Cajon Tutorial: Finger Roll Strength & Speed Lesson 

Hi , how can i find pdf versions about lessons? thanks for lessons.

Happy to help!

Thanks so much!

Cheers!

Thanks! I’m glad I can help 👍

ru-vid.comgeHw8tS2XRQ?si=IWrRHNax8es4V4cE this short video is a quick starting point but there’s always room for more teaching on this subject I think. I’ll do more and let you know when it’s done. I’m currently editing a long piece of members content all about preparing for live performances. It’s called “Gig-Ready.” Part 1 is about accepting the gig and practicing well. Part 2 is about rehearsals. Part 3 (my current edit) is about soundcheck before the show. That will include some more info about mics and getting a good sound. Part 4 will be about the performance and afterwards. Anyway, I’ll be sure to let ya know when that’s done! In the meantime, keep exploring the channel as I have a couple of other mic and recording related videos that will pop up if you search for them.

You're welcome!

REO MATSUMOTO oh cool! Actually I use finger technique on handpan too.

Ross McCallum whaaaaaa, do you play HandPan too?

REO MATSUMOTO started this year! Check out the newest video on my channel :-)

I have a 13 tone tounge drum and the only chart of notes I can find seems to be for 8 tone or 11 tone what are the notes for a 13 tone any help is appreciated 😁

The archive on this channel will hopefully always be a good resource.

@@rosslmccallum absolutely sir....❤️❤️

@Brendan Mather come to my channel. There are several videos by which you can get the thing. I naturally play cajon with the tabla technique. And in this technique i can play what i wish

@Brendan Mather ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pdBELsOsKTg.html

Thankyou! I'll check it out :) I've been drumming for roughly 5 years and have just moved into a small flat where I'm unable to fit my kit. One of your videos was recommended and after watching through a few of them I decided the cajon would be perfect for my needs! And I love it! There's so many different sounds to find!

+Cajon Groove Guide Thank you! Keep uploading technics video please! Have a nice day :)

I went there and I wonder how much it would be to build one from kit form? I'm pretty good at wood working kinda projects.

Hey Nick! Two options on my channel so far :-) I have a course that’s available to channel members (paid). It’s called “Finger Technique From Zero”. Another option is to watch the other free videos I have to pick up the skills you need that way. I’ll link them both for you! ru-vid.com/group/PLkFTJa7bYzTgYn9EA3qeS2r_w6QCQtnH1 ru-vid.com/group/PLkFTJa7bYzTghJNumeHEzAnbLES-6zw_H

Thanks for the quick reply! Whilst hard to find decent cajon tutorials up front, your videos are definitely the most interesting for the somewhat more experienced percussionists/drummers that want to play cajon. I personally switched from drums and the hardest thing is you have to do all the bass work with your hands (cajon pedals seem kind of missing the point of a cajon). Then again, the best thing is you can play all the bass work with your hands! (I enjoyed some of the drum&bass vids floating around here as well) The thing I can't seem to find is some decent sheet music for the more advanced rhythms/improvisations/solo's, do you know of any good sources?

Hey Mixon! Thanks for the question. This was a while back now but I've got a feeling I might have had 2 snare blocks inside that cajon at the time. Also keep in mind that the acoustics of the room play a role in the frequencies we hear. And yes you're right the recording makes a big difference too. This was using a camera's inbuilt mic which means a fair bit of compression. That compression is going to make smaller sounds louder than natural by a little bit. But to answer your main question, try loosening or even removing the bit of foam that touches the snare inside the cajon. Then if you want even more, look at buying the extra snare block (they can be bought individually). Anyway just have fun exploring sound possibilities!!

emilyrose franks 2 Fingers

I suggest you to use 3 fingers, its much easier

I haven’t really tried 3 but 2 works well for common subdivisions. Quickly breaking 16ths into 32nds etc. Good luck with whatever you try :-)

Love using stick control for cajon, big influence for me! Thanks for the comment 😁

Cajon Groove Guide wow okay thank you so much!

Hello! Middle finger is how I start.

@@rosslmccallum Thanks man! The bird it is

***** thanks for answering! i can do the finger rolls but they dont sound as loud as i want them to be, though this exercises help a lot, do you have an exercise specifically for finger strength?

***** Trust me, thats the word (patience) most of us don't want to hear hahahahaha. but it's true! D:

Yeah it works on lots of other stuff! Getting the dynamics right is a little harder on pads but it can be done :-) have a fun with it!

@@rosslmccallum thanks for the reply dude! :) Yeah, I've actually thought about trying out finger drumming on pads myself, right now I just finger drum on my desk or something like that. But that's the advantage of finger drumming compared to really any other type of drumming; you can easily practice finger drumming techniques even if you don't have a MIDI controller or laptop or keyboard nearby; practice finger drumming on your legs, your chest, or a table or a door or anything. The only issue I might run into with finger drumming is that some music software, like Ableton live for example, is not that accessible for blind people; I fall into that category. But at the same time that won't stop some people: I once heard about a guy who has performed live with Ableton (in a finger drumming style, if I remember correctly). Due to the software not being accessible for him, his (sighted) wife sets up the sessions for him. But when he gets on that stage, his musicianship and interaction completely take over and he can just perform independently, like any other instrumentalist. I find that really inspiring, because even though he might not be able to independently use Ableton, he still found a way to perform live with it even if that means having to rely on a sighted person to help him set it up.

@@justinnaramor6050 this will be awesome when get a feel for it. Sight or no sight, music is always all about FEEL and getting inspired by the people who bring that to life like you mentioned is the right way to go for sure. Keep me posted on your journey!

@@rosslmccallum Exactly, music is all about feel. Oh and thanks for such an incredibly quick reply! :))) I'll let you know how the finger drumming thing goes. I should mention that at the moment I only really use my RU-vid account to write comments; I don't have any videos on here at all (yet).

That’s a good question. I’m glad you got to do some playing in a tunnel today. The live environment and natural reverb would be super nice. It’s not usually impossible to get a sound out of a cajon with finger technique but I have played one or two drums in the past which didn’t work so well. So I’m saying it’s possible but I don’t know for sure. Over years and years I’ve found the strength of my fingers made it easier to play and get a big sound out of most drums (not just the nicer ones). So I would try some other cajons when you get a chance and keep practicing in the meantime. I think all the practice I did on my first cajon (a cheap one that wasn’t so sensitive) made it super easy to play on the next cajon I got. I hope that helps!

@@rosslmccallum Thank you so much for your comment. it really helps a lot. Respect and Love from Hong Kong :)

Here’s the breakdown :-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R8Vo7O8lzeI.html

That's right. Working on 4 haha

@@rosslmccallum Nice! Keep it up man. I definitely see this as your style. It's intriguing to see the distinction between Cajon drummers.

+Cajon Groove Guide thank's a lot dude ,, I getting used although sometimes seen amateur xD

Sure! I have a video here which shows you which finger and the order nice and slowly: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R8Vo7O8lzeI.html

@@rosslmccallum thank you!

+Cajon Groove Guide I definitly will, Thanks!

+Cajon Groove Guide Yeah i would be interested!

+Cajon Groove Guide When would it be?

+Cajon Groove Guide Sweat! I will definitely watch it.

btw i already started with your finger drumming tutorial practise:) was thinking it will come handy once

Always a balance. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you’re still learning a lot even if it takes a bit longer on some videos.