Cajon Drum Custom

About Cajons:

A box-shaped hand percussion instrument that has its origins in 18th century Peru, the cajón is played by making contact with the front plate. It’s unique in that it’s designed for the percussionist to be seated on top of the instrument. The cajón slowly gained popularity throughout South America, and reached a peak in notoriety by the mid-1800s. By the early 20th century, the cajon had undergone considerable technological advancement, and had reached the bass box drum form we see today, with a resonant front plate made from a select tone wood, and open sound board at the rear.

Now an integral part of Peruvian and Cuban music, the cajón takes three main forms: the bass box drum, the middle drum, and the solo drum. While the bass box drum, believed to have been developed from a shipping crate, is large enough for the percussionist to sit atop it, the middle drum is said to have come from a smaller box used to ship church candles, and is played with spoons instead of the palms and fingers. The solo drum is believed to have originated from a drawer.

The cajón made a considerable jump in the 1970s, when Peruvian composer and cajón master Caitro Soto gave Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía a cajón during one of his visits to Peru. De Lucía is said to have liked the sounds of this instrument so much that he purchased a second cajón before leaving the country, and eventually introduced the cajón to flamenco music. Since that time, the cajón has been incorporated into nearly every style of music, including modern rock and hip-hop music. The invention of the remote kick pedal allows the drummer to sit on the cajon, play the drum kit and percussion with his hands, and sound the cajon by depressing a pedal that is often conveniently placed between the hi-hat pedal and double bass pedal.

What is cajon drum?

The Cajon Drum is a simple instrument with a complex sound. Some people believe that the Cajon originates from the use of shipping crates as improvised percussion instruments. From these humble beginnings the Cajon is now a hugely popular instrument found in many different types of music.

The Cajon makes different sounds depending on where and how it is struck - everything from a deep bass sound to a sharp snare effect. Whether it is providing the entire rhythm section or acting as part of a wider ensemble the Cajon is a powerful instrument in the hands of both beginners and experts.

For the Cajon players there are no rules. A beginner can easily coax out a good rhythm from the drum but in the hands of an expert the Cajon produces a rich, resonant and complex sound. With a little practice any beginner can begin to master the subtleties of the Cajon!

Players use their hands to slap the front or rear faces to create a boomy bass drum effect or a snappy snare sound. In addition to hands, players of Cajóns can also use brushes, mallets, or even sticks.

Cajóns are generally made from sheets of thick wood and ply wall on the interior. The striking surface on the front of the Cajon is referred to as the “tapa.”

On the back of the instrument, there is a sound hole cut out to allow its bass frequencies to resonate when hit in the center. Statistically, if you’re reading this, you’re looking for a Cajón to either play at home or use for a quieter gig with your band.

The Cajón is a very simple instrument. Here’s the basic rundown: You sit on top of the drum box and using both your hands, hit the box in different areas.

You’ll notice near the top of the drum box when slapped, you will hear an articulate, snappy sound. When striking the Cajón with your palm in the middle, you will get a more bass-heavy tone. Using these two sounds in conjunction with one another is the best way to start playing simple grooves.

YouTube is an excellent resource for learning how to play the Cajón. If you’re completely new to playing, check out some videos and watch how people are playing. Try to emulate the motions and grooves you see. Here’s a video that details the basics.

The Cajon drum box is made from hardwood for its construction, plywood and thin plywood to be attached to the face-plate. It is very important to use a controlled water content wood to build the drum. First our R&D dept. will confirm the design and sizes of the new Cajon drum.

The box construction wood has to be cut in precise lengths & designs. It is important that our drum box can also be sold to overweight adults. The next step is to attach the plywood to the sides of the instrument. The plywood attachments have to be done precisely so that there will be no air gap between the sides. This is very important to maintain the sound production and aesthetics of these hand drums.

The inside of the front face-plate is attached with a snare, string or jingle. The purpose is to add rattling sounds to the instrument when the face-plate is hit by the player. The opposite side of the face-plate has a hole in it that allows the flow of air. Our Peruvian drum can be finished with many patterns and colors to fulfill market demand.

One of the essential factors in making a good musical instrument is the quality of the materials. The material used to make a Cajon drum must be free from any visible defects and stored with proper conditions.

The Cajon is a simple 6-sided drum box that has a front plate to be played and another opposite side that has a porthole. The Cajon is usually made from plywood and the faceplate that is made from thinner plywood. The Cajon drum box was originated from Peru, South America, in the 16th century. Originally, the African slaves were creating this musical instrument from packing crates and use them to replace their old style drums. The word Cajon means box or drawer in Spanish and Cajon is found as a major player in Spanish Flamenco music.

