FretsnReeds

Cajon Project

This is the second of three Cajons that we are making, read on and watch the video to see how its done, feel free to suggest anything that you think I have missed.

Please send any links to your project if you decide to use these plans. There is no protection to prevent you forwarding the xls sheet to other people but please don’t as it doesn’t help me at all. Also please subscribe for notifications about this and future projects.

I have seen Cajons at open mic and folk gigs and thought, “I should be able to make one of those at a fraction of the cost” so I did, in fact I made three! I also thought it would be great to share that with my participants. So we set too, my son and I and filmed the process to be able to put together a short journal of how we approached the project.

I also created a small spreadsheet that will work out the sizes for the panels from just a few simple dimensions that the DIY person loads into it.

cajon-calculations-1 Download

If you wish to donate please feel free to do so using the link supplied below, this helps to support the maintenance of this website and supports the creation of new and exciting content that I really hope you find useful.

Also thanks to those of you who already support me! You know who you are and I am most grateful!

“Keep banging it out!”

Donation to support my work in the community?

As you all know, I love to teach, encourage and help people on their musical journey. If you would like to say thank you please consider making a donation to support my work and the upkeep of this site. I have set it at the price of a coffee, if you would like to add multiples, you can do so in the link.

£3.50

Gardening, wars and music…

Today is a beautiful summers day and due to spending the last three months working from home the garden has been a godsend.

The hanging baskets look absolutely amazing considering that when I bought the plants from the garden centre there was a limited selection. It would have been a mistake to not go with the tools I had available to me . I could have lamented the lack of choice but I bought what they had.

“Pack in as many of them as you can” was the advice from my elderly neighbour. Ron loves his garden and a man in his nineties has a wealth of knowledge. So proud of his war stories, he would have me spellbound by his tales of escaping the enemy in the darkness with limited equipment. “Battle order only!” they were ordered. Belt buckles were to be wrapped in rag to avoid any clinking sounds, other advice was given about where to sleep and where to avoid. The other advice was from my dad also a war veteran, “Once a week give them a feed of phostrogen that’ll give them enough nourishment ’till they next get fed”

But I digress, their gardening knowledge and advice has always been top class. And so. armed with this info I packed in my two types of petunias and some home grown lobelia and watering every day with a weekly feed of phostrogen I now have seven amazing hanging baskets to enjoy daily.

So what has this to do with music you may well ask.

Well the inspiration comes from appreciating someone else’s creativity and wanting to emulate it. Asking for advice and putting it into practise is what happens when we rub shoulders with other musicians, playing or practising every day is similar to watering the baskets. It’s possible to miss a day here and there but leave it too long and it begins to show.

And the weekly feed? I’ll let you work that one out. If you do, please share it with others in an answer below.

And remember You may have a lot of the tools to do the job already but may just need a little pointing in the right direction to get the best out of them.

Stay safe and enjoy your playing.

Keep belting it out! 🙂

Cliff

FretsnReeds.com

Why FretsnReeds

Playing an instrument is a little like driving a car.

At first every manoeuvre demands full concentration, then gradually we no longer need to think about the mechanics of changing gear or applying brakes etc. After a while we are then able to plan our journeys without having to actively think about gear changes, indicating or applying the hand break, we can carry out a conversation and listen to the radio.

In the same way changing chords whilst strumming and singing will become a simple action. This can be achieved much quicker with structured sessions tailored to your specific circumstances.

Playing in a section requires dedication and slick control of your instrument, with structured lessons focused on making the advancement to enable you to take the shortest route, FretsnReeds can optimise your learning curve to help you get there as efficiently as possible, whilst having some fun along the way.

Saxophone

Playing the saxophone requires breath control, correct lip position, accurate fingering and lots of practise.

Correct emboucher is Paramount for developing a good tone.

What affects the tone?

Choice of reed
Mouthpiece (MPC)design
Chamber size
Open or closed lay
Choice of material
Ligature type and position
Saxophone design
You the player

The pursuit of a great tone is always paramount in developing your own sound. That along with developing an armoury of riffs and phrases for those students that prefer playing by ear rather than playing by sight reading music notation. See more information at FretsnReeds.com

Learning to read music can be a massive advantage when learning to master the saxophone. It can open up a huge resource when learning phrases in all genres.