Música cajón

The cajón is a box-shaped drum made out of wood that is a big part of both Afro-Peruvian music as well as Flamenco music. Another name for the cajón could be cajun box drum. There are five thick, flat, and wooden sheets on this drum along with a sixth, much thinner sheet called the tapa used for playing. In addition, there is a sound hole cut in the back so that when the drum is played, the sound is able to come out.

Historical Description
The cajón was created by Peruvian slaves in the 1800s. It all began when they were taken into Africa, and they were not allowed to play their musical instruments. If they did, they would be punished. With that idea in mind, the slaves had to disguise their musical instruments. In that case, they used the crates for shipping food. That worked well for them because they did not appear as musical instruments to the slave owners. This would probably keep the Peruvian slaves from getting in trouble for playing music. Over the years, during the development of Afro-Peruvian culture, as well as after slavery was abolished in Peru, there had been many alterations to the cajón including the addition of strings. Later, in 1977, Spanish Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía was touring in Peru, when he discovered the cajón, brought it back to Spain with him, and made good use of it in Flamenco music. Over the years, it has spread all over the world to be used in various types of music.

Current Social Use
Today, the cajón is used as the music for Peruvian dances and is a big part of Afro-Peruvian culture. Not only is it used for Peruvian music, but it is being used in many different types of music including rock and jazz. They are often seen as an upbeat drum in order to lift up the mood. It is also used as a more appropriate accompaniment to the acoustic guitar.