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5/11/2020 Conga - Wikipedia
Glissando and pitch bending

The moose call or glissando is done by rubbing the third finger, supported by the thumb, across the head
of the drum. The finger is sometimes moistened with saliva or sweat, and sometimes a little coat of
beeswax is put on the surface of the conga head to help make the sound. [3][4] The moose call is also done
on the bongos.

To bend the pitch of the congas, a conguero sometimes uses his elbow to shift around on and apply
pressure to different parts of the head; this causes the note to change. This is not a traditional stroke, but
it is common in modern salsa and rumba.

Rhythms

Guaguancó

Guaguancó uses three congas. The smallest conga is the lead drum known as quinto. The following nine-
measure quinto excerpt is from the guaguancó “La polémica” by Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (1988). [5]
This passage moves between the main modes of playing (A, B, C). The A section is the basic lock or ride,
as it is known in North America. It spans one clave (measure). An alternate phrase (B) is also one
measure in length. Cross-beats, the basis of the third section (C), contradict the meter. By alternating
between the lock and the cross, the quinto creates larger rhythmic phrases that expand and contract over
several clave cycles. The great Los Muñequintos quintero Jesús Alfonso (1949–2009) described this
phenomenon as a man getting “drunk at a party, going outside for a while, and then coming back
inside.” [6]

All modes of quinto in context. Quinto excerpt from “La polémica” by Los
Muñequitos de Matanzas (1988).

Marcha (tumbao)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga 3/9