Bongo drum

Bongo drums are a pair of small, open-bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger hembra (female) and the smaller macho (male), which are joined by a wooden bridge. They are played with both hands and usually held between the legs, although in some cases, as in classical music, they may be played with sticks or mounted on stands.

Bongo drums are a popular instrument in Latin American music, and they are also used in a variety of other genres, such as jazz, blues, and rock.

Traditional bongo drums are often made from wood, with the drumheads crafted from animal hides, such as goat or cow skin. Modern versions might use synthetic materials for drumheads.

Bongo drums produce relatively high-pitched sounds compared to conga drums, and should be held behind the knees with the larger drum on the right when right-handed. It is most often played by hand and is especially associated in Cuban music with a steady pattern or ostinato of eighth-notes known as the martillo (hammer). They are traditionally played by striking the edge of the drumheads with the fingers and palms.

Playing the bongos involves a variety of hand techniques, including open tones, closed tones, slaps, mutes, and palm sounds. These techniques produce different pitches and tones.

Africa can lay claim to inventing the bongo drums, although no one can pinpoint exactly where on the continent and when in the late 1800s the history of bongo drums began.

During this time, the bringing of slaves from Africa to South America included the migration of bongo drums. Cuba was and is enamoured with the bongo drum, as evidenced in "Changui and Son," a well-known Cuban style of music. Changui and Son first came into existence in eastern Cuba in the late 1800s when slavery was abolished. 

The first recorded use of the word "bongo" for a pair of Cuban drums held between the knees and played with the fingers was in 1920. The name "bongo" is thought to come from the Bantu words ngoma or mgombo, meaning drum. 

Bongo drums gained popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century as part of the Latin music wave. They became associated with the vibrant and energetic sounds of salsa and other Latin genres.

Bongo drums are tuned by adjusting the tension of the drumheads. This is usually done by using metal tuning lugs that are tightened or loosened. The drumheads on the bongos were initially tacked and tuned with a heat source. But in the 1940s, metal tuning lugs were created to support faster, more efficient and easier tuning.

The term "bongocero" meant that a bongo player had mastered the instrument and had the ability to teach others. Top bongocerros have earned a name in the music business, most notably Chano Pozo, Ray Barretto, Willie Bobo, and Tito Puente. Jack Constanzo was a bongocero who became a teacher of several Hollywood movie stars including James Dean and Marlon Brando.

Sources http://www.ehow.com, Daily Express