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Do you love or hate a cajon?
- Thread starter LBS-bass
- Start date
Are you crazy man! You can put tort on anything. I had it on pizza last night.
I don't know if it's a fad. Seems they've been popular for a while now. In many ways it seems like an entry for percussion in small rooms where maybe otherwise you'd have none; drummers are picking them up because you can downsize a band to three people to fit in a small space and make that measly pay stretch a little farther. But, like the video showed, there are other ways to create a space-saving percussion kit that give you better sounds for much of the music that gets played in small rooms.
I do think there's a place for it, just like there's a place for congas and other hand percussion. Unfortunately there are lots of people who think banging on a surface is playing, and that's where things go a little south for me. But right now I'm grateful that I have the option of getting together outside with at least one band, even if it's just a cajon, it's good to be playing and I know the cajon is not what we'll have if we ever get back to doing this for real again.
That's how I feel about it pretty much to the letter.In the proper context (Peruvian or pan-Latin music) sure. Tony Succar rocks the cajon like nobody's business.
As a substitute for a trap kit in rock music "unplugged" or what have you... no. Same for playing a conga like a drum kit. No. Or, say accompanying a Unitarian choir going for that "ethnic" feel while wearing dashikis... again, hard no.
i'd say depends on the song, the genre and the arrangement, but a drum kit has a variety of sounds that add a lot of texture.
for death metal, cajon may not deliver the goods
for death metal, cajon may not deliver the goods
Our percussionist got himself one of the Meinl direct drive pedals. I was skeptical as it looks a little flimsy but it is actually quite good and more responsive than it would appear.
Yeah it's been around for a few years so maybe it's a "fad" the way grunge is a fad in that it lasted a good few years before (mostly) dropping out of the mainstream.
I believe it will be less common in the future but maybe fad is harsh. I'm sure in Latin/World Music it will live on as well as in the farmer's market/street party scene.
As an "instead of drums so we can be quiet" instrument though, I think it's on it's way out.
As parodied in the Dude's video, the kind of gigs that call for it are not particularly appealing and kit players will be asking themselves if its worth it to go to a small venue, and then not get to play their instrument for peanut pay.
Other trends which I think will kill it's the venue closing trend accelerated by the pandemic, which will shift ensemble music increasingly away from live to uploaded performance. The increasingly good value of e kits, the emergence of mini kits like the dude's video, the shift to djs and the realisation by accoustic singer/song writers they can buy a pedal and tap their own box for a slightly inferior sound but not split the pay.
Do I love it? Let me put it this way, every Friday is Etouffriday. It’s like taco Tuesday but better. Mud bugs make everything better.
If the percussionist is capable and the sound overall makes for a good musical experience, I'm all in. If the instruments are used as cheap substitutes for something else, I'm all out.
There's a lot of situations where the cajon is used as an "unplugged kick", and those tend to deviate southward, but I'll tolerate skill and tasteful playing. Instruments in general are often adapted to circumstances outside of their point of origin, and as long as they're handled respectfully, that can be a source of innovation. When they're abused or poorly adapted, that grates.
I've gigged a number of times with percussionists on a cajon, and thankfully they've always done good things with it. Or at least tried to respect it for what it is and whence it comes.
There's a lot of situations where the cajon is used as an "unplugged kick", and those tend to deviate southward, but I'll tolerate skill and tasteful playing. Instruments in general are often adapted to circumstances outside of their point of origin, and as long as they're handled respectfully, that can be a source of innovation. When they're abused or poorly adapted, that grates.
I've gigged a number of times with percussionists on a cajon, and thankfully they've always done good things with it. Or at least tried to respect it for what it is and whence it comes.
Do you love or hate a cajon?
Neither.
To me it's like 'Do you love or hate a hammer?'...
It's tool, good for certain things.
Neither.
To me it's like 'Do you love or hate a hammer?'...
It's tool, good for certain things.
IvanBassist
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- Jun 8, 2008
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IMO things get a little mushy when you swap the drumkit for cajon. Coffeehouse gigs and other venues where it is of a certain importance to be not too loud and focus on being easy on the listener's ears are the places where a good cajon player can really shine.
I've played a lot of live sessions where the frontman leans to the side and tells you "okay, the next song is mostly G and C, watch out for the F when the chorus starts" and then launches into the song.
When bass and 'drums' have to find their way into the song, it is a good thing to be less articulated until you can lock in.
In the end, it's another tool to get a certain job done. I'd rather not play rock or metal on a big stage with a cajon instead of a drumkit - and I'd rather not play with a double bassdrum-6-Tomtom-and-12-cymbals set and a fast and hart hitting drummer in a coffeehouse scenario.
I've played a lot of live sessions where the frontman leans to the side and tells you "okay, the next song is mostly G and C, watch out for the F when the chorus starts" and then launches into the song.
When bass and 'drums' have to find their way into the song, it is a good thing to be less articulated until you can lock in.
In the end, it's another tool to get a certain job done. I'd rather not play rock or metal on a big stage with a cajon instead of a drumkit - and I'd rather not play with a double bassdrum-6-Tomtom-and-12-cymbals set and a fast and hart hitting drummer in a coffeehouse scenario.
I prefer acoustic rock music with a regular drum Kit (like mtv unplugged stuff) even if it’s with hot rods or brushes. But I don’t mind a cajon. They work great for small low volume acoustic gigs and campfire jams. I Definitely wouldn't mind having a ballad on one of my bands albums with a cajon in place of a kit. My only complaint is most of the people I’ve actually heard play cajon in person pretty much play the same one or two beats for every song just at different tempos to match the song so for long like 3 hour gigs it can get kind of monotonous. I dig different types of percussion though. I’ve seen rockabilly bands in particular play with some interesting percussion setups like the mini stand up kits where the “kick” drum looks more like a floor Tom that’s been converted. There was a band from Virginia we used to play a lot of gigs with back in the day who had a percussion player along with a drummer. And that was really cool. He played bongos and congas and stuff, they were kind of a soulfly, sepultura type of vibe.
Average drummers on a cajon is sort of like strictly guitar players on a bass. They will get by and most will enjoy it, but musicians/players of those 2 will find it underwhelming. Not a great analogy but that's kinda how I see it.
That being said, I do think they sound cool with acoustic or "unplugged" sets for smaller gigs. At least in the examples I have personally seen them used.
That being said, I do think they sound cool with acoustic or "unplugged" sets for smaller gigs. At least in the examples I have personally seen them used.
