Cajon Drums: For Bands On the Go
Cajon drums are box-like percussion instruments which are widely used as an alternative to a drum set. It still has snare and bass sounds to it and is much easier to carry around. If you happen to belong in a band who loves to perform anywhere, the Cajon drum is a great addition to your musical instruments.
The Cajon drum is easily played so you don’t have to worry if you are still a beginner in playing a musical instrument. The player usually sits on top of the Cajon drum and taps with the use of bare hands the front side of the box. The different areas around the front of the Cajon drum produce different sounds. The one at the center may give a bass sound and on the edges is the snare sound. Different techniques and manner of tapping can also create various beats. Plastic and metal brushes are even used instead of bare hands usually for acoustic music.
A regular Cajon box drum is made plainly of wood. All the five sides except the front have the same thickness of about half to three quarters of an inch. The front side is a lot thinner and opposite to it is a hole where the sound can come out. Some modern Cajon drums have fiber glass front and have snare strings and bells inside the box or underneath the front side to give a buzz sound. The early Cajon drums were just shipping crates from ports or dressers which are used by the Peruvian slaves for music. The slaves were prohibited from playing musical instruments by the Spanish colonizers during that time. And the use of the dressers and crates for creating music were easily disguised by sitting on top of them. It later became an important instrument for Cuban and Peruvian music.
The Cajon drum is widely used as an accompaniment to flamenco dances. But now, it is also used for unplugged jamming sessions and acoustic performances. With its easy way of playing, a lot more people are enjoying the Cajon drum whether for festive music or for soothing acoustic performances.