How to Choose Bongos

There are some things you need to know before you buy a set of bongos. If you're looking to buy a bongos for yourself, someone else, or a school, you need to know what parts of the bongos are important, what the options are for heads, shells, and hardware, and what features and quality level is right for you. Kalani covers all of those points in this video designed to help you choose the right bongos.
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Kalani is a Professional Percussionist, Orff-Schulwerk Certified Music Educator and Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC). He presents classes and workshops all over the world for people of all ages.
Books by Kalani:
All About Congas: amzn.to/2qkUdZ6
All About Bongos: amzn.to/2JBeFxx
All About Jembe: amzn.to/2JAe67l
All About Hand Percussion: amzn.to/2EASxzI
West African Drum & Dance: amzn.to/2GQ5Y0w
Together in Rhythm: amzn.to/2JCDN7k
The Amazing Jamnasium: amzn.to/2GRQ89G
Recorders in Rhythm: amzn.to/2GS2SZV
Kalani’s World Rhythms: amzn.to/2GRfUHr
The Way of Music: amzn.to/2GQZhzp
Videos by Kalani
Drum Fun - Musical Games for Groups: amzn.to/2Hq5oId
Play Ukulele: amzn.to/2JAnE2f
Play Cajon: amzn.to/2HgvtLU
Play Congas: amzn.to/2GSBPh2
The Drum Circle - A Musical Approach: amzn.to/2II2jTe
Hula for Life: amzn.to/2GNz8l90

[@UtraVioletDreams]

20 years ago. I bought myself a decent pairs of bongos. In the mean times.. I develop myself as a singer. Now I want to be like Phil Collins.. And I try this awesome instrument again...I love to sing and play this instrument at the same time. I bought a new pair.. Es wood and buffalo skin. I love them.......MEINL CS400 Bongos

[@ricdoliveira3075]

I’m a life long musician. I had an accident that affect my ability to manage guitars, or drum sticks right now. I discovered my bongos ( old) felt intuitive and the fine motor limitations were far less intrusive. So… new bongo time. I think I want a 7” - 9” set. I really appreciate the videos!!

[@jogarner76]

Good hints for buying first Bongos. Thank You

[@ChiefPoints]

Thanks Kalani, very timely as I'm about to make the move to get some bongos and congas. Thanks for posting, take care of you and yours, stay safe, healthy and happy!

[@GrungeFreak1996]

Thank you so much man!! this is exactly what i needed

[@bongoscongasantiquecashreg4544]

When I was a beginning bongo drummer I got a set of De Rosa bongos the natural wood ones played then for a while but when became more advanced they were tuning just horrible & the rims were hurting my hands plus they were not sounding good to me as I was improving. The De Rosa bongos worst design tuning on the top & use is a tuning key not a wrench. I was struggling with these $50 bongos & switched to LP Aspire bongos & they were the ones that helped me improve with you as my youtube teacher before I created a KZbin account. The LP Aspire bongos did not hurt my hands yes they were more money but so worth it when it came to the professional quality of sound & build of lasting for years to come. Once became professional at playing bongos than now play on the LP Giovanni galaxy bongos & they truly are amazing!!! I sold my LP Aspire bongos on ebay & the buyer said to me these bongos were better than I thought they would be & that made me happy!!! Yeah I am a little crazy but sometimes I like to play on different bongos ok here it is... I like to play my LP Giovanni galaxy bongos along with my meinl marathon series bongos duo set one!!! Duo set two is the LP Giovanni galaxy bongos with the meinl woodcraft zebra finish bongos!!!! A little nuts but it is fun just like I sometimes add in my LP mini conga,LP mini djembe & meinl mini bongos to my set up too that adds unique tones for whatever sound that I am looking for on thathe day! Yeah this local professional bongo conga drummer may be different but loves what I do! Wish I had money to donate but I am serious about percussion & don't have to donate money to be that way!!! Love your teaching & advice so thank you!

[@owczykdratewka3807]

Beautifull video! Thank you! 🙏🏽

[@aphexon.]

You can't choose bongos the bongos choose you :D

[@manbat1011]

thats every instrument imo but especially with folk instruments like banjos and such

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Sounds a bit artsy fartsy to me.

[@doghouse010]

i love this man

[@henrekcomartinez2340]

Thank you so much for your comments explanations to bungalows I happen to love bongos I would love to learn how to play them by watching your videos. Thank you so much peace.

