Level 1 · The Three Sounds
1-1 - Find your bass tone
A deep, round boom - the foundation of everything.
How to practice it
Sit on the cajón, lean slightly forward. Strike the center of the front plate with your full relaxed hand (fingers together, like patting water) and let the hand BOUNCE off immediately. Play steady quarter notes with the metronome, alternating hands every 4 hits.
Suggested take: ~45s · start 60 BPM → pass around 75 BPM
1
B
2
B
3
B
4
B
60 BPM
Start at 60, exercise passes around 75. Legend: B bass · S snare · g ghost · - rest
Tips
- • The boom comes from letting the plate vibrate - bounce off, don't press into the wood.
- • Relax the wrist completely; power comes from the forearm drop, not muscle.
- • Aim 10-15 cm below the top edge, dead center.
Watch out for
- • Leaving the hand on the plate (chokes the resonance - sounds like a thud, not a boom)
- • Playing too close to the top edge (you get snare overtones mixed in)
- • Tension in the shoulder - if it hurts, you're working too hard
Record your take
Aim for ~45s. Put the phone ~1m away, facing the front plate. You'll get Rafa's feedback within a minute of submitting.
Up next after this: 1-2 - Ghost taps