Bongos Come in Pairs and Have Names
Bongos are small Cuban hand drums. They are always played as a joined pair, and the two drums have separate names.
Bongos are small hand drums, joined in a pair and played between the knees. They are not interchangeable: the smaller, higher-pitched drum is the *macho*, the larger one the *hembra*, and the pair developed in eastern Cuba in the late nineteenth century within Afro-Cuban son music. A bongo is also a large forest antelope of central Africa, an unrelated word.
- A Cuban hand drum. *A pair of bongos.*
- Macho — the smaller drum. *The macho carries the lead.*
- Hembra — the larger drum. *The hembra is lower.*
- An African antelope. *A mountain bongo.*
- Conga — the taller Cuban drum. *Congas and bongos.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bongo | One bongo. |
| Plural | bongos | A set of bongos. |
| Spanish | bongó | The Cuban name. |
| Related | conga | A conga drum. |
| Homonym | bongo | The antelope. |
- He played bongos in a son ensemble.Music.
- The macho is tuned higher than the hembra.The pair.
- The mountain bongo is critically endangered.The antelope.
Cuban drums, told apart
- Bongos — small, joined in a pair, played on the lap
- Congas — tall, floor-standing, played singly or in sets
- Timbales — metal-shelled, played with sticks
- Cajón — a wooden box, played by sitting on it
- All central to Afro-Cuban music and its descendants
American Spanish *bongó*, of uncertain origin, possibly from a West African language. English recorded it in the 1920s.
Are the two bongo drums different?
Yes. The smaller macho is higher pitched, the larger hembra lower. They are permanently joined.
Is the bongo antelope related?
No. It is a separate word, from a central African language, for a large striped forest antelope.