Bongo drums belong to the percussion family of instruments, having Africans and Cuban origins. Some believe that they evolved from “Bonko” specific to the Abakua Religion in Cuba, while others argue that the bongo drums come from Central Africa.
These drums come in pairs attached together, and musicians position them between their legs and strike both of them, using fingers, thumbs and heels of the hand. One of the drums is a bit larger than the other; in Spanish, it is known as “hembra” (female), while the smaller one is the “macho” (male).
Bongo drumming started its road to popularity in the late 1800s, with the Cuban style known as Changui and Son. By that time, they looked a bit different than today, with heads tuned with a heat source. They changed in the 1940s, with metal-tuning lugs.
The musicians who play these drums are “the bongoseros”.
Today, bongo drums are being played in Cuban music, Afro-Cuban jazz, Latin music, but also in a many other styles such as soul and funk music, and so it's good to initiate drum lessons for kids and enrich their musical talents. It is not uncommon to be put on a stand, when they are played in concerts; in art music compositions, bongos are often struck with drum sticks, not just with the hands.
First Seen over here: Types of Music That Use Bongo Drums
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