Slap.
The key is how you position your hands and where you focus your mind to project the tone you're looking for... Yes it took me Two Years, but I hope it takes you Two Minutes.
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[@derknizotts9162]

You might have the best channel available for beginner-intermediate conga players man. If anyone didn't catch it, he OUTRIGHT admitted he doesn't like teaching it given his trials and investment with the technique. Many instructors/players will gladly accept your $$$$ and watch you fumble around for long periods of time and blame you for not getting it so be aware. Second, man i never like to draw inspiration from anyone else's ordeals but i definitely appreciated you saying it took 2 years. I broke a finger on my left hand as a teen and never got it fixed. However, i prefer an open finger technique for my open tones. Long story short, i am now going on 8 months trying to nail that one tone on my left and get it crisp. Good to hear im not alone lol.

[@APercussionLife]

Derk Nizotts thank you so much for those words!!!! Very much Appreciated!

[@Atrumnoctis]

Two years, man! Two years! Thanks for sharing this information sometime when I feel down i need to remember that

[@timothycroke5307]

Two years well spent. Those slaps are amazing.

[@ThreeStripeKing]

Eric thanks alot my man! I know giving up your personal techniques is sacrifice. I greatly appreciate it!

[@timothycroke5307]

Wow. This method works great. Thank you for sharing.

[@pedrourielcontreras4575]

Muy bueno!!! Podrías hacer este video en español🙏🙏🙏

[@bmspence3409]

Great tutorial once again. Your hands look very relaxed which I believe is the key to good technique. It also saves your hands- look ma no tape. What is the tuning on that drum. Sounds really good. Ola from sunny South Africa.

[@nickduffield7604]

Great vid. Thanks!

[@daveargall3454]

Nice simple explanation that should be very helpful. Thanks

[@brucecollis8609]

Always kills me when someone with no experience walks up to the conga and hits an awesome slap! LOL

[@tanmoybanerjee4922]

Really Love and Appreciate Your Videos! I would love to learn more from You! It would be Great if U share a List of RHYTHMs can be played on Congas. And then the RHYTHMs 1 by 1 along with the Variations so that We can learn, Specially for Ur Subscribers in India as We do not have any Source of learning Congas or Latin Music here!

[@jibarito5279]

Darn two years!! Wow that motivates me to keep pushing it. I have to get me a better set of congas. I have a low-end set given to me, which is what got me started playing. Thanks for sharing and God Bless!

[@kurtpatterson1296]

Better congas are always good,however the sound is coming from your hand technique, regardless of the drum.

[@jibarito5279]

@@kurtpatterson1296 Agree 100.

[@oshitomaha]

Would you say it is relatively easier to do an open slap on an 11” quinto than a 11 3/4” conga?? For some reason I find it easier on a quinto...

[@APercussionLife]

oshitomaha I would say that it can be a bit easier simply bcuz a Quinto is “meant” to slap a lot more... but what I did... (this is a secret haha) I would also try to practice my open slaps on a tumba... if I can get that thing to sound “slappish”... I’d be able to get a Conga to slap easier. Haha

[@jackwilliams8986]

Maestro. Saludos hermano

[@klonhead]

Thanks!

[@jpeood32]

Thank you

[@Boutrosbrother]

After trying this for several weeks, I learned there are different/combined ways to get a slap tone from that ‘basic’ handposition u suggest. You can play with the amount of skin area that touches the drum (more area gives more slap), you can also play with the tension in your fingers (short moment of tension in the fingers when they hit the drum gives sort of slap (because it changes the form of the hitting area of your fingers), and you can switch between flat finger of fingertip hitting the drum... I’ m wondering if that makes sense to you, and if any of these is more accurate than another? Or is the hidden secret to be found in other dimensions? ;)

[@yavuzakdemir15]

This video change my strokes, you are life saviour, finally my fingers get injured now like poncho’s

[@tanmoybanerjee4922]

I mean the Tutorials with RHYTHMs like the one U uploaded the MERENGUE! Really Loved, Learned and Practicising the same. Thank U so much!!!!!!!!

[@APercussionLife]

Tanmoy Banerjee thank you for you input and support! I will definitely start doing those soon!

[@tanmoybanerjee4922]

Thank U Sir!!

[@alubi92]

Genial lo voy a intentar, así me demore 5 años! Gracias por tus generosas enseñanzas Maestro. Un feliz Navidad, una fin de año en familia y un próspero 2018. Dios los bendiga.

[@APercussionLife]

Gracias a usted por su Apoyo! Lo agradezco mucho! Amen! Un Abrazo! Que Dios te Bendiga!

