Cajón

percussion · Peru · hand drums

A wooden box drum. The cajón is shaped like a box and makes drum sounds when you slap its wooden front or back with your hands. It's one of the coolest percussion instruments because the whole thing is the instrument itself.

Born in Peru. The cajón came from Peru in South America, where musicians developed it to create rhythm and music. It became super popular in Peruvian music and spread around the world.

Play with your hands. You can play the cajón by slapping it with your palms, fingers, or even brushes and sticks. Different parts of the box make different sounds, so you can create rhythms and melodies.

Used in many styles. Today, musicians use cajóns in Latin music, flamenco, jazz, and rock bands. You'll hear cajóns in all kinds of music around the world because they sound so good and are fun to play.