Congas

History

The conga would have come to Cuba from Africa, the carved solid wood being superseded with barrel type construction.

Tunings and Fingerings

There are five basic tones of the conga

tono abierto: open - fingers open
tono ahogado : muffled - fingers damped
tono bajo : bass - with the palm
tono seco: dry - short sharp slap
toque de punta: touch - touch with the fingers or heel of hand (or both alternately)