Book excerpt: This book--which won the 2000 DRUM Magazine Readers' Poll for "Best Instructional Book"--is a complete, step-by-step course on conga drumming. It's the book we looked for but couldn't find when we were first learning to drum. We did everything we could to make it user-friendly, so even non-musicians could understand it. The book teaches families of drum parts for several authentic Afro-Caribbean rhythms, including rumba, bomba, calypso, conga, and bembe. The instruction is clear and step-by-step, and the writing creates the intimate feel of private lessons. The charts are big and easy to read. Life-like illustrations clearly demonstrate proper technique for each stroke. Please note: audio files of the CD that comes with the print version of this book are not included in this ebook version (but are available separately).