Conga Warm-Ups and Chop-Builders Part 1: Heel Tips
by Jim Greiner

Heel-tips are a fundamental building block in playing the congas. They are both a basic ground for many rhythms and a springboard for conga improvisation. In this respect they resemble snare drum rudiments for the drum-set player, or scales for a melodic instrumentalist. Work with an accomplished teacher to learn the basics of heel-tips early in your conga playing, and this will save having to unlearn bad habits later.

The exercises described here are helpful for warming up before practice sessions and gigs. They can be played on conga, on tabletop, and even on laps if there are no drums available or you aren't in a position to make a lot of noise. Like any fundamental exercise, the goal is not to perform these exercises as fast as possible right away, but to learn to play them well at any tempo, and with any style of music. It is crucial to take the necessary time to build good habits into your playing!

• Start slowly ( a = 60 bpm) and then proceed to faster tempos over weeks, months, and years!
• Stay relaxed so your body can function over a period of time at peak efficiency.
• Work toward consistency of sound and movement.
• Stay with one exercise for a while.The goal is to build muscle and nerve memory, and to build up confidence in your ability to execute an exercise, so that you can call upon these patterns effortlessly, intuitively, and without hesitation. It takes time (fifteen minutes or more at first) to get into this groove state.
• Stay focused on what you are doing - if you let your mind drift while practicing, the chances are you will do the same while performing!
• Keep it musical - don't let practice time become mechanical, or the quality of your performance will be affected. Do these exercises at times with various kinds of music to improve your performance with different "feels."
• And last but not least, have fun with them!

Each of the following exercises has two hand patterns: the first is for righthanded players, the second is for lefties. Once you're comfortable leading with your dominant hand, practice the exercises while leading with the other. This will help you become more ambidextrous and independent. For advanced study, combine exercises and alternate the leading hand, creating patterns of two bars or more. You can also substitute tones and/or slaps for the different heels and/or tips in varying combinations to create an almost limitless variety of more advanced melodic exercises and patterns.

Jim Greiner is an LP Clinician. He is the percussionist with The Bill Hopkins Rockin' Orchestra, where he plays a wide range of musical styles at corporate parties and resorts around the world. Through his company, "Hands-On! Drumming Events," Jim leads community-building drum circles and celebrations for corporations, conferences, and communities throughout North America. Greiner's video, "Community Drumming for Health & Happiness," is available through http://www.handsondrum.com.