Bluegrass Cajon or Cajón

[James Miller]

Pastor last year got one, but he moved closer to the Boise area. The pastor was good and his had a snare built inside that kept falling off. Did notice a younger man playing one the last time we did fellowship, 'cept his hands were getting a workout.

Is that an egg beater in the OP's video??

[DavidKOS]

It's fine on traditional Spanish music because the complexity of Spanish musical rhythms, though the cajón is originally a Peruvian instrument.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n_de_rumba

http://quainpercussion.com/history-of-the-cajon/

http://cajondg.com/historia-del-cajon/

http://www.thecajondrumshop.com/inde...y-Of-The-Cajon

Interesting...the way my Cuban friends made it sound, the cajon was from Cuba, not Peru, but the articles say otherwise.

[jaycat]

We have a guy who beats the cajon at a jam I attend. We also have, off an on, melodica, accordion, spoons and once, a cello (she never came back, for some reason...)

[Mandolin Cafe]

"Cajon police"

Who knew???

[pops1]

Maggie plays the cardboard box in Cafe Accordion Orchestra, has been for a long time. They play Gypsy Jazz tho.

[ralph johansson]

WWBD....What would Bill do?

Hire Ernie Newton?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz4T5nNZGf8

[ralph johansson]

I've seen them attempted at an ITM session. The reaction is about what you'd expect. As for bluegrass -- isn't the mandolin supposed to be the percussion?

Perhaps a good percussionist could help liberate the role of the mandolin?

[Russ Donahue]

There is a very personable fellow who brings one along from time to time as part of the Tuesday Night Bluegrass Jam in Yarmouth, Maine. Nobody blinks an eye...

[Pointyhead]

This is from awhile back (4 years almost! We must have been at the leading edge of the bluegrass cajon craze!) My go at introducing some folks to June Apple (despite the title that flashes "Gold Rush" at the beginning). Neither the cajon player or the guitarist had played bluegrass. I thought the cajon went pretty well with the whole arrangement, wish my picking were a little cleaner and the ending wasn't so abrupt though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDN_...XEnJ_9EJLIMQwQ

Cheers
S

[ajh]

Maggie plays the cardboard box in Cafe Accordion Orchestra, has been for a long time. They play Gypsy Jazz tho.

Hey Pops....You are thinking of Harmonious Wail.

[Scott Rucker]

I like them in the right context and with the right player. With that said, I'm not a fan of them in regularly defined bluegrass. The bass and the mandolin do a good enough job of providing percussive rhythm. I play guitar (and little mandolin) for a young lady who sings locally. It's a standard acoustic country/rock/folk set, really anything she likes to sing that we can work up with just the two of us. These boxes are at most of the open mics we go to. I have found that they draw "players" who don't really know how to play them and who don't know the boundaries of taste. They just jump in sideways, stepping on our rhythms.

[catmandu2]

Since BG cajon seems to be so popular, we'll soon be seeing bluegrass Hang drum.

[Bertram Henze]

to add Latin percussion to traditional musics that had none before, please use real congas (tumbador), bongo and timbales - not that damn box.

Hmmm.. I have seen cajon players being endured for 10 minutes in an ITM session, but no player of bongos who survived more that 5 seconds before being shut down by multiple stares of death and frightened into running, overtaking the spoon player.

[catmandu2]

Yep, one can be quite subtle and varied with a box. Nothing says "Latin" more than congas (tumba, conga, and quinto to avoid police action ) - we endured that in the 70s when every rock band had de rigeuer congero, or at least someone emulating one tapping along on them..

The particular timbre of the Latin drums have a distinct quality. Youd do better with djembe, or shakey egg..

*oh, I see that David was *suggesting* the latin sound. Never mind

[foldedpath]

The particular timbre of the Latin drums have a distinct quality. Youd do better with djembe, or shakey egg..

Egad... not the dreaded shakey egg!

There are very few eggists out there who understand you have to play those things AHEAD of the beat, to let the beads or rice or whatever catch up to the shell. Most just use their arm motion following the rhythm. Same problem with maraca players, unless they're percussion pros.

I was in a trio once with a lady singer, a great vocalist, but she would drive me nuts on a few songs where she'd bring out the eggs. Always behind the beat. Her husband the guitar player, finally had to conveniently "forget" to bring them along on gigs.

[Rodney Riley]

My band used brushes on a cardboard apple box. No overpriced wooden crates for us.

Saw a video of SHEL drummer Liza use brushes on a note book during a video of them playing a set for a radio program. ‘Course, even a Coke bottle was used on Iko Iko by the Dixie Cups

[catmandu2]

Egad...!

Yes, you want to have correct time/syncopation Latin percussion/forms is dance music on TOP.. (and some of the funnest stuff in music, I digress)

[gspiess]

Not BG, but Christian roots with guitar, mando, fiddle, bass, accordian, and....cajon.

[chuck3]

As you know, you have to be a very good player to add percussion on bluegrass.

Or as Chet Baker said, "It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all."

[Bad Monkey]

some of y'all need to dig in.

There's been a whole lot going on in the past 22 years. Some of it's even been pretty good. Threads like this are good reminders why I don't go to "bluegrass jams" and the like. There was one here in Seattle that I went to twice last year. I had forgotten what the BG police were like and needed a reminder I guess. Anyways, first time I went, everyone was real friendly and helpful to the less experienced musicians, there were even a bunch of kids there playing along as much as they could with the four chords they had down so far. I thought "hey, this ain't bad. Maybe this could be a thing to do a couple times a month and all." Next time I went there was a couple guys there that hadn't been there the first time. No foolin' I heard "Bill never..." and "that ain't no part of nuthin" that night when a couple of tunes were suggested. I packed up and haven't been back. I'm glad I saved the gas money.

[Mark Wilson]

We debut at #5 in Google for the search term Bluegrass Cajon. Our work here is done.

I feel so used

[Austin Bob]

I played a few gigs with a local "bluegrass fed - blues infused" band that had one. He was pretty good, not too heavy of a hand, just adding a bit to the beat, and it worked.

But I can see how someone with a heavy hand could overwhelm an acoustic jam.

[Louise NM]

We go see a flamenco troupe that is based here whenever we can. Their vocalist uses a cajon, and it's a nice addition. The musicians are all Andalusian, all grew up in the flamenco world, though. I can see where someone just making noise with one would be painful.

[James Miller]

I have a shakey egg, LOL. And a pair of Australian Brigalow tapping sticks that are LOUD!

Not exactly sure how these would fit in with BG, perhaps Australian BG??

Guess we could have BG Didgeridoo too?

[James Miller]

Uh oh, see what ya started...


Shorey Twins, Banjo Didgeridoo, Callin the Mule Back Home


Bluegrass Aussie Style - Doug's Tune Cover by Taylor Pfeiffer& Andrew Clermont


But seriously... The Wayfaring Stranger on Banjo and Anchor Cajon