Conga Drums in Space and Time

<p>Afro-Cuban percussion contributes essential characteristics to the richness of Latin American musical folklore and its rhythmic systems hold a complexity and sophistication that deserve greater study among both learned and popular musical spheres.</p><p>In Conga Drums in Space and Time author Jorge Pardo presents an exploration of the surprising ways rhythms can create three-dimensional space when properly structured considering Afro-Cuban percussion in particular. He charts the emotional excitement felt by listeners when exposed to syncopated rhythms using a thought-provoking theory of time positions. These ideas then carry over into Pardo's own system of hand drum notation (HDN) a simple and straightforward iconography that allows percussionists of any level to sight-read two hand patterns and play authentic Conga rhythms in a short time. Through a combination of theory and practical exercises Pardo takes musicians on an unusual rhythmic journey of discovery.</p><p>Intriguing and challenging this bilingual study explores the unexpected relationship between music and three-dimensional space and provides a simple and accessible system for percussion notation.</p>