Learning Manoteo On Zendrum

A Zendrum can contain a world of sounds. Playing them in a sophisticated manner takes some practice and exercise, just as with any intrument.

If you learned to play a piano using only 1 finger on each hand, your command of the instrument becomes very limited. Your hand, and Zendrum, are far more versatile than that. Anyone experienced in traditional djembe or conga drumming will be familiar in the manners in which a single drum can produce a multitude of voices based on hand position. While a Zendrum is a different beast, the same physical principals apply to striking the instrument pads in specific sequence or combination.

Manoteo is a technique applied to Latin hand drums which means "Heel / Tip". Hold your right hand in a slightly cupped position, fingers together. Now tap a surface (like a desk) with the heel of your palm. Lift your wrist while bending it down to tap the surface with your finger tip. Repeat. This is the basic motion of Manoteo, called "Tah De" (the heel counted with "Tah", the tips with "De"). If you do it in even rhythm, you can learn to simply rock your hand in simple time.

If you perform a conga "Slap", both heel and fingertip strike the surface at the same time.

Based on your hand positioning over the head of a drum, these three striking techniques provide at least 3 sounds. On a Zendrum, it becomes a basis for controlling multiple instruments independently.

(please refer to the annotation section of this site for explanation if you are not familiar with the system)

F3 (Bass) played with the heel of the palm only. (or whatever ground rhythm instrument you use - Doumbek?)
C3 (Closed Hi Hat) played with finger tip only. (or whatever ride instrument you use - Maraca?)

Do not move your arm laterally during this exercise, conserve energy and learn accuracy at the hand level insead.

C3 (C HH) |.... r... ..r. r... |r... .... r... ..r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... r... |.... r... ..r. ..r.

As with any rudiment on any drum, be slow and steady. Accuracy before speed. Once you feel comfortable at a given tempo, move up a bit.

Tapping a straight rhythm out with finger tips is second nature to any drummer. A simple quarter note hi hat/bass beat becomes:

C3 (C HH) |r... r... r... r...
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... ....

Simple. Then translate that to eighths once you've got it down.

C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... ....

Ready for the fun? KEEP THE HAT RHYTHM STRAIGHT and use a manoteo rocking motion to achieve this:

C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r.r. .... r..r ....

Now, if you leave the heel of your palm hovering over F3, but rotate your wrist, you can add a snare (Timbale?) at C2. Play the basic manoteo rudiment using that postition. It feels a little different, but not too bad.

C2 (snar) |.... r... ..r. r... |r... .... r... ..r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... r... |.... r... ..r. ..r.

Now mix them up:

C2 (snar) |.... r... ..r. r... |.... .... .... .... |r... .... r... ..r. |.... .... .... ....
C3 (C HH) |.... .... .... .... |.... r... ..r. r... |.... .... .... .... |r... .... r... ..r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... r... |.... r... ..r. ..r. |r... .... r... r... |.... r... ..r. ..r.

Now comes something unique to Zendrum and not so obvious on hand drum. C2 and C3 can obviously be hit simultaneously for a snare / hi hat combination. And a good solid flat slap can play snare/hi hat/bass.

Tap basic eigths on hi hat:

C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.

Add a 1+3 bass:

C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... ....

Simply shift your hand over on 2+4:

C2 (Snar) |.... r... .... r...
C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... ....

Some extra tap on a well placed sixteenth gets this:

C2 (Snar) |.... r... .... r...
C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.rr r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r... .... r... ....

Not too different from what you've done already. Now, take some time, a deep breath, and dig into this, one beat at a time:

C2 (Snar) |.... r..r .... r...
C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r.r. .... r..r ..r.

Wow. OK, that one isn't so easy. The most difficult figure to get used to is a double heel tap, but it sounds great, so another thing to work up to is this:

C2 (Snar) |.... r.rr .... r...
C3 (C HH) |r.r. r.r. r.r. r.r.
F3 (Bass) |r.rr .... rr.r ..r.

And THAT's the basis of Manoteo and how to apply it to Zendrum. Anyone notice how C4 is begging to be an open hi hat or splash? And just what does that left hand do with all the free time?

Eventually, one hand can play the trap kit, and one all of the accessory percussion, to sound like This Sample.

More on 1 handed techniques HERE