Over the years, Cajons have developed and people are making extra additions to this musical instrument. The addition of snares added another dimension and experience to Cajon drum playing. Since then many snare styles have been developed to add the fun of the Cajon drumming. Modern Cajon drums have even more additions such as strings a bass port and pick-ups to enhance the tones amplifications. The spirit of the Cajon is the spirit of the music. Such a simple musical instrument that is able to bring together simple beats to complex beats of music.

The history of Cajon drum is symbolizing how at that tough time, African slaves were longing for their independence and their human rights. They were craving to be treated like how they are supposed to be. The invention of this six-sided musical instrument emphasizes their awareness of human rights as they realized how painful the suppression was.

As time passed, this instrument was developed and became an important part of Cuban and Peruvian music. Today, the Peruvian hand drums are made from different types of wood and have different sizes and shapes. Cajon drums are gaining popularity worldwide and used in many different types of music. This versatile musical instrument is a treasure in the history of music.

In the 19th century, the Cajon was introduced to people all around the world and reached its peak of popularity. In recent time, most of the modern musicians use this hand drum in collaboration with other musical instruments and performed in many musical performances. Over the years, much evolution was experienced by the Cajon drum such as the change on the snare wires shape, and the addition of kick pedals and various accessories.

The Cajon has received much development since it was invented. At these times, guitar strings are added across the front face and the tension of these wires become easier to adjust. The other innovation is related to the resemblance of the instrument with the bass drum on the typical drum set. Bass drum pedals attached to this Peruvian drum to fulfill the drummer’s needs.

Electronic Cajon is introduced to make live performances better. This type of Cajon can produce an enormous range of sound combinations which makes it very helpful for live concerts and performances. A microphone can be placed in front of its speaker to generate a more deafening sound. This hand drum is also a preferred option for acoustic music performances. You can make a collaboration with a Cajon and acoustic guitar. The sound produced by this collaboration develops a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.

There are many types of Cajon that have been developed based on various needs. A few of them are as follows:

1. Cuban Cajon

Originally, the Cuban Cajon is designed a bit different from the other types of Cajon’s as it is designed to be held by the hand. The Cuban hand drum does not have snares and has lots of overtones. It is used mostly for Afro-Cuban music and has a more resonant sound compared to Peruvian Cajon. The edges of this Cuban drum generate higher notes while the center area generates a more bass tone. It comes in varied sizes and each size of the instrument can deliver numerous types of sounds.

2. Peruvian Cajon

The Peruvian Cajon is made from hardwood and is believed to be the oldest versions of Cajon drum as it has been used since 200 years ago. Years ago when it was invented for the first time, Peruvian Cajon wasn’t able to produce a refined song and was not strong enough. Yet, after various evolutions and developments in the design over time, this type of drum box is now used by a lot of musicians. It can even be said that Peruvian instrument is now one of the most used types of Cajons in the world. Peruvian drum box originally does not contain any snare system but it creates a better sound for musicians.

3. Flamenco Cajon

Flamenco Cajon is known as one of the most famous types of Cajon that are used today. This type of Cajon drum is made by plywood, so it produces good sound. As time passed, Flamenco Cajon experienced many developments and become better compared to the old model. The new development of Flamenco hand drum allows you to control or adjust the snare accordingly. This Type of Cajon drum essentially has a very good ratio of strength to weight. Since the past few years, it also has many other innovations like diffusers for interior sound, the adjustable and controlled snare response, round corners, and so on.

4. Snare Cajon

The snare Cajon is one of the most used Cajon drums in the world and one of the most modern versions of the Cajon that you can find in the market. Today, there is a wide variety of snare Cajon drums that are available in the market. You can find the snare Cajon drum that has an adjustable snare system which allows you to on and off the snare system while you are playing it. The player can enjoy the good snare in it while playing. In this recent time, this snare drum box can be titled as the trendiest and the most used Cajon all over the world. 90% of Cajon’s that are available in the market today are considered to be this type. Some type of snare mechanism is fitted to create a snare effect on the upper side of the tapa.

5. Bongo Cajon

This type of Cajon drum is one of the modern developments of Cajon nowadays. It is made by the two most common and simple ways. One of the ways is by combining together two Cuban hand drums, while the other method of construction includes a trapezium-shaped play surface. The box has two different areas which have a different and unique pitch.

Cajons are becoming increasingly popular in a wide range of musical styles & are now produced by a wide range of manufacturers, making them accessible to many more players. They are definitely a 'hip' drum of the moment. However, that also means they run the risk of being labelled like other popular drums (e.g., the djembe): nice but overused!

Whilst still prominent in Flamenco music, the cajon has spread to most other music genres: Rock; Pop; Latin; Folk; Traditional ... the list is VERY long. Use on TV by high profile acts boosts the cajon's popularity still further, making it a 'must have' for many players. Successful adaptation of the cajon to other musical styles has been thanks to the creativity and sensitivity of the musicians who play them, players like Alex Acuna, Sheila E, Marco Fadda and the late, great Miguel 'Anga' Diaz.

