Cuban box drums

Cuban box drums are known as Cajon (ka hōn), the Spanish word for " box" and in some cases "drawer." In Cuban music it refers to a set of wooden box drums originally used to play Rumba Yambu and now incorporated into many other styles. A thin wooden panel forms the "skin." The bass cajon is large enough to sit on and is played with the palm, fist and fingers. It was originally a crate from shipping cod fish in Havana. The middle drum is played with spoons and was originally a box from church candles. The solo drum started as a desk drawer but has evolved into a specialized box made for this purpose. A more recent contribution to the cajon family is a tall, tapered box resembling a square ashiko. Another is the "BATAJON " an innovative cajon invented by Fat Congas of Santa Barbara, with two heads like a bata drum. (Other companies internationally have also started making bata-cajones, but the name itself is a registered trademark within the USA.)

Where you hit the box determines the sound/tone you create. Bass tones are found towards the center of the playing surface while higher pitched tones are found towards the edges.

Played well, the sound of a box drum can resemble that of an entire drum kit.

There are also Peruvian and Spanish (Flamenco) style cajones, the latter of which often incorporates wires that run vertically against the inside of the playing face for a snare type sound.

External links

* [http://tonecajon.com/?page=history Brief history of the instrument with photo.]