Seven Principles Of Quinto Soloing Technique

1. Quinto and transcription:

Learning by seeing the quinto language in written form is a very basic way to start to understand what it's all about. Since Quinto is a language, it can be difficult to remember everything that has been played by the quintero. It's easy for many of us to listen on the spot and memorize different rhythms. However, just imagine trying to remember a short conversation word by word that you've had with one of your friends. This is why writting down licks and solos that have been recorded is a great way to take your time and learn at your own pace.

2. Quinto and dancers:

Watching how a TASTEFUL quintero throws down with the dancers. Each quintero has different taste in how much he/she follows the dancers or just throws down on his/her own. There is no exact ruling on this. I suspect if a dancer thinks that your ignoring him/her, he/she might say something or just wait for another quintero. I remember playing with my wife's former group here in Berkeley, "Racies Afro Cubanas" at La Pena. Jose Luis was dancing and I was marking him, but I was trying to mark him in the most tasteful way that I could. When I looked back at the video it was awesome. The way we were responding to each other was really poetry. Playing quinto can be even more wonderful and soulful if you and the dancer(s) are at "one".

3. Quinto and clave:

Throwing down with clave. It's very important that one not only learns licks on his/her own, but it's also important to know how to throw down with clave so that it makes sense. When I play, I feel it's my "job" to make the clave sound more funkier with my own expression.

4. Quinto and "Gallo" (lead singer for rumba):

Listening to the "Gallo". There are Cubanos that play right through the lead singer. There are others that play a little during the verse and others that hold back almost completely. Which is right? I guess that's up to whom ever we play with. Personally I like to wait for the the singer to end a verse and then answer it with a phrase. In my book, Rumba Afro Cuban Conga Drum Improvisation, the phrasing I chose to put in the book is just perfect for that style. At times I play rides while the singer is playing, but I save most of the phrasing for between verses, except when the coro comes in. Then I'm more free about phrasing.

5. Quinto, Tumba and Segundo:

Developing an intuitive feeling for answering the tumba or segundo. Each of these drums are doing that anyway, so finding space to put your 2 is almost a different direction in expression. I find that I might be in a certain "zone" but I'll break out of it and feel the sublety of silent spaces between the open tones of the tumba and segundo.

7. Patience:

Learning to be able to express oneself with the afro Cuban language takes time and patients. Don't be in a hurry to learn because the hurry as an emotion can inhibit one's own ability to learn to be tasteful, intuitive and masterful of the quinto expression. These are the 7 ways that helped me to learn. Your way could be different and so if any thing I said here today helps you on your path, I'm glad to have been of service. There are thousands of us in the world that play and so there must be many other ways of learning the same thing.

Cliff Brooks has been playing and studying Afro-Cuban music for many years while playing conga drums, bongos and cajon, and now specializes in the conga drum known as quinto. Judith, his wife, who brought Afro-Cuban folkloric dance to the Bay Area, and Cliff, have been working together as a team since 1987 doing performances, dance classes and workshops. Cliff is now releasing his second book on Afro-Cuban Quinto soloing technique. For more info, please visit his web site at afrocubanchops.com.