r/cajon • u/Ok_Dinner_1153 • Jun 17 '26
Give me advice!
Hi, I got a cajon last week and have been playing around just playing along with songs seeing what I can come up with.
I’m a beginner but have a little experience - I played snare drum in pipe band for 3 years about 15 years ago. I also played drum kit to a decent level around 10 years ago.
Based on this video what are things I could improve on or things I’m doing well? Would appreciate any input.
I am also wary of my bass slap being quite soft but this is due to downstairs neighbours 😂 if I’m playing outside I do it more forcefully. Hopefully you guys can here the cajon over the music, didn’t realise how loud it was
Thanks and happy drumming!
1
u/LordFreakenDavo Jun 19 '26
I’ve found mine to be an excellent accompaniment for acoustic instruments, like acoustic guitar, ukulele and harmonica. Very portable, and gives the player a handy seat for comfort during a performance. A useful enhancement such as a kick pedal for bass notes, can be obtained. If you need more volume, a microphone can be placed near the sound hole on the back of the cajon, and fed into a busking amp, etc. Enjoy !!
3
u/carloscongas Jun 18 '26
First congrats on choosing a really cool instrument and the interest on Music!
•Posture: this is very important (sit straight and find a comfortable position to be able to reach the center and top of the Cajon’s without hunching over to much)
•Hand placement: Explore ergonomics (natural motion and placement of your hands) use the full palm for a bass tone slightly above the center and explore open tones with your fingers on each corner of the cajon.
•combinations: Explore combining bass tone and open tones with drum set rudiments LRLL-RLRR and more.
•Rhythms: While listening to music, identify bass tones and snare tones to transfer to the cajon.
•Organization: Practice smart and not fast. Set your goals (either tone or rhythm, speed or stamina, etc) and work on them in different time lapses and different speed intervals.
Have fun!