jtay Posted May 24, 2011 Posted May 24, 2011 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. Quote
robinjessome Posted May 24, 2011 Posted May 24, 2011 I'm not sure if there's a standardized and internationally recognized system of notation for Cajon... But, try this: http://www.pfeffer-percussion.de/fileadmin/user_upload/PDFs/Finale_2006c_-__Legende_f%C3%BCr_Cajon_Et%C3%BCden_02_.pdf (You did google this already, right?) Quote
jtay Posted May 24, 2011 Author Posted May 24, 2011 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. Quote
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