More conga cajon questions

[chris hansen]

Hello,

I have a couple more questions about conga cajones, hope you all don't mind.

First, what position are they usually played in? I saw a picture of someone who had the flat side facing him. Mine seems to sound better with a corner facing me but my thumbs hit the corner so I was thinking of making an octagon.

How important is the taper? I think it looks better that way but how does it affect the sound? I'm considering making it straight just to ease construction. My main concern is just to make something affordable that I can play and maybe try a couple of ideas and see if one is worth re-visiting and doing a really good job later.

Thanks.