From Africa, the ancient musical instrument the conga wound its way to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It was originally just a solid hollowed-out log with animal skin fastened to it. In an assortment of sizes and shapes, this instrument produces different sounds.
These drums come in four sizes. The biggest is the tumba, the smallest is the nino or boy in Spanish. Some players choose to have a complete set with all four sizes.
Today, this drum is not just made from wood as many models are made from fiberglass. The modern type of this drum has a skin that is tune-able. No matter what its physical design is, this instrument is a fundamental part of the percussive section of Latin music of the Americas.
The large Bantu makuta drum could be the forebear of the barrel-shaped Cuban hand drum called the tumbadora, known elsewhere as the conga. There are three sizes for the tumbadoras: the large bass tumbadora, the medium tres por dos, and the smaller quinto. The quinto does the most complex rhythm configuration, while the two bigger drums do the basic rhythm.
This drum is of African origin, but it must be noted that the tumbadora and the bongos would not have been made if not for Europes manufacturing know-how and materials, including wine barrels from Spain. Like all percussion instruments designed in this manner, notes are created with the heel of the hand and the fingers. The drum head when slapped produces a different tone.
Congueros are what the persons who play this instrument are called. Rumberos are the people who dance while following the trail of the players. This instrument got its name in the 1950s when Latin music became very popular in the United States.
New York jazz and Cuban son combined to come up with mambo, and later became salsa. Latin musician and TV personality Desi Arnaz was instrumental in the popularization of these drums. The word conga comes from the rhythm la conga used during the carnaval (carnival) in Cuba.