r/cajon • u/DoppelFrog • 4d ago
r/cajon • u/richardizard • May 08 '23
PSA: Learn proper technique and don't hit too hard
I've been playing cajon for the last 10 years and I've always been a heavy-hitter. It was part of my sound signature and style, which I was proud of until I started noticing my hands would shake after gigs. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and discomfort, so I just powered through and would naturally play without noticing how hard I was actually hitting. Luckily, the shaking would subside 1-2 days from a gig.
Fast forward to now, I can no longer play cajon with my hands. My last gig with hands was about 3 months ago and the shakes after that one never went away. It seems I developed permanent impact damage that I might not recover from (unless there's treatment I'm unaware of) and for my health/body's sake, I can't keep playing with my hands. As a result, I switched to a mini cajon-cocktail kit with a kick pedal, hi-hat and an 8" snare with plastic hot rod sticks. On one hand, I'm glad to be back to playing with sticks (drums were my first love after all), on the other, it sucks I destroyed my precious hands this way.
So, whether you're learning how to play cajon or have been playing for years, make sure to learn and apply proper techniques. You can protect your hands, wear gloves, or switch cajons if it only sounds good by hitting it hard. If you notice any of your fingers shaking, either change techniques or switch to sticks. You'll thank yourself later.
r/cajon • u/crombatto • 5d ago
My slaptop setup
I play in a little combo (only covers for now, but planning to write our own stuff as well) with 2 acoustic guitarists. Moving in to a bit of psychedelic direction, the plan is to get a similar vibe to stuff like Tommy Guerrero, Skinshape, Hermanos Gutierrez etc. So I'm trying to get into effects a bit as well. Current chain is cajon into the Nux Stageman acoustic preamp into Korg nts-3. Getting this to work properly and sound good took a lot of trial and error, but I kinda got there. The sound isn't all that great on headphones, we're still talking about piezo pickups on a drum. But over PA it somehow sounds awesome. Preamp is cool to have and kinda needed for the nts-3, too much signal noise otherwise. It has a built-in looper which is great fun and will definitely get some live action in the future but I need some more practice first. It takes a lot of precision to get a looped cajon beat to sound tight but I'm getting there. The Korg is a great little bit of tech. It has room for over 100 presets, each using 4 effects slots. So I can get a bunch of different sounds for different styles of songs. One thing that's really cool: On my main setting I used a parallel routing for the FX. EQ and compression for the main sound, but at the same time i use a high pass filter to kill the kick, and then put some reverb on the remaining signal. Then mix it together. That way I have a dry bass and reverb on the snare, just like a real drummer. Cool lil' machine.
I can give specs and pointers if anyone's interested in trying something similar out. Just thought you guys might get a kick out of this
Do I have to move away from alternate hands?
I play cajon for some years now. I started learning basic patterns with alternate hands. Today, I also occasionally use other techniques like paradiddles while playing, but I still like to use alternate hands. I read comments on a forum that said you should move away from that.
What do you guys think about it?
r/cajon • u/Donnamarino74 • 20d ago
New to cajon, and playing with a kids instrument
I live in a very small flat, but I really would like to try the cajon. I just came across a second-hand artisan cajon for kids for very little money, so I got the chance to grab it without too much though.
Compared to a regularly sized cajon, are there any differences in performance, or way of playing it, that I should be aware of? In general, do you have any advice?
It's a snare cajon, 18x18x30 cm (7x7x12 in) - junior size in the third photo. I am 160 cm (5'3") tall, if relevant.
Edit: somehow I uploaded only two photos. Can't find the way to add the missing one, but I guess it's already clear enough.
r/cajon • u/Thomas_Mag • 20d ago
Matt Trzesniowski playing on handpan and Ibni Rocks playing on cajon at Perun festival. :)
r/cajon • u/Spiritual-Leather-18 • 25d ago
MINI CAJON RECS NEEDED
I'm gifting my sister a cajon, she has been wanting it for a while. She used to play a few years ago so she's not entirely a beginner. Don't need it for professional reasons, just for hobby.
