In eleventh grade, I started studying with a new drum teacher. He was a world class drum set player and percussionist, and it was during that time that I was introduced to Afro-Cuban drumming. From then on, I always noticed the conga pattern or bongo parts on hit songs, which got me thinking about transcribing some of those patterns.
What’s worse than seeing a cover band play a song and the conga player isn’t even close to the part on the album. I’m not a super purist or anything, but sometimes the song is the song because of all the parts on the original recording.
Pop Songs
Some of these include a lot of improvisation. The transcriptions also show some adaptation on my part. Unless you’re doing a deep dive into the style of a particular player, transcribing everything note-for-note is not necessary. These patterns are couple of bars each so you get the idea and how it fits with the rest of the song.
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If you’re looking for information the different conga sounds and technique development, check out this article on basic conga techniques.
1. “I Want You Back” – The Jackson 5
This conga pattern follows the melody and rhythmic theme of the song. It has a couple variations throughout the song and some improvisation. The heel / toe strokes are prominent in the original recording and add to the thickness of the underlying rhythms where the shakers and tambourines often hang out.
After learning how to make good sounds on congas, it was songs like this one that I really started to notice the conga parts. The short sound of the slaps combined with the longer sounds of the tones blend well with bass lines and accents in the melody. It’s not for every song, however, so be careful to not make it sound too thick or cluttered when it gets out of sync.
2. “Young Americans” – David Bowie
A lot of patterns on pop tunes do not follow the traditional Afro-Cuban conga rhythms. The pattern on this David Bowie song includes some interesting variations on the traditional tumbao. The variations are funky enough for this song and find space in the rhythm and melody to speak.
I’ll admit that the conga part is low in the mix and that this song is not a hit that you may not hear at the wedding you attend. But it was the penultimate track on an album that made it to the top 10 in 1975. It’s also an album that marked David Bowie’s move toward more R&B influenced song writing.
3. “Long Train Runnin” – The Doobie Brothers
Like the “I Want You Back,” this Doobie Brothers hit has a conga pattern that follows underlying the rhythmic theme of the song. These patterns, when played well, should be recognizable enough that the average person notices the conga part when performing this song.
The touch (tc) in the transcription below stands for a touch. The touch stroke is different than the toe. A toe stroke has more acceleration and therefore more force and sound production. The touch is more of a time keep and is less heard than the toe stroke. If you choose not to play this pattern as written, at least play the tones and slaps.
4. “Sympathy for the Devil” – Rolling Stones
Anyone who has played congas on this song knows the chops it takes to keep it strong and grooving hard. I don’t think I’ve played this song for less than seven or eight minutes. That means technique and accuracy is key to not tensing up or sounding unclear on the instrument.
Notice the hand recommendations below the notes. The two open tones are played with alternating hands to preserve energy throughout this marathon groove. The touches help a lot to keep time in between the slap and tones. Just remember not to put too much energy into the touches.
5. “Jingo” – Santana
Talk about a song with improvisation opportunities. This one has so much percussion that as long as the conga pattern has the same merengue feel and conversation, almost anything else goes. The pattern’s conversation between the drums is actually some sort of merengue with half of guaguanco leading most of the phrasing.
I would add light slaps to this pattern where the touches (tc) fall in the groove. And, I might play louder open slaps in place of the open tones on the conga (high drum) in the last bar.
6. “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” – Gloria Estefan
Anyone who is familiar with bata rhythms and Lucumi chants would recognize what Miami Sound Machine is doing during the intro to this song. The keyboards take on the bata rhythms to blend from traditional rhythms to the modern dance club beat.
The conga pattern is a guaguanco with a lot of improvisation and variations. I chose a couple bars from the groove that I thought were the most crucial to establishing the conversation among the drums and other rhythm section instruments.
7. “Africa” – Toto
This pattern is from the loop. The loop was made by Jeff Porcaro on drums and Lenny Castro on congas. In the time when drum machines were just beginning to gain popularity, they decided to set up in the studio and record an analogue groove.
One of the nice things about playing this groove is that you can play the shaker and cowbell parts while playing the conga part. Play the conga part with your right or left hand. Then, play the shaker with your free hand. I use a gajate bracket to play the cowbell with my foot.
Final Thoughts
Percussionists who do their homework and learn the conga patterns played on popular hit songs are rewarded with a voice in the song. Combine this attention to detail with proper technique and good sounds to complete the total package performance on congas that will set you apart from the drum circlers that anyone can be.
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