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Perc. A little bit of trivia Vol.1 ~Cajon edition~
"Perc. Bits of Trivia" is a question that is often asked by customers at Ethnic City stores.ShaftThis is a series that explains as simple and easy to understand as possible!
In this memorable first installment, I would like to talk about cajon.
Cajon | What is Cajon?
"Huh? Is this an instrument?"
The cajon has now become a very popular instrument, but anyone who sees it for the first time will probably think so.
At first glance, the instrument looks like just a square wooden box, speaker, or chair. That is Cajon.
As the name suggests, it means "box" in Spanish.
It is said that the game began in the 19th century when black people who migrated from Africa to Central and South America used to bang on chests of drawers and wooden boxes instead of playing musical instruments for fun.
It is a musical instrument made of a wooden box about 50 centimeters in height. Players sit on top of the box and strike the front or sides of the box with their palms to produce sound (some players use their feet or drumsticks).
The inside of the box is hollow, and air escapes through a hole about the size of an apple on the side. Although it has a simple structure, it has a wide variety of tones and can produce sounds of varying pitches depending on where you strike it, and can be used as a substitute for a drum set to produce sounds similar to a snare drum or bass drum.
There are various shapes depending on the manufacturer and country, but depending on the way the plate on the striking surface is fastened and the position of the holes, the tones can have completely different atmospheres.
history of cajon
When you think of cajon, many people think of Spain. This may be because there are many opportunities to see it used in flamenco stages. However, it is said that it actually began in the 1960s when Paco de Lucía, a master flamenco guitar player, received a cajon as a gift from a Peruvian musician and began incorporating it into his own performances.
There are various theories about the history of the cajon, but as I wrote earlier, the most popular theory is that it began in the 19th century when black people who migrated from Africa to Central and South America banged on chest drawers and wooden boxes in their cargo.
*As a side note, it is said to be designated as a cultural property in its home country of Peru.
Types of cajon
JapanWell then『peruvian style』『flamenco style』The box-shaped one called `` is famous.
head family『peruvian style』The cajon has no sound line and is just a box with no structural features.
On the other hand,JapanIt is most often seen in『flamenco style』. The most distinctive feature of the flamenco cajon is the presence of tactile strings. When this string touches the playing surface, it produces a unique, rough sound.
Some of the touch strings have adjustable touch, which helps create a wide variety of sounds. Touch strings include wound strings like guitar strings, snare drum strings, and even bells.
Other types include『Cuban style』(Schlagwerk's YAMBÚ DRUM can be said to be a Cuban-style cajon). The famous style of playing the cajon while sitting on a chair or other object and holding it between your legs is thought to have been influenced by conga and bongo playing. Cuban-style cajons generally do not have a sounding wire attached to them.
With touching strings
Now, let's explain the differences in the touch strings of the flamenco style cajon, which is currently the mainstream in Japan.
There are various types depending on the manufacturer and country of production, but they can be broadly divided into two types depending on the touch string.
1、soundLine type (Snappy)
A type in which the coiled metal attached to the back of the snare drum is attached to the striking surface.
2、string type
A type of guitar string that has slightly thicker strings attached to the striking surface, such as the 5th or 6th string.
Both types are useful in acoustic formations as a substitute for drums, but the tone changes due to the difference in the structure of the sounding line and strings.
Our staff has summarized the differences in tone between the sound line type and string type, as well as their advantages and disadvantages!
・Echo line type
Advantages
- It can produce a loud and clear sound.
- Since the entire striking surface is not pressed down by the sounding wire, you can enjoy the feeling of a box sounding (box sound) with a moderate snare sound and a deep bass sound!
- It is also recommended for beginners as it can be played as is without any adjustment.
Disadvantages
- Detailed tones using fingers and brushes
- Playing at a low volume (compared to the string type, the response of the sound line when struck weakly is a little slower)
・String type
Advantages
- Because the strings are stretched tightly from top to bottom of the hitting surface, the snare sound has a quick start-up and good response. It responds well to small movements using your fingers or brush.
- The strings that are stretched over the entire striking surface are muted, so the sound after striking does not resonate much. It gives the impression of a tighter and cleaner sound than the echo line type!
Cons
- The sound is tighter and more responsive than the echo line type, so it picks up even the slightest mistake. (I can't cheat...)
- Because the strings are constantly tensioned, they tend to loosen over time. When the string becomes loose, you will need to check the condition of the string and make adjustments. (Mainly adjust by turning the hexagon on the bottom of the cajon with the included hexagonal wrench) *Forcing the strings will damage them quickly and may cause them to break. (Be careful not to overtighten!)
Based on the above, we recommend these to the following people:
Echo line type
- For those who want to experience the full resonance of a loud sound.
- For those who want to enjoy it easily without worrying about adjustments.
- For those who don't want to add too much line noise to the bass. (Depending on the type of cajon, the sounding wire may be removed.)
string type
- Those who perform percussive music using fingers or brushes such as flamenco.
- Those who like a clean and tight sound without too much resonance after hitting.
- Those who want to enjoy making adjustments to their liking by muting the hitting surface and adjusting the strings.
Bonus trivia
Schlagwerk-made cajons, which are synonymous with cajons in Japan, and many of the cajons that follow them use wound strings or snappy strings behind the striking surface, but it seems that they were originally strung with bamboo strips. As a result, when you hit the batting surface, the bamboo strips bounce on the back of the batting surface, acting like a snappy. The sound was mellower than that of wound strings, and I think it was the more acoustic sound that wood originally had.
Summary
I've talked about a lot of things so far, but the fact remains that it's an instrument that hits the box.
I don't have to adjust the string type often, so I hope you can enjoy it without getting too nervous.
Also, since it can be used not only as a musical instrument but also as a chair, I think it is a wonderful instrument that can be easily incorporated into everyday life such as dining rooms. (Even if you get bored, you can use it as a chair ( ´∀｀ )/)
We always have over 20 cajons in stock, and you can try them all out.
Please feel free to contact us!
We look forward to your visit.
執筆者：エスニック･シティ 加用
編集：Ethnic City
