Paul Jennings Cajon Method

Welcome to the Paul Jennings Cajon Method, your step-by-step video course that will take you from the very beginning right through to advanced techniques.

Due to that nature of how the cajon is played, having good posture when playing the cajon is essential. First of all, when you take your seat on the cajon you need to sit back far enough so that your hands can have good access to the playing surface. 

The bass and slap tones are the very first tones you should learn on the cajon. 

In this lesson you will learn two basic exercises that will help you refine your bass and slap tone.

The high slap tone is a great variation of the regular slap tone. You can use it in rhythms or fills, or in any way that sounds good and you see fit to be honest. 

Congratulations! Now you will learn your first rhythm of the PlayCajon Beginner Course. It is a simple rhythm in the time signature of 4/4. What this means is in each measure there are 4 beats.

The mid tone is a very useful tone to have at your disposal. This tone is used for rhythms but I use it a lot for fills and also for the all important cajon pitch change foot slide technique you will learn later in the course.

Once we have learned how to play each tone it is very important that we practice the tones so that you can play them easily and they feel second nature to you.

Many are played hand-to-hand, meaning no two hits or more are played on one hand before moving to the other. It is important to get used to playing double hits on any percussion instrument.

This exercise is a great one for warming up. It is also great to get your brain working better with your hands. It is used by many drum set players or marching snare drummers but can also work well on the cajon and most other hand drums too.

Now you will learn how to play a basic rock rhythm on the cajon.

Now you are going to learn a technique that is widely used in both hand drumming and drum set playing. It is called the flam and it is can be used in all kinds of ways from placing in rhythms, to playing in fills. 

Ghost notes are notes or hits that are played at a low volume and that are played under the main groove.

Another rock rhythm for you to learn.

Rumba is a fantastic rhythm and is very common for cajon and many types of Latin music. There are many types of rumba that are played in many parts of the world. 

Welcome to the Intermediate section of the course. Here you will move on from the basics and take your playing to the intermediate level. 

Rumba 2 is a nice variation of Rumba 1 which was in the beginner section. You do not have to have learned Rumba 1 to learn this one. Rumba is a great thing to play on the cajon. 

Funk is a genre that is similar to rock but has a different (funky) feel.

Changing the pitch of the cajon with the foot slide technique is something that most cajon players use. It is a fantastic way to get a wide range of tones from your cajon and also works great for use in both fills and rhythms. 

Two exercises that you can use to work on and refine your pitch change technique.

In this lesson you will learn a rock rhythm with a sixteenth beat feel.

A sixteenth beat rhythm which incorporates the pitch change technique.

As drummers and percussionists our main focus should be with playing the right groove or part that fits the music we are playing.

Another variation of rumba for the cajon. Try taking the other rumba rhythms you have learned and use them with Rumba 3.

Hip hop is a fantastic funky style to play on cajon. It could also be played as a funk rhythm but the style we are playing it is is hip hop.

Of course most of the time when we play the cajon we are playing the front surface (tapa) to create the sound. It is possible to incorporate some of the other surfaces of the the cajon though.

Of course most of the time when we play the cajon we are playing the front surface (tapa) to create the sound. It is possible to incorporate some of the other surfaces of the the cajon though.

The paradiddle is one of the most popular rudiments in drumming. It is used widely in snare drumming and also drum set playing and is also very useful on the cajon.

Here is a blues shuffle rhythm on the cajon. Listen closely to the shuffle triplet feel of the rhythm and also the high hat pattern that I am playing on the high slap tone.

The train beat is a widely used rhythm in bluegrass, country, and other roots genres. The train beat also works great on cajon and many players use the train beat for all kinds of songs

Welcome to the advanced section of the course!

The bass roll is a technique that I personally use all the time. It allows you to play bass tones faster with good power while using less energy.

The bass roll is a technique that I personally use all the time. It allows you to play bass tones faster with good power while using less energy.

Guaguanco is a form of Cuban rumba. It is a great rhythm that can also work well when played in conjunction with a drum set playing a rock or funk groove.

The famous Purdie Shuffle is a rhythm created by Bernard Purdie. Variations of the Rhythm have also been used in hit songs by Led Zeppelin, Toto, and Steely Dan.

Brushes on the cajon sound great and more and more players are now using brushes on the cajon.

Now you will learn a rhythm in the time signature of 3/4 that you can play with your brushes.

Now you will learn Funk 2 rhythm. It is a widely used funk groove that has a late snare hit that gives it a nice funky vibe.

Here is a cool polyrhythmic fill.

The thumb triplet is a very useful technique and can really bring a rhythm to life or be used in fills.

In this lesson you will learn a rock rhythm that incorporates the first thumb triplet from the previous lesson.

Using shakers with the cajon is a popular thing to do these days.

Another common addition to the cajon is cymbals. Many percussionists use cymbals with their hybrid cajon setups these days.

La Mano Secreta or, “the secret hand” is a popular technique or rudiment that is typically used on congas.

Bulerias is a Flamenco rhythm that is widely used on cajon particularly in Spain.