Cajón

A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument that comes from Peru. People play it by hitting the front or back with their hands, fingers, or sometimes small sticks or brushes. The cajón is made from thin plywood, which makes a lovely sound when struck.

Cajóns are most often used in Afro-Peruvian music, especially in a style called música criolla. But they have also become popular in other types of music, like flamenco. The word "cajón" is also used for similar box drums in many parts of Latin America. For example, in Cuba, there is the cajón de rumba, and in Mexico, there is the cajón de tapeo.

Besides its musical use, the word "cajón" can also refer to places in California, such as El Cajon, California and Cajon Pass, California.

Description

The cajón is a box-shaped drum made from sheets of wood that are about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch thick. Five sides of the box are made from this wood, while the sixth side is a thinner piece of plywood used for hitting the drum, called the tapa. A sound hole is cut into the back. Modern cajón drums might have rubber feet and screws on top to change their percussive timbre.

Origins and evolution

The cajón is a popular musical instrument from Peru that has been used since the late 1800s. It was created by enslaved people from west and central Africa who lived in the Americas. They made the cajón from wooden boxes or crates they had access to, like those used for shipping goods.

There are two main ideas about where the cajón came from. One idea is that it is related to similar box-shaped instruments from Africa, especially from places like Angola and the Antilles. Enslaved people adapted these instruments using the crates around them. Another idea is that enslaved people used boxes as hidden instruments to avoid Spanish rules that banned music in certain areas.

Over time, the cajón became very important in Peruvian music and later spread to other places, including Spain. In the 1970s, a Peruvian music group helped make the cajón more popular. Spanish musicians, like Paco de Lucía, began using the cajón in their music too. Today, the cajón is recognized as an important cultural treasure in Peru and throughout the Americas.

Contemporary music

In the 2000s, the cajón became very popular in many types of music. You can hear it in styles from Peru like Tondero, Zamacueca, and Peruvian Waltz. It is also used in Spanish Flamenco and some kinds of Cuban Rumba. Today, the cajón is often played with an acoustic guitar or piano.

The cajón is now used in many other music styles, such as blues, pop, rock, funk, world music, and jazz. It can act like a bass drum in a band, letting the drummer sit while playing. Some Irish folk music groups also use the cajón instead of their traditional drum called the bodhrán.

Playing styles

The player sits on the box, tilting it at an angle and hitting the front part between their knees. They can also hit the sides with their palms and fingers for more sounds. Some players use special gloves to protect their hands. A bass drum pedal can be added so the player can hit the cajón with a foot.

The cajón can also be played with plastic or metal brushes, like those used for drum kits. This method, created by Patrizio Migliarini, lets musicians play jazz and funky rhythms. Another way is to use a bass drum pedal, turning the cajón into an instrument played with the feet, similar to a pedal-bass drum. This leaves the hands free for other instruments but makes it harder to hit the cajón with the hands while it's on the ground.