Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learn Cajon Masterclass Notes PDF
Learn Cajon Masterclass Notes PDF
Since the 1970s when flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia introduced it into his music, the Cajon has
spread worldwide in popularity. Today, apart from its well-established place in Spanish, Flamenco
and Latin American music, the Cajon is used in genres ranging from Rock, Pop, Funk and Hip Hop
through to Folk, Blues and Jazz. Artists as diverse as Bon Jovi, Pink, Ben Harper, Tracy Chapman,
even Jennifer Lopez all use the Cajon.
The Cajon should have a strong bass and a distinctive contrasting snare, which is created from
steel guitar strings or an actual snare attached to the inside of the front playing surface.
Sometimes referred to as the drum kit in a box, a quality Cajon can replicate the bass, snare and
hi hat of a drum kit. Raw materials such as European birch and beech plys are perfect for getting
the warm bass tone and contrasting snare tones of the modern Cajon.
The Spanish rumba is a fantastic rhythm to learn. Like most rock and pop, it has four beats per bar,
and so is an ideal place for beginners to start. It is also a great rhythm to learn for jamming with
friends, for playing in drum circles, and playing along to music you might already have.
One way to understand rumba is with number groupings. With this method, rumba can be thought
of as a 3 3 2 pattern.
A 3 group is:
1 2 3
A 2 group is:
1 2
So a 3 3 2 pattern is:
3 3 2
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
1With thanks to Greg Sheehan and Ben Walsh for teaching me about number groupings as a way to
understand rhythm.
2
Here is Spanish Rumba in musical notation (with a fun vocalised version of rumba)
Once we understand the rumba rhythm, we can look at ways of playing rumba on the Cajon. If you
have studied Cajon Technique Module 1, you should be familiar with the basic sounds that we
are going to be working with here: bass, tone, and tip. I have abbreviated these as follows:
bass B
tone T
tip ti
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
B B T
Once we can play the basic pattern, we can then add in tips on the non accented parts of the
rhythm so that the pattern becomes:
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
B ti ti B ti ti T ti
For more information on Spanish Rumba, you can download your free Learn Cajon
Module at www.learncajon.com
Sevillanas is a regional folk music and dance genre popular throughout Andalusia in the south of
Spain, particularly Seville - hence the name. It is originally thought to come from the ancient
seguidillas song of central Spain. While its compas, or rhythm, remains the same, it is an evolving
form to which new styles are always being added. Usually consisting of four verses, or coplas, it
is a popular dance and music form which is danced and played at the various fairs or ferias
throughout Spain. You will even sometimes see it danced at Spanish nightclubs.
1. Musical notation
Here is the basic Sevillanas in musical notation. Note that the time signature we use here is 3/4.
The top number - the three refers to the number of beats per bar, or cycle (3) and the bottom
number refers to the type of beat (in this case 1/4 notes, or crotchets).
Once we understand the rhythmic concepts, we can look at ways of playing rhythms in three on
the cajon. If you have studied the Cajon Technique Module 1, you should be familiar with the
basic sounds that we are going to be working with: bass, tone, tip, tip slide and the foot pulse. I
have abbreviated these as follows:
bass B
tone T
tip ti
tip slide ts
foot pulse F
accent >
Pattern A is a rhythm in three using just the tone, tip and tipslide sounds of the cajon. Make sure
you alternate your hands from right to left, or left to right, so that the accented tones fall to either
side, as in the following chart. This is important for speed and ease with other rhythms we will
learn, which build on these basic skills. Practise leading with either hand. When you are ready, add
the foot pulse on the side of the cajon.
T ts ti T ts ti T ts ti T ts ti
R L R L R L R L R L R L
L R L R L R L R L R L R
F F F F
Now play the same pattern as in Pattern A but with all the tones and tips on the bass part of the
cajon.
Pattern C brings the first two patterns together so that the first and third accents are bass sounds
and the second and fourth accents are tone sounds:
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
B ts ti T ts ti B ts ti T ts ti
R L R L R L R L R L R L
L R L R L R L R L R L R
F F F F
There are many opinions about where bulerias originated from, but it is commonly thought to have
developed from other slower palos (flamenco styles) in the 19th century with the same rhythmic
cycle, for example from soleares and alegrias. These palos typically end with a faster more upbeat
bulerias rhythm.
As to where the actual word bulerias comes from, there are various theories - the most popular
being that it comes from the Spanish word, burlar to joke, to banter. There is also a theory that
the name may have come from the 19th century dance the bolera.
One way to understand the bulerias compas is with number groupings. With this method, bulerias
can be thought of as a 3 3 2 2 2 pattern, as follows:
A 3 group is: 1 2 3
A 2 group is: 1 2
So a 3 3 2 2 2 pattern is:
3=123
3=123
2=12
2=12
2=12
3 3 2 2 2
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2
The one is always the accent (>) or where we clap, like this:
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2
The bulerias is a 12 beat rhythm. If you count the syllables in the words above, or the individual
numbers in the number groupings, you will find that there are twelve counts.
Once you can clap the compas, its useful to learn to count it as a 12 beat cycle, so that you can
communicate with other flamenco musicians and dancers. Here, the accents fall on the numbers 3
6 8 10 and 12.
In practice flamencos usually count the compas as if it begins on 12. Well go into why we count
like this in another module, but for now, just practice counting in groups of 12 where the first accent
is on 12 - like this:
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2
Once we understand the bulerias compas, we can look at ways of playing bulerias on the Cajon.
Bulerias Pattern A
This first pattern consists of the main bulerias accents being played as bass notes with your
leading hand. In other words, instead of clapping the bulerias accents, you play these accents on
the bass of the cajon, as follows:
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
B B B B B
Once we can play the basic pattern, we can then add in tips on the non-accented parts of the
rhythm so that the pattern becomes:
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
B ti ti B ti ti B ti B ti B ti
To start with, you can play all of the bass tones with one hand and all of the tips with your other
hand.
*
For further information,
visit www.learncajon.com
email claudia@learncajon.com
mobile 0425264375