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 Playing with a cajon 
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Location: SW Washington (state)
Post Playing with a cajon
I occasionally play the bass side of my Stick with my church's worship band. Last night at rehearsal I learned that this Sunday will be slightly different, in that percussion will be provided by a cajon player; not totally unheard of, but a first for me. Cool! I like cajon...neat instrument, capable, lots of fun. Gives a different sound, though, between the instrument itself and not having cymbals.

So here's a somewhat basic question for the band Stick players: do y'all modify anything about how/what you play (bass side) in a band context when percussion is not in the form of a regular kit? Do you determine parts and play them as you normally would, or do you in some way assert a bit more of the percussive sound of a Stick?

I'm not anticipating changing much about how I approach the charts, but I figured getting a few opinions would be nice.

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Victor Bruhn
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Fri Jul 31, 2015 7:16 am
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
My wife has a cajon and a djembe and we play together ocasionaly.
The sound of both the stick and cajon seem to me like they were made to be played together.
I don't think it matters what you play as long as your in time.
They both are beautiful instruments when put together. I think the cajon has just the right amount of percussion to accompany the stick so it doesnt overpower what your playing.
We dont play for crowds though. Just ourselves.
I rather prefer this over a full drum set unless you have a full band setup. But just the two is pretty sweet.

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Fri Jul 31, 2015 8:11 am
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
Funny you mention this Victor....I had a cajon player (I use the term player loosely) stay at my house for the last few days and we jammed on my deck and terrorized the neighbours....
Great combo with the Stick. It was really the first time I've jammed with another musician with my Stick. Then the gin and tonics made an appearance, and we had to stop..... :ugeek:

I didnt change anything in my playing though. Did notice that my meter still kinda sucks though.

cheers,
kev

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Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:20 am
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
Victor,
Great post! My duo, Stick 2 It! with Mike Clancy on sax and flute, Mike also uses a cajon as well as some other exotic percussion, bodhran, bongo cajon, udu, and it is a blast. Very fast feeding off of each other's cues so things can change up a moments notice. Usually MIke will kick the bottom with the back of his heel as a kick drum, then use his hands or "cajon sticks" -spreadable individual strands which you can adjust to make a tight pop or even a brush sound.

Here's one of our videos when we opened for all the major chefs on the Food Network- Mario Batalli, Alton Brown (Good Eats/Iron Chef), Alex Guarnaschelli (Chopped) and Buddy the Cake Boss.
Check it out around 3:00. Block chords Cm7-F9 then around 3:50 start a bass groove so you can see how it fits.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAI5IF9LKXw[/youtube]

Again, so glad to see you are still pursuing it and getting out there with other musicians, that's what it's all about!

hope this helps, and have fun,
Dave B "DBro"


Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:12 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
Kevin your playing didn't terrorize me. what I heard was great. The cajon is a perfect compliment to the stick. It doesn't over power it and is perfect for a subdued concert. It wouldn't work with a rush tune though. Lol

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Fri Jul 31, 2015 1:07 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
Ha!
dude we gotta hang out more.....luvs yer company!

cheers mate,
kev

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Fri Jul 31, 2015 4:24 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
Thanks for the replies and thoughts all.

Nice vid, Dave...great sax, cajon, and Stick in there. Sounds great, and looked like you were having a lot of fun, and the audience sure appreciated it!

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Victor Bruhn
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Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:19 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
I've played my 12-String grand with a Cajon in a worship band context and it worked great. In some ways it's easier to play with a Cajon than a full kit because there is more sonic room. I played both sides of the stick: simple base lines in the left and comping chords in the right. It worked really well. Of course, it really helps if the Cajon player is really good.

Marty

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Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:40 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
The Cajon is one of my favorite instruments with the stick. In my opinion you don't have to change anything with your playing because the two instruments fit so well.

Here is a video of a song from my duo with stick and cajon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAW96YBG-Y8[/youtube]

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Last edited by aNDREmu on Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:41 am, edited 3 times in total.

Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:29 pm
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Post Re: Playing with a cajon
I have been a drummer/percussionist for a looooong time! I play a full acoustic kit, an electronic kit, a cajon and more. I use the cajon mostly for small venues, more acoustic, subdued but with the ability to crank it up using brushes (plastic, and also using the sides of the handles), cupped hands and accompanying percussion instruments (hand cymbal, bells, mounted tambourine, etc). I believe that the stick player should play, the cajon player should be able to come up with a complimentary accompanyment pretty quickly, to any song that "needs" percussion.

Since I have been learning to play the stick, my drumming has taken a back seat lol! But if I were to play the cajon with a stickist, it would not call for any major changes in my technique, only to make sure I was doing a good job keeping the tempo and proper rhythm for each song. It would be fun!

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