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

I bought a cheap set of bongos off Amazon without knowing anything. After three days of playing, I found I liked playing but not those drums so I returned them. Then I went to my local music store and bought a entry-level LP set which I enjoy

[@rudolph_007]

Thanks a lot Brother 😊

[@SuzetteFranck]

Awwww, I wish I saw this video before I bought my bongos, but I will get started with my cheap acrylic bongos for now and if I continue, I'll get a nicer set. I am a new patron/subscriber so loving this content

[@WORLDDRUMCLUB]

Thank you!

[@hectorshutty1294]

I got myself a set of Meinl percusion headliner series with 6 3/4 and 8 inch heads

[@francrivera]

i love the mid range tycoon bongos !! thank you Kalani for the valued information !!

[@WORLDDRUMCLUB]

My pleasure

[@Zildjian_DW]

Thank you! This is exactly the information I was looking for. I'm going with the LP Matador's. Not too cheap and not overpriced.

[@scottmacgregor4622]

Good choice. That was my first set of bongos, too.

[@DrBongos]

I have a set of 50 year old Zebra wood LP Palisades. I love them. I usually skin them myself.

[@hellobooom]

I just got a used, freshly skinned set of Mopercs for my first bongos, feel so happy with them, absolutely unbelievable quality. Boy are they heavy though, but the only other one I tried was the LP galaxy in the store and it was quite a bit lighter.

[@WORLDDRUMCLUB]

Great choice

[@Berkcam]

I have a set of LP Durian wood Bongos which are 30% lighter than most Siam Oak's. They have a great sound.

[@pseudodope8363]

Looking for something for the living room, putting together a little tribal mix of stuff. Really helpful! Thanks! 🙂

[@marte1a256]

7:00 “these nuts!” 🤣🤣🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ferdinandcastro7399]

Thanks

[@OoMrBenoO]

What are your thoughts on Remo heads for bongos?

[@lishavi6607]

I bought a bongo set LP Aspire 601, size "6 3/4-8". I can't get the distinctive crisp and high pitch that i hear on most videos about bongos. The highest note i can get safely on the macho is less than 330 Hz, which is E3 on piano. I guess the macho diameter head is too small and i should have bought a bigger model.

[@tommyblack7998]

I got a pair of the Latin Percussion CP ones for only about $25 in a clearance buggy at a discount grocery store. They sound great. I am mainly a saxophone player, so I am not going to buy Latin Percussion's more expensive bongos, lovely though they are. I also play along on these with drummer's wire brushes, because I don't have a snare drum. They sound as good as a snare. (The same store also had a Chinese no-name flute for $25. It sounds excellent, and has the split E mechanism. The Haynes and Artley flutes are umpteen thousand dollars.)

[@Arrmoth]

I need a good stand. Are there good quality, low end price stands out there? What would you recommend? What stand are you using in your other videos? It looks like it holds the bongos pretty steady. Thank you.

[@BoogalyTheGreat]

are there any brands you recommend over others for quality?

[@onefm1]

What model is the better set shown here?

[@youtuveunvideo]

I checked the video description and the comment section but I didn't find the weight of the bongos from the video. Didn't he say he will leave the weight of the bongos for reference somewhere below the video? Or am I just blind 🤔

[@skateordie2774]

what BOUT the bongo size´s ?

[@smackymcproductions4443]

no recommendations? Where should I get a good drum for someone beneath a stratocaster?

[@elmoelmert513]

How much should i spend on bongos ?

[@kishascape]

Can I get the cheap Pyle bonguses?

[@maremaid15]

But what are good quality tension rods? I have minor headliners and I’m sorry I bought them because you can’t get a good bass sound on them. I find LP drums way too heavy even though I’m using a stand so I wish Kehlani talked more about brands.

[@christophertsiliacos8958]

Been there, done that. 😊 🎶

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

So? We don’t care, go away

[@HongStarr]

Hi, I'm new to all this and you didn't talk about the sizes of the bongo heads. I'm keen to get a set for mainly playing Bachata rhythms. Any advice please?

[@WORLDDRUMCLUB]

Sizes vary, but 7-9” is common.

[@DrBongos]

Tension rods are also called lugs.

[@shonuffgroove]

Great presentation Kalani. The only problem that I have, is when I play them between the legs the "heavy" bongos are quite uncomfortable and also I prefer a much "thiner" bottom hoop (counter hoop)....Sometimes after a while my adductor (leg) muscles become like steel !

