"Do you have a box?"
When Robert (a Peruvian) asked that question, I knew that he was referring to the cajon. Simple, portable, and possessing a variety of timbres, the cajon is a great choice for the "no drumset" situation. With bass tones produced in the center of the main playing surface (front panel) and crisp highs at the upper corners, you can coax a pretty meaty groove out of the box.
When Robert (a Peruvian) asked that question, I knew that he was referring to the cajon. Simple, portable, and possessing a variety of timbres, the cajon is a great choice for the "no drumset" situation. With bass tones produced in the center of the main playing surface (front panel) and crisp highs at the upper corners, you can coax a pretty meaty groove out of the box.- Most cajons have screws near the corners of the front panel. Loosen the screws to raise the corners for better slap. I insert thin cardstock to soup up the slap.
- Mike the sound hole for good bass tones. A desktop mike stand comes in handy.
- A piece of foam rubber resting on the bottom (inside) may help absorb some unwanted ring.
- Experiment with the cajon for a variety of sounds. Use the sides. Play with different areas of your hands, knuckles, fist, etc... Strike and scrape it with brushes.
- I prefer a traditional cajon sound (without the snares). You can obtain the snare effect by placing a snare drum on its side just behind the cajon sound hole. Face the snare (bottom) head toward the cajon.
This pattern outlines the 3:2 son clave. Start on beat 3 and proceed to beats 4, 1, & 2 and you can get the 2:3 feel.
I love my conga cajon from Pearl. Can't seem to get it mic-ed too well though. Also the bongo cajon from Meinl is very nice. Mic-ing is less of an issue there because it is more mobile. For me, a standard cajon that you sit on would not work too well due to our setup.
ReplyDeleteCheck this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r16xO3cxOs
Im looking for a normal box cajon for no mic worship what do you recommend?
ReplyDeleteRyan,
DeleteI have two cajons, a traditional (Peruvian style) instrument (no snares) (World Beat model)and a cajon with snares (LP Aspire Accents model). For your "no mic" situation, I suggest finding a cajon with plenty of bass frequencies without eq-ing with a microphone. Go to a store with a wide selection and compare the bass tones and volume. That's my advice. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.