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Notation for Cajon


jtay

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I'm not the most familiar with the cajon (aka the drum box), but from what I've seen it's mostly used for improvising drum beats in situations where a whole drum set isn't feasible. Anyways, I'm thinking of writing a piece that will use the cajon, and I need to some advice from you percussionists out there on the best way to notate music for it. I figure I'll use standard percussion notation as a guideline (snare sounds on the 3rd space, kick sounds on the 1st space, etc.), but how should I go about calling for those "in between" sounds? Say for instance, I want a string of sixteenth notes to gradually progress from a low to a high snare sound. What would be the best way to notate something like that?

Also, while I'm on the subject, I'm thinking that the cajon part will require a reverb effect to get the sound I want for the piece. From what I've seen, the cajon has a very dry sound that does not carry through a large room very well, and I want each sound to have a booming quality to it. For this, what do you think is the best way to mic a cajon? Front, back, side, inside, or some combination of the above? I'm aware that there are cajons with built in pickups, but I'm not sure if I'll have access to one of those.

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Mreh, I wrote that post within an hour after I thought of the idea, so I didn't Google it. I figured it was an odd enough idea that other passers by might be mildly interested in it, plus I could use a few more posts and some interaction with people over the internet. I've got a bad habit lurking forums (as well as the rest of the internet) and never actually posting anything.

Thanks for the link. That notation system will probably look better than whatever I would have come up with.

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