In Volume I Tomasito reveals the time-tested Conga method which he himself studied with ?Changuito' and other master congueros at the ENA conservatory in Havana. Volume I starts at the absolutebeginning and is designed for the person who has never touched the Congas but is also of great value to the advanced player who wishes to understand the foundation and rudiments of the approach that has allowed the ENA and theother Havana conservatories to consistently turn out so many world class congueros each year.Volume I begins with simple exercises to develop technique and systematically works its way through rudiments and'recursos' for use in solos and fills and basic rhythm patterns such as Salsa Cha-Cha and Bolero. These are presented using the unique Step by Step online video Method which enables the student to learn the patterns by watchingthe video and imitating Tomasito as he builds the patterns stroke by stroke. This combined with a special type of notation designed to be simple for those who don't read music results in a Conga course that reallyworks rather than just another reference book to add to the bookshelf!

Play Congas Now is a step-by-step method that teaches all the fundamentals of congo playing. You will learn hand positions and techniques basic reading skills different styles of rhythms and patterns tuning and maintenance drum set and school jaxx band applications and a brief history of the conga drums. The accompanying CD includes all exercises and has play-along tracks to practice with. The styles covered in the book are Afro-Cuban Puerto Ricanm Dominican pop rock funk and RandB rhythms. Play Congas Now is a must for the beginner who wants to get started on congas or an intermediate player who wants an excellent practice tool to refinehis or her skills.

Timba: Modern Cuban Conga Rhythms. Par CRUZ TOMAS. Volume III is the first educational product to tackle the complex subject of Timba, the new musical genre which has been played in Cuba since 1989. Timba represents a quantum leap for all the instruments of the rhythm section and especially the congas. The recordings of Tomás Cruz are considered the most advanced examples of Timba conga-playing and so fascinated the three coauthors that they sought out Tomás Cruz and spent a year and a half studying his style and meticulously documenting it before even considering the idea of publishing it. After many hundreds of hours of passionate research, this 'labor of love' eventually reached fruition as Volume III. Volumes II and I were then written to trace the roots of the style and to understand the path Tomás took to arrive at his phenomenal level of technical mastery and rhythmic creativity. Much more than a collection of patterns or exercises, Volume III analyzes Timba arrangements from beginning to end, explaining the role of the congas in each section, the relationship to the 'clave', and Tomasito's creative process, including an exercise which teaches the reader to invent his own Timba conga parts. It was the intricacies of the material of Volume III which inspired the creation of the Step by Step DVD Method, which enables the reader to learn these exciting new rhythms in a fraction of the time it would take working with only written music and audio recordings. / Niveau : Avancé / Latin American - Methods / Méthode / Conga