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Hi, this tutorial is supposed to encourage you to buy and help you buy this instrument - the cajón.
Now, this instrument is the perfect choice for amateur, semi-professional, and professional drummers.
It has at least three good advantages over the African djembe.
First of all - it's made of wood. And so it is weather resistant.
The second thing is that its sound goes much better together with other instruments, such as e.g. a guitar.
And lastly - the instrument is empty inside. This means you can take your things, pack them inside the cajón.
Then wrap it all up in the form of a backpack or a bag and travel around the world with only one piece of luggage. And also - one you can sit on.
Now, when considering to buy a cajón, please think of the following things:
Here are three basic kinds of cajóns. On the left is the snare cajón. This is how it looks like inside. It uses snare springs.
In the middle - a full-surface string cajón. It has wires or strings running along the whole front plate.
On the right - a top string, or corner string cajón. It only has strings in the top part of the playing surface.
Now, here are the differences:
Bass sound: the snare cajón has a snare bass sound, while the top string cajón doesn't. The snare cajon is also typically the loudest kind. The top string cajón tends to be quieter.
In exchange the top string cajón has a wider spectrum of sounds, so e.g. the bass and tone sound very differently, and the sounds are more precise. Perfect for using fingering techniques.
With the snare cajón, if you play fast rolls, the sounds blur into each other.
Thus, it may be said that the snare cajón is best for street play, whereas the top string cajón works best with a good microphone.
Also, the snare mechanism goes well with heavy styles of music, like rock, when most dedicated flamenco cajóns are top string cajóns.
The full surface string cajónis the most universal choice, as it tends to share the characteristics of its two counterparts.
Do not trust commercial presentations of specyfic cajon models on YouTube. Remember that sound may be edited. The full surface string cajón is the most universal choice, as it tends to share the characteristics of its two counterparts.
I will now play the three cajóns. Same room, same camera microphone.
Most popular mass producers in Europe are the German companies Schlagwerk and Meinl.
If you only have the option of buying the cajón over the Internet it's much safer to buy a mass produced cajon. There is a bigger chance of them being similar to each other.
On the other hand, if you do get the chance of actually visiting a shop and choosing between specific cajóns - give locally produced cajóns a chance.
They may be, surprisingly, less expensive, and of much better quality.
Apart from that they may be unique.
A lot of cajón players are also drumset players, or just people who would like to use one of these: brushes, or various kinds of rods in their playing.
In order to be able to do so you need a rough surface cajón. This is why you should get interested.
When you buy a cajón, some of them are polished, and some of them are described as matte.
If you have a polished one that's the sound you get !
If you take a rough or matte one, that's the sound you get !
Consider whether you would like your cajón to have additional playing surfaces.
Cajóns come in different shapes and sizes: bongo cajóns, yambu cajóns, bata cajóns, conga cajóns, and even a whole cajón drumset.
Now, if you are considering to buy a regular cajón model, even this one can have more playing surfaces.
The basic option that you should look for is a cajón with edges slightly sticking out. This gives an additional snappy sound at the corners.
This one doesn't have this additional sound !
And this one has it !
The snappy sound on the corners is a feature you should look for. On the other hand, many manufacturers produce [dedicated] multi surface cajóns. Unfortunately, I cannot recomend any that I have tested.
And think about size.
The typical cajón is 50 x 30 x 30 cm.
Most cajón cases and bags will suit this size. Obviously, some cajóns are smaller. Some may be bigger.
Consider that if you buy a multi surface cajón (almost always bigger) you will have more problems getting the right case or bag for it.
And speaking of size, there is also a small variation of the cajón, called the cajonito.
Of course it does not have the potential of a full scale cajón, but still it's a very cool gadget, and I can advise buying it. Well, at least for the people who plan to travel a lot with it.
And what about those flat-pack cajóns you put together yourself, that I have found on the Net?
Obviously that's another option. It's quite cheap. You get the cajón packed into a flat box, and you assemble it yourself
It's much cheaper, and obviously the shipping & handling costs may also be lower.
Still, I should warn you. It's not always that easy to put a cjón together correctly.
And the final question: do I need any additional accessories with my new cajón? Well, let's have a look at a few options.
To start with, there is the Bass Tube [by Schlagwerk]. This is an excelent and universal piece of equipment, that changes the characteristic of your bass in te cajón. It gives a better attack.
A fantastic feature that you should definitely buy, especially if you are working with microphones.
The second thing is the SideKick [also by Schlagwerk].
It's very easy to attach. You use velcro straps provided by the manufacturer, glue them to the side of your cajon, and then just attach the SideKick.
Very easy to mount, and holds very firmly.
The SideKick gives a klicking sound that is audible by the microphone at the back of your cajón, so it may be used both for street play and for microphone recording.
The next feature [also by Schlagwerk] is the Heck Stick. Note it's mounted onto the SideKick, so buying it separately is not really an option.
The Heck Stick is said to imitate the sound of a high-hat or a ride cymbal. This is not really true. It gives a unique sound, but it may be useful.
Please note that it is not really notable by the microphone at the back, so you will have to use two microphones, or use the Heck Stick only in street play. This is how it sounds !
The fourth gadget is called Shake Hands [ also by Schlagwerk].
It takes the form of a kind of glove, that you put onto your hand, and you can attach a shaker to it very easily.
Now this is again not audible by the microphone in the back, so you can use it mostly for street play. This is how it sounds !
And last, but not least - you have the Cajon Pad. I can't imagine sitting on the cajón for a few hours without it.
Seriously, it costs around 5 Euro. Buy it ! Various manufacturers.