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CAJON DRUM HISTORY - Latest Entries
Cajon Drum: History and Playing Instruction
Cajon drums are drums presently crafted out of wood, but the Cajon drums of yesteryear were in the form of simplistic boxes, tiny drawers from dressers or crates for fish. The actual term "Cajon" is derived from the Spanish language and when translated means "box." As time passed, the Cajon drum was reshaped and reconstructed to appear as it does today: a six sided wooden box with a whole on one side of it, usually the back side
History of the Cajon
The cajon is believed to have originated in Peru when the African slaves, brought to Peru from Angola, began using fruit crates as percussion instruments. Displaced from their homeland, the African slaves substituted cod shipping crates for their native drums.
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Meet the Cajon
The story of the Cajon begins centuries ago when African slaves were brought to the Spanish colony of Peru. The slaves, forbidden to use their traditional instruments, were forced to play tables, spoons, chairs, and other household items. The Cajon is the modern descendent of an instrument made from a simple wooden box.
The Cajon is box-shaped, standing about eighteen inches tall and approximately ten inches deep. The frame of the drum is made of hardwood, with a thinner piece of plywood used for the front cover. The back or side of the Cajon has an open circle cut in it, coincidently about the same size as the hole on your average bass drum head. The musician sits on the Cajon, and hits the instrument with his or her hands. In traditional Peruvian performance, the musician alternates two strokes to the center of the drum with various other rhythmic variations.
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