Budget: max 5k
Available in india
r/cajon • u/Thomas_Mag • 26d ago
What’s your favorite type of cajon and why?
Do you prefer string cajons, snare cajons, bass cajons, or another style?
r/cajon • u/Routine_Vegetable695 • 26d ago
Stomp box digital/analogue.
Hi. I’m new to this so this might be a dumb question but I couldn’t find an easy answer on YouTube or Google.
I’ve got this meinl cajon type thing and I can’t get used to playing the bass sound with my hand. I want to ideally have a stomp box going into the cajon (I think that’s what “link” is for.) and have ordered a digital stomp box, will this still work as an analogue one if unplugged and will it be ok in the chain with it being active rather than passive?
Thanks for any help.
r/cajon • u/carloscongas • Jun 18 '26
Adding the Cajon to a basic tumbao!
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r/cajon • u/Ok_Dinner_1153 • Jun 17 '26
Give me advice!
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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!
r/cajon • u/littledumberboy • Jun 10 '26
Cajon in a band
This band has cajon for percussion.
just started
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I have a cajon that was given to me, been sitting there collecting dust for years. Ive never played any instrument, not especially good at music/rhythm or anything like that. Lately heard Ed Sheeran’s Eyes Closed, the drum part caught my attention and i wanted to try it with the cajon.
The video is me attempting to ‘do something’ with it, figuring it out is quite fun too.
Question: How do I get better at cajon? More specifically, what can I do to play better to this song? Or rhythm simply can’t be taught? 🤣
r/cajon • u/par_grahi • Jun 08 '26
Help!
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I just bought my first Cajon. There this weird sound after I hit snare, the buzzing sound, is it normal? Or should I exchange this?
r/cajon • u/rbanksy • Jun 03 '26
New (to me) handmade cajon
Hi folks. I'm new here. I want to learn to play the cajon so bought a used one locally on FB. Inside the cajon, its maker installed this contraption with two sets of snare strings. The bar can be rotated to adjust which set of strings is touching the tapa (and how closely). I don't know much about cajon design but I assume the different strings give a different sound. Is that right?
So far I can't seem to adjust it to get a nice sizzle/snap when making snare hits. On the other hand, the bass sound is big and boomy. Any advice about how I should adjust it? I am guessing I need to straighten and untangle the left set of strings to start with.
I have tried the piezo pickup yet as I'm a bit wary of plugging it into my valve guitar amp and damaging the speaker.
r/cajon • u/Thomas_Mag • May 15 '26
What are some things to watch out for when buying a cajon that people don’t usually talk about?
Are there any hidden issues, details, or features you wish you had known before getting yours? I’m looking for advice beyond the basics. Thanks!
r/cajon • u/Alexander-McCarthy • May 12 '26
Live set up
Just wanted to share a picture of this set up at recent live performance I worked on. It sounded great!
r/cajon • u/Darshan_Shah0711 • May 03 '26
Recommendations on buying a new cajon in India
P. S. It’s a little long, apologies
Greetings all,
With a very heavy heart, my Meinl Subwoofer cajon that I had purchased in the US and gotten to India very meticulously in 2022, broke beyond repair in a car crash 3 days ago. Like everyone here, I was very fond of it and how loud, crisp and deep it sounded with time.
Upon doing some research, I found out that it’s still one of the top 5 cajons globally and someone who would have played it would agree that the feel on playing that cajon has not been matched yet.
Please help me decide if I should try and procure the same one again or should I switch to something like** **Schlagwerk or the Pearl Sonic boom buzz cajon. Genuine LP instruments are a little difficult to procure here.
Thank you so much for the help in advance :)
r/cajon • u/Thomas_Mag • Apr 17 '26
Would you recommend cajon to someone with sensory sensitivities or sensory issues?
If you or someone you know has experience with this, did playing or listening to cajon feel comfortable, overwhelming, or something in between?