Cajons are popular percussion instruments, which are employed for use in world or Latin music. Also, it’s highly utilized for unplugged acoustic gigs and for groovy outdoor performances. Undoubtedly, Cajon has made the sight of a musician sitting on a box and performing their gig a common one.
There are several reasons why an electric acoustic Cajon has become extremely popular lately. First and foremost is its great and captivating sound.
Cajon is a rather inexpensive instrument, but its worth a purchase as it can assist you in improving the music quality at your acoustic sessions. Moreover, it could even help you in a situation of chair crisis.
Essentially, the Cajon is a wooden box, generally with a faceplate made of thinner plywood. The participant sits on the instrument and performs it by hitting various sections of it using their hands (or sometimes brushes, mallets and even kick drum pedals). This box-shaped piece of percussion is so benign appearing, that many do not even realize that it’s a music tool.
What Does It Sound Like?
A Cajon may have either a series or a trap behind the faceplate. These series of strings or a snare when struck hard on certain places of the faceplate, sound similar to that of a ‘snap’ or ‘buzz’ like a snare drum is produced. Because of the shape, a hit into the center of both faceplate effects in a much deeper noise than when struck at the border.
Secondly, it's incredibly simple to move with, weighing just a few kilos. For percussionists who don't prefer to sit out acoustic jam sessions, this is ideal.
Interesting History of Cajon
Histories of most instruments are boring but for Cajon its rather very interesting history.
A most popular belief with the Cajon originated in coastal areas of Peru, among servant populations. One notion is that the tool imitates the box-like drums played in few areas of Western and Central Africa. When slaves from these areas were hauled to Peru they re-created their conventional instruments from the materials they had, which have been primarily shipping crates. Thus, the Cajon had been first created.
However, another story suggests that Spanish masters oppressed the African American slaves in Peru and prevented from playing music. But with the shipping crates, they played music, and disguise their tools as a stool, dining table, or transport crate when their captors went away.
Conclusion
The result is an enormous palette of distinct sounds to draw from, in a tool that is very intuitive to perform. By combining deeper sounding strikes with all the snappier snare hits, a sound not unlike a drum kit played with sticks or brushes can be approximated. This makes an electric acoustic Cajon perfect for acoustic gigs.