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Tuning
Heads can be anything that can be stretched and tacked over the drum body, but modern heads are usually either pre-mounted synthetic, pre-mounted rawhide, or unmounted rawhide. Only the super-serious bongocero will take the time to find a rawhide skin with the appropriate thickness and uniformity to hand-tuck onto his bongos. Pre-mounted synthetic skins are more weather-resistant and stay tuned better than rawhide. The type of head also affects the sound of the drum. Personal preference dictates which type of head the particular bongocero will use. Heads should be changed when they no longer have the sound that you like to hear. The most important aspect of tuning is to make sure the head is tightened evenly. Tunable bongos will have from four to five tuning lugs around the bottom of the drum. The lugs attach to the bongo head via a hook that latches onto the bongo rim to which is attached the head. Viewing the drum from the side as the lugs are tightened can help assure uniformity of tightness. Start with one lug, tighten it one or two turns, then proceed to the lug beside it, tighten it one or two turns, and continue on around the drum. The macho head is usually tuned tighter than the hembra head, which can be as much as a full octave lower than the macho. Detuning the bongos helps keep the heads in good shape longer, and can even protect them from splitting in the event of drastic temperature changes. Detuning is accomplished by loosening the lugs around the drum, thus loosening the head. Synthetic heads are less prone to splitting due to temperature changes than are rawhide heads. Continue --> |
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