Bongos

Bongos are a percussion instrument and are also known as bongo drums. It is a set of two small drums held together by a thick wooden piece. Bongos are held between the knees and are traditionally played by striking the diaphragm with the fingers. Some classical musical scores make use of sticks or brushes to produce contemporary sounds. The two drums that make up the bongo are of different sizes. The larger drum is called the hembra or female and the smaller one is referred to as macho which stands for male in Spanish. Modern bongo drums are made from wood, metal, or composite materials and are capable of producing high-pitched sounds. The history of bongo drums can be traced back to Cuban styles of music called Changui and Son. This was around the late 1800's when slavery was abolished. Originally, bongo heads used a heating element to help tack and tune the instrument. Around the 1940's, metal tuning lugs were incorporated to make tuning easier. It is believed that the modern day bongos evolved from the Abakua Drum trio called 'bonko' and its lead drum 'Bonko Enchemi'. These drums are still part of the Abakua religion in Cuba and look very similar to today's bongos. Some of the very first bingo recordings were performed by groups named Sexteto Habanero, Sexteto Bolo'±a and Septeto Nacional. In the Cuban music culture, the bongo is played by the same musician who plays the cowbell; whereas in the Spanish group he is known as the bongocerro. In Morocco, Egypt and the Middle East, drums similar to the bongo, made with ceramic bodies called 'tbila' are used.