A cajón (Spanish for 'crate', 'drawer', or 'box', pronounced 'ka.HONE') is a kind of box drum played by slapping. For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

The cajón is thought to have originated in Peru. When West Africans were taken to be sold in port cities they, especially Angolons, were forced to burn their own drums. The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Africans displaced from their homeland substituted cod shipping crates for their native drums. Those sold into slavery made the discovery of a cod-fish box which not only resonated like a drum, but could also be disguised as a seat or stool. In Cuba, small dresser drawers were used for the same purpose. After the instrument was refined it became an important part of Cuban and Peruvian music. The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Three quarter inch pine or other white wood was generally used for five sides of the box. A thin sheet of plywood was nailed on as the sixth side and acted as the striking surface or head.

The top edges were often left unattached and could be slapped against the box. A sound hole was cut in the side opposing the head or tapa. The player sat astride the box, tilting it at an angle while striking the head between his knees. The modern cajón has three screws at the top for adjusting percussive timbre and may sport rubber feet. The drum has also two or four vertically stretched cords against the inside for added resonance. The percussionist can play the sides with the top of his palms and fingers for additional sounds. The tone of a cajón is often enriched by placing small metallic objects inside, touching the tapa. Guitar strings, rattles or drum snares may serve this purpose. There are also tube cajón, which are played like a conga. In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note which distinguishes different types of musical instrument. ... Conga is a drum, a type of music, and a type of dance (Conga Line). ...

Today, the cajón is heard extensively in Cuban, Andean, Flamenco and certain styles of Rumba. The word Andean refers to the geographic area in and around the Andes Mountains of South America, and to the indigenous peoples that inhabit the area, such as the Inca. ... Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish musical traditions. ... Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ...

The cajón drum should not be confused with El Cajon, California. El Cajon (pronounced el ka-HONE) is a city located in San Diego County, California. ...

External link

• The Cajon Page (http://rhythmweb.com/cajon/)