How the bongos sound in salsa: the macho and the hembra, the martillo rhythm, and what it tells a dancer. Listen on its own and with the band, in the verse and in a slow bolero.

What it is

Bongos are two small drums joined together: the small macho and the larger hembra. The bongocero holds them between the knees and plays with the fingers.

In the verse the bongos play the martillo; in the montuno the bongocero puts them down and picks up a hand bell, the bongo bell.

The strokes

High: strokes on the macho, bright and ringing. Low: an open stroke on the hembra, deeper. Slap: a sharp accent the bongocero decorates with.

The martillo ("hammer"): even eighth notes on the macho, an open stroke on the hembra on 4, and a rest on the & of 4. On real bongos the macho strokes alternate fingers and thumb, which gives the "ta-ka-ta-ka".

What a dancer hears

The martillo is the steadiest part in the verse: the busy macho strokes set the tempo, and the low stroke on 4 and 8, like the congas' open tones, marks the end of the bar just before 1 and 5.

The rest on the & of 4 and 8 is a breath before the new bar: the step starts right after it.