[@bongoscongasantiquecashreg4544]

I would get a bongo stand to fix that issue on any type of bongos. I can't play my LP Giovanni galaxy bongos between my legs for I have a homemade bongo stand with a cat scratch post one that the cat can scratch & sit & relax on & the part where the cat can sit,relax & sleep is the part the bongos sit on with a white cuting board so the bongos project in sound & this homemade bongo stand works just as well as a real bongo stand just a money saver when wanting to sell my three LP Aspire congas to get three more LP Giovanni galaxy congas to go with my LP Giovanni galaxy requinto,quinto & conga set up I have now. The LP Aspire congas don't sound bad with my LP Giovanni galaxy congas but would like a more complete set that goes to the set I have of the LP Giovanni galaxy series congas.

[@Heritage20125405]

Hi ShoNuff, when I got my LP bongos one of the tuning forks was pushing against my calf and it was painful after a while. I loosened all of the tuning forks and I turned the top and bottom band around a bit until the tuning fork was resting under my knee and above my calf. Problem solved. It also makes it easier to hold the Bongos between your legs. You can do that to the small and large head.

[@shonuffgroove]

@@Heritage20125405 Thank you Angel. I very appreciate your advice, I will check it for sure !

[@tommyblack7998]

@@bongoscongasantiquecashreg4544 There are only four LP Giovanni Galaxy tumbas. As well as your requinto and quinto, they do a conga and a tumba. I have all four. I have asked them to make a super tumba in that series; that would give five notes. They make a super tumba in their other Giovanni style, but I don't like the metal rings around them; the Galaxy ones look a lot better.

[@kishascape]

You must be weak. Also you can just get a set of LP mini bongo

[@nbuehster]

This might be a little off topic in terms of what the video's about. But can the nuts on the bottom be like legs on a table, so you can play them on the floor and get some resonance? (If I'm making music, I'm usually sitting on the floor.) I'm planning on getting a set of bongos, but people have said that the sound would be muted if you play them on the floor.

[@ricardoflores-borunda2437]

may be a bit late but yes unfortunately if you set bongos down it does not produce the sound you usually hear you can definitely play them while sitting placing em between your legs if you don’t wanna have em on a stand :)

[@unclemick-synths]

My bongos chose me ... someone put them out in the garbage and apart from being a bit grimy and having one torn head they seem in great shape.

[@govindrajanv5857]

Absolutely agree! Just one query. What would you say is better - bongos with wooden shell or a Fiber shell? there are many of them today with fibre shells

[@WORLDDRUMCLUB]

Either is fine. I prefer wood.

[@majinghost5809]

Is it normal when the hoop is bending because of tuning?

[@manbat1011]

im gonna guess no

[@yoheff988]

Synergy bongos are not expensive at all ($70), and they do sound killer.

[@anuragdubey7685]

Sir i do live shows,and I need a bongo for live show,which bongo I should buy,please suggest 🙏 My budget is little bit low

[@tommyblack7998]

I have the Latin Percussion "CP" bongos and they sound fine to me. There is a choice of two colors.

[@anuragdubey7685]

@@tommyblack7998 is there a huge difference of sound quality between cp and Lp bongos?

[@tommyblack7998]

@@anuragdubey7685 I can't say from experience. I only have the CP bongos. They are good enough for me. The guy in the video said that the Giovanni Galaxy bongos (which look great) have a deeper sound than the others. To be honest, I am not keen on the sound of any bongos. A little goes a long way. I have an early Kenny Burrell album (Blue Note) and the bongos are annoying on that. I would not want them on my sessions. My main use of the CP bongos is to play them with wire drum brushes.

[@scrubnub5630]

I want bongos cuz bong bong

[@ralflang5524]

"Siam Oak" is actually hevea scrap wood from rubber plantations. No oak at all.

[@MrBluoct]

Too many dismissed bongos because their exposure to bongos were with horrid examples of .... “bongos”

[@conlangknow8787]

Too late i already chose bongos

[@bongoscongasantiquecashreg4544]

What set of bongos did you choose?

[@marvelousmaker]

You know you could get a cheap set then pass them off to your kid, nephew, cousin...etc..

[@JimmyFloridatube]

Looks like an Ad for Tycoon bongos and you didn't even discuss different sizes of bongos. It's not what I was looking for in a bongo primer video. Thumbs down.