A Cajon is a Type of Box Drum

The cajon, which is a form of box drum, originated in Peru in colonial days when slaves were forbidden to play their tradtional drums by their masters. Instead they resorted to playing rhythms on boxes and overturned drawers. It is said that the first cajones were the boxes of the fruit pickers of the coastal region.

This drum has also taken root in Cuba where there has been a long tradtion of sitting on the docks playing packing crates. Cuban box drums form a set and were originally used to play Rumba Yambu. The bass cajon is large enough to sit on and is played with the palm, fist and fingers. It was orignally a crate fror shipping cod fish in Havana. The middle drum is played with spoons and was originally a box used for church candles. The solo drum started as a desk drawer but has evolved into a specialized box made just for this purpose.

The cajon is usually a wooden rectangular box about twenty inches high and twelve inches in depth and width. Generally five of the sides of the cajon are constructed from three quarter inch pine or other white wood. A thin sheet of plywood is nailed onto the sixth side and acts as the head or striking surface. A sound hole is cut in the side opposite the head.The front face (tapa) and the back face are different to the sides. The tapa is much thinner and is the playing surface while the back has a hole, for sound projection.

The player sits on the box striking the head between his legs.Flamenco cajones sometimes have strings (actual guitar strings) on the inside to make a resonating sound rather like a snare.A nice effect is achieved by sliding the foot up and down the front plate when playing the cajon in effect changing the pitch of its tone. Unique and expressive sounds can be achieved by playing the cajon with a pair of brushes or rods.

Where you hit the box determines the sound/tone you create. Bass tones are found towards the center of the playing surface while higher pitched tones are found towards the edges. Played well, the sound of a box drum can resemble that of an entire drum kit.

The cajon is now played throughout the world and in many genres of music such as jazz for example. There are numerous experimental forms of cajon both in shape and materials.

The cajon was introduced into Spanish flamenco by the guitarist Paco de Lucia. In the early 1970's the Spanish Embassy in Lima, Peru held a party for Paco de Zucia, where they had a traditional Peruvian band perform playing cajones.

Flamenco music comprises many different rhythms which are normally played by the guitar player striking the body of the guitar. At that party, Paco de Lucia asked his former percussionist Ruben Danta to play the "Buleria" on the cajon.This is one of the rhythms used in Flamenco.

Consequently Paco de Lucia took the cajon with him back to Spain. The short, staccato sounds, which can be played on the cajon, make it pefect for Flamenco music, because the sound naturally relates to the footwork and hand claps ("palmas") used in Flamenco.

The percussionist Cepillo from Sanlucar believes "you have to take special care that the cajon doesn't clash with the natural percussion of flamenco, the hands and feet."

Silvia Calado Olivo who both makes and plays the cajon says "I think the box drum is a very good instrument for accompaniment, not only for marking the speed, for having a clapper, but also because it's beautiful. I think that a group sounds great with the box drum and clapping".

Flamenco continues to evolve and just as at one point the guitar was added so have the cajon, African drums, wind instruments and Indian instruments become common accompaniments in recent decades.
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