[@kurtpatterson1296]

This is the same technique that the djembe players from Conakry Guinea do their djembe slaps and open tones.

[@pedrolcruz9518]

Its the best and better way.

[@enzom1781]

Hola. Los podes hacer en castellano al video? Se que es mucho pedir pero no me quiero perder de nada de tu explicación. Gracias!

[@Atrumnoctis]

Hi and thanks again! Can u make video on rumba guaguanco melody and variations? There are not so many actually useful vids on youtube.

[@APercussionLife]

Bongoman I will definitely add that to the list!!! Hopefully it will benefit you. Thanks for your input and support.

[@Atrumnoctis]

Since I have no teacher in my country im on youtube all the time and so far i find your vids to be very good and inspiring

[@dimitrihernandez2658]

I love your videos. But I’m confused on this one. Are you saying tone when you really mean slap? When you mentioned two fingers you said tone a few times but I think you meant slap. I just want to clarify.

[@APercussionLife]

Hey... Sooo The first part of the video I explained how when I practice my Open slaps I try to position my hand in the same place I would do when doing an Open Tone... When I referenced the two fingers and stated "tone"... It was in reference to the "Open Slap", since the "Open Slap" is considered one of the Basic Conga "Tones"... i.e. Bass Tone, Open Tone, Muff, Close Slap etc... I hope this helped clarify a bit... Sorry if it was a bit confusing. Thanks.

[@christopherstorz6184]

@Bongoman, contact Johnny Conga on the web. John gives skype lessons and is one of the great conga teachers.

[@MrAldoe99]

Tienes este video en español?

[@juanfranciscosegovia-artef7607]

Thanks, man. My problem is that the skin of my ring finger stretches too much that it literally opens as if it was made of paper. Even if I already have "callos" because it doesn't open right where the finger hits the conga but just aside the "callo". (How you say callo in english?)

[@APercussionLife]

Juan Francisco Segovia hahaha I believe it’s “Calluses”

[@MrAmisto]

Calus

[@juanfranciscosegovia-artef7607]

Theres a topic to talk about, man: how to take care of your skin (not the conga skin but your owns). I have calus, but my skin still breaks due to excessive stretching caused by slaping.

[@SKY-xv7py]

💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🍬🍬🍬🍬🍬🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍬🍬🍬🍬🍭🍭🍭🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍉🍉🍉🍇🍇🍇🍇🍇💫⭐️💫💫💫💫💫⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟🌟🌟🌟✨✨✨✨⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ ‘tis yay

[@tommasomazzarotto2774]

good video , however for who is trying to approach this, would be helpful to know more of where you hit, as the conga generates different sound because you hit it differently. so beside "focusing on two fingers" i think there is more to explain in relation to how you contact the skin, for example you might actually be hitting the open with more center hand compared to slap hitting with fingers more towards the center of the head. just my two cents, maybe im wrong

[@Freddy-Da-Freeloadah]

Thanks for sharing THE SECRET!! Everybody knows the secret to something, but they never want to tell. Sharing secrets is PROGRESS!!! IMHO (So what else are people hiding? Yeah, if you are willing to pay a lawyer or an agent and they tell you to keep it secret, KEEP IT SECRET! But if it is not money in the bank, it's not worth anything, unless everybody knows!)

[@jackwilliams8986]

Lol this explains why im not happy with my open slabs. Ive been training for about 6 months and still dont get it

[@sushimamba4281]

Eric, I've been loving your channel so far, and it's great you have put this vid up, but I have to say a word about this: why wouldn't you want to teach people how to open slap? It's like teaching someone a language but you leave out the vowels. In my view, if you're going to teach people this instrument, then teach them properly about open slaps or... don't teach at all. Two years to learn to slap properly is NOTHING. It's normal. I think it's the MINIMUM required time to learn proper conga technique. It took me longer than that, and in truth I only really learnt proper technique when I studied in Cuba 8 hours a day for months on end and my maestro (R.I.P. may Jesus Christ bless his soul) opened up all of his teaching to me. He never held anything close to his chest about his technique or anything else. (And... I'm still learning.) I have been lucky enough to meet in person and learn from some of the great congueros of the world: Anga, Giovanni, Changuito, El Negro and many others. What they all had in common was humbleness, openness and willingness to share their deep knowledge, and their approach to this amazing instrument and how they make it speak and sing... ciao and God bless

[@brucecollis8609]

Always kills me when someone with no experience walks up to the conga and hits an awesome slap! LOL