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A cajón (Spanish for 'crate', 'drawer', or 'box', pronounced 'ka.HONE') is a kind of box drum played by slapping.
The cajón is thought to have originated in Peru. When West Africans were taken to be sold in port cities they, especially Angolons, were forced to burn their own drums.
Africans displaced from their homeland substituted cod shipping crates for their native drums. Those sold into slavery made the discovery of a cod-fish box which not only resonated like a drum, but could also be disguised as a seat or stool. In Cuba, small dresser drawers were used for the same purpose. After the instrument was refined it became an important part of Cuban and Peruvian music.
Three quarter inch pine or other white wood was generally used for five sides of the box. A thin sheet of plywood was nailed on as the sixth side and acted as the striking surface or head.
The top edges were often left unattached and could be slapped against the box. A sound hole was cut in the side opposing the head or tapa. The player sat astride the box, tilting it at an angle while striking the head between his knees. The modern cajón has three screws at the top for adjusting percussive timbre and may sport rubber feet. The drum has also two or four vertically stretched cords against the inside for added resonance. The percussionist can play the sides with the top of his palms and fingers for additional sounds. The tone of a cajón is often enriched by placing small metallic objects inside, touching the tapa. Guitar strings, rattles or drum snares may serve this purpose. There are also tube cajón, which are played like a conga.
Today, the cajón is heard extensively in Cuban, Andean, Flamenco and certain styles of Rumba.
The cajón drum should not be confused with El Cajon, California.
External link
- The Cajon Page (http://rhythmweb.com/cajon/)cs:Cajón