cajonbox

Basic Exercise

So this is part of a basic technique ex (the rest will come later) but it helps to train your hands to move from the bass to the ‘Snare’ sound on your cajon… It’s important to focus on doing this extremely slowly, concentrating mostly on the sound difference between bass and highs and making sure that each note is played out evenly, work on time control and sound and you will be a great player, pleasant to play with! 🙂

I do this ex at times even for up to 1 hour every day with a metronome, starting very slowly and gradually increasing the tempo… I know it might sound boring but once you start to be so into it that you get inside the ex and you can hear every stroke you play clearly and every sound is pleasant, you will find that your concentration and quality of playing is pushed to a next level!

It trains your hands to move comfortably over the 2 basic sounds of the cajon (bass and snare) and features 6 different patterns. Memorize it and then spend at least 5 min everyday doing this ex, gradually pushing up the speed as you progress.

Enjoy! There’s more patterns in this ex, Check out the video below for the others!
Here I share the ex (and some more variations) on this video taken from my Modern Method for Cajon.

Moving over 2 sounds

This exercise consists of 6 different patterns played consecutively, strategically developed to train your brain & hands to move smoothly from one sound (Highs) to the other (Bass) comfortably and incorporating the different hand placements and striking technique relevant and unique to each sound, into your playing. Each pattern is also a form of music vocabulary which will be extremely useful throughout your journey with the cajon.

Playing time: 5 mins 55 secs

This video is taken from my Modern Method for Cajon

5 Comments

  1. Taryn

    Thank you so much! I had started trying something else which was recommended and got disheartened. I just love what you have shared here, it gives me much hope. You’re very kind to start right at the basics for us beginners.

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello Taryn! This is great to hear! Did you check out my modern Method part 1 that I had just released? It is perfect for beginners and contains all the lessons and basics I believe are essential for the new beginner! 🙂 It would benefit you greatly on this new journey with the cajon!

      Heidi

      Reply
  2. Min from Taiwan

    Hello Heidi, I’m very satisfied with every knowledge you shared about cajon. Thank you for sharing these with us, however the video about “ basic technique ex” seems lost.

    Regards.

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hey Min! Thanks for writing to me. I am busy updating my site in preparation of the launch of my long awaited modern mehtod for cajon! I appreciate the heads up, I’ll be looking into it shortly! Meantime, thanks for visiting my website and your beautiful words!

      Heidi

      Reply
  3. Gaby

    Hello Heidi, I’m really very very happy to have found your introduction to cajon. it took me a long time to find someone nice and at the same time capable to teach the percussion on this box. Thank you for helping me to this beautiful start.
    Big Hug,
    Gaby

    Reply

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