With modern worship music being very rhythm-based, drums are almost an essential part of any youth praise team. The problem with a regular drum set is that it incorporates the feet as well as the hands. So if talent and ability is not an issue, coordination will be an issue for a young musician. If a young drummer is not very experienced or gifted, having that student play the same two or three beat patterns on a drum set may not be the best solution—it could cause the rest of your group to play around his limited arsenal of rhythm patterns and he will never expand his repertoire because the band has conformed to him. Another issue is that many students who learn percussion in a school setting are never taught to use their feet on drum set, and so even very talented players have a difficult time making the transition to the set. A few years ago, djembe drums became very popular and still are because they have a diverse range of low and high tones that can mimic a bass drum or snare without incorporating the feet. They are the perfect compliment to the acoustic guitar and can give worship sets that “unplugged” feel. Several years ago, though, at a Caedmon’s Call concert, during a more intimate set, I noticed their drummer sitting on this wooden box and playing it between his legs. It had the most amazing sound—a distinctively lower bass tone than a djembe and a more crisp higher “snare” sound as well. I asked him after the show what he was playing. He said it was a cajon (pronounced “ka HONE”).
Cajons are made several ways. Some are tubular and upright like a conga, others are more trapezoid shaped, but the square box style cajons have the nice low end sound that is perfect for acoustic worship. The distinguishing trait for a cajon is that it has a wooden head. Yes a wood head instead of a skin or synthetic skin head like other hand drums. Don’t let that fool you, though. You’ll be amazed at the tone you can get from that wooden head. They are available with adjustability options that allow you to tighten strings to modify the sound. One of the options they are available with or without a snare. The snare gives the drum a sound very similar to a snare drum when played near the top. A new cajon is available from Meinl that has an output jack where it can be plugged directly into a sound system. This link is to a nice, short instructional video on how to use the cajon. Small computer speakers don’t really do the low end of the recording justice, but you’ll get the idea.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=v-IMARby9gA&feature=related
You probably won’t find a cajon at your local mom & pop music store, but they are available from the large music retailers (Guitar Center, MusiciansFriend, etc.) from $150 up to about $300. They are covered with nice wood finishes, some in very nice burlwood or siam oak, so I think they are easier on the eyes than a djembe and when not in use, you can use them like a little table.
Jason Huffman is the Director of Youth Ministries at First United Methodist Church in Palestine, TX. For more information visit the youth website www.reachyouthministries.org Or the church website www.fumcpalestine.com
Great post. I am a drummer/percussionist, and do some of my gigs solely on percussion. My percussion rig consists of a few different elements to help with different types of setups that are pssible. I might use just a djembe if it is just a guitar, and sometimes add shakers, large crashes to use as hand cymbals (for swells too), finger cymbals, triangles, etc etc. I also have an udu, which is a clay pot-like drum that is played similarily to the cajon. I also use, what we call, the pandiero kit. A pandiero is a “headed tambourine-like” drum that I have rigged up to be struck with a brush, and when mic’d with a kick drum mic (Beta 52 or D12), it shakes the windows off. Very, very low tone…even deeper than most kicks. It’s awesome. The best part is…you could setup almost an entire drum kit around this thing. OR you can keep it simple and use a snare drum, the pandiero, and maybe a cymbal or two. Great for two acoustic sets, or even with a bass player. Setup is nothing except playing with EQ on the pandiero.
And, thanks for the info about these. I may end up getting one to travel with. Awesome tone, and great addition to any setup.
Hey there. I’ve played hand percussion for 8 years or so, and I’ve never played any “drum” (per se) that is as different as the cajon. A good friend of mine has one, and they are indeed well-suited for acoustic worship. I hope to get one before the year’s over.