The cajon drum has taken over the world of music and has been included in every genre of music over time. This instrument curved its path by the journey through diverse history and ruling over the industry in present times. Percussionists all over the world are drooling over this musical instrument because of its convenience in usage and the types of beats it produces. Now even though cajon stands for its own uniqueness of its origin and way of use, it took countless modifications in style and building techniques throughout the years to develop the sound and beat. It’s quite astonishing to experience that subtle differences in the sound can be achieved by adding small changes inside the box. But even though changes are being added to the design, the basic construction of the instrument will follow the traditional shape, which will keep its identity as a “box drum”.
Over time, various types and styles of cajon have been developed to meet the requirements of percussionists and suit their genres. The following are but a few.
Peruvian Cajon
The Peruvian cajon is the earliest and most primitive version of the cajon drum. The first version of the Peruvian ones was not strong enough and didn’t produce a refined sound. Being considered by the mass as the original, these cajons traditionally were without any string or snare effect and were all about the tone of the wood. Most of these types of cajons have heavy overtones that usually are achieved by having fixed tapas. Typically, it is made up of hardwood to which a sound hole is glued together in the center of the back panel. The front side is made up of thin laminated wood. The middle part of the instrument produces resonant and deep sounds whereas the corners at the top produce sharp and short sounds.
Cuban Cajon
The Cuban cajon is a little bit different in construction than the other cajon instruments. It is not usually a “sit-on-the-top” cajon, but rather designed to be held by the player. Compared to a Peruvian cajon, it produces sounds that are greatly resonant. Other than that, like a Peruvian one, it similarly didn’t have any snare traditionally. The Cuban cajon is usually made up of wood having four sides. The sides flare outwards towards the thin square top surface. The bottom of this cajon acts as a sound hole and is open. The edges provide higher and separate notes compared to the center, while the middle area provides bassy and deep notes with a properly defined pitch. The Cuban cajons comes in various sizes that are meant to produce different types of sounds, and so named different according to the shapes and sizes. Such names are – Quinto, Conga and Tumba, while Quinto being the smallest and Tumba being the largest in size among these.
Flamenco Cajon
After the modifications were made to Cuban and Peruvian cajons, various other types developed later on. Flamenco is one of that. It is also known for its snare sound and has become one of the most famous and widely used cajon in the world today. The snare comes from having a buzzing sound that comes from guitar strings that are stretched across the back of the tapa inside the box. the sound produced by flamenco cajon is tight and precise which allows for a more controlled and rapid playing. The cajons are typically made up of plywood and have a very good ratio of strength to weight. The flamenco cajons have had quite a few modifications in the past few years like the rounded corners, adjustable and controlled snare response, diffusers for interior sound, etc.
Snare Cajon
Snare cajons are made separately from flamenco ones to create a different snare in the sound than a flamenco cajon. While flamenco cajons are known as snare cajon for having a buzzing sound due to guitar strings that are added against the tapa, the snare cajons are meant to produce the same kind of snare as a drum snare. These cajons are originally constructed by adding the same snare as the one found on a snare drum. Snare cajons typically produce a wider sound and therefore don’t allow for overly technical playing, unlike flamenco cajons. Each manufacturer has their own number of snares, but most commonly two sets of snares are found. Each one is made up of many little wires. The more the wires are in number, the more sizzle they can produce. Having many similarities in the sounds like bass and snare of the drum kit brought popularity amongst the audience and players all over the world to this cajon.
Bongo Cajon
These types of cajons are one of the latest innovations in recent times and are made up in either of two of the following ways. One is by combining two Cuban cajons together that are smaller in size, usually square, octagonal or circular shells of wood. The other method of construction includes a trapezium or rectangular shaped play surface, made up of wood, consist of four sides. The box is partitioned by a small panel into two different sized area, each of which has its own unique pitch of the sound.
Bata Cajon
The Bata cajons are drums that are double-headed that are played across their sides on the player’s lap. Initially, the drums were made up of animal skin, later on, it got replaced by Bata gradually to make the instrument cheaper and more effective. The wooden heads are made up of octagonal or square-shaped Bata and come in various sizes that are meant to produce various kinds of pitches. This cajon produces a dry sound with brighter, crisper, and shorter resonance.
These are some widely used types of cajon that are dominating the world of musical instruments for having their own unique properties and characteristics. These cajons are nowadays the most used and must-haves by percussionists across the world and are preferred over the usual drum kits. Enthusiasts are believed to put their imaginations more and more in the coming times to modify cajons and there will possibly be endless designs to emerge in the future to develop and uplift the cajon industry.