Most people use the cajon in place of a conventional drum kit but there are many other ways it can be used to fit in, either with or without a drum kit. It may be used as an effect through to the only rhythm instrument in both live & recording situations. Add the possibilities afforded by miking-up & equalisation/effects & the opportunities are almost endless. The recent mini-surge in use of cajon pedals, specially adapted bass-drum pedals to play the cajon has also opened the instrument up to many kit players who would not otherwise have considered it as a viable instrument. However, the danger with any adaptation is that we become totally polarised or too narrow in our thinking. So, for example, players use a bass pedal to play the bass notes on the cajon & the instrument becomes relegated to little more than a quiet bass drum.

Traditional-shaped cajons have the following approximate dimensions:

12-inches (30cm) Wide x 18-inches (45cm) High x 12-inches (30cm) Deep

Bass Cajons are often around

20-inches (50cm) Wide x 19-inches (47.5cm) High x 12-inches (30cm) Deep

Please note that even 'standard' dimensions do vary by manufacturer & by model.

Another key component of a cajon's sound is the materials from which it is made.

Cajon bodies made from hardwoods like Beech & Birch Marine Ply are both excellent in their sound properties & durable. Birch is a higher density wood, renowned for its broad dynamic range, producing cracking high tones & deep, punchy bass tone. It is also considerably more expensive. Beech is a good wood for cajons, still producing a wide range of tones.

Some manufactures use mahogany or mahogany-type hard woods which are quite strong in bass tones & give good cracking high tones. Oak, which is very hard & renowned for its volume, is another wood that occasionally finds its way into cajon manufacture.

Whatever material is used, it should be of high quality & free from defects. Checking the inside of a beautifully polished cajon can be very revealing when it comes to build quality & material quality.

The top, sides & base are usually manufactured from thicker, ca. 12mm marine plywood. Materials vary, but harder, more 'sonic' woods such as beech & birch are the mainstay of most manufacturers. The back of the cajon is often slightly thinner with a hole cut in to allow the air & bass tones to escape. Size of this hole varies, as does its location: some cajons the the hole towards the top & others towards the bottom of the rear face. The front (Tapa/Top) face is much more variable in design, colour, material & thickness. The tapa face construction influences the overall sound of the cajon much more than many realise. It is often thinner, denser, harder materials that give superior high & slap tone.

Joints between the sides are critical when it comes to durability & quality of sound. Many manufacturers use a simple lap joint or a rebated joint. Some handmade cajons use dovetail joints. Internal reinforcing of joints will prolong the life of the cajon & make it more stable & less likely to become distorted or out of shape.

All manufacturers will give the cajon some kind of feet or pins. These not only make the drum more stable & less prone to sliding when being played but they also isolate the cajon body from the floor, increasing resonance & producing a deeper, more rounded bass tone. The feet may be made from felt, rubber, plastic or simply be metal points or spikes (though the latter are rarely used & not good for solid floors).

Our Key Advice: Always ensure that the cajon you wish to buy is well constructed. Cheapest is sometimes false economy as cheaply-made cajons rarely last as long or perform as well as their more expensive counterparts.It is recommended that you consult with the manufacturer of GECKO Cajon drums before purchasing in large quantities.

Your cajon can sound VERY different depending on where you are located & the environment (room) you try/play it in.

If you are near to a solid wall or radiator, the drum will sound louder and you may get enhanced bass tones.

If the room is carpeted or you are near upholstery, wall hangings or curtains, the bass tones will tend to be absorbed and you will hear more mid and high tones.

So try to test your drum placing it in the middle of a room & make sure each drum is placed in the same position when played. Keep it away from other resonant surfaces or instruments such as pianos or bass drums or toms or radiators: each of these can enhance bass frequencies & resonance. if in doubt, move around the room & listen to the cajon when it is in different locations within the room.

It is also important to play the drum yourself & listen to how it sounds, then get someone else (who can play) to play the cajon when you are stood next to it (so you can hear how it sounds) and then when you are stood 6 - 10 feet (ca. 1.75 - 3 metres) in front of it: the drum will sound very different from these two positions!

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Established in 2009,"Gecko Musical Instrument Co.,ltd" is a professional manufacturer company in Guangzhou lnstrument Factory Center-Huizhou which majors in producing high quality Cajon drum,ukulele and guitar.Only after sufficient market research,we start the design of all products, basing on Ergonomics Principle,combining concept of the modern cost management,absorbing the advanced tech nology and design concepts from Europe.U.S.A.,and Japan.

All of our instruments are produced with skillful handicraft,elegant and pure timber,which offers the player high quality of playing performance.They all judge that Gecko products are with pronouncing loud,sensitive tones,strong penetration and unique style which won favor and praise from all age's amateur player to experts of music field.