conga cajons

[windhorse]

The Cajons in the original post played by Pepe were designed and made originally by Akbar M. at Sol. He showed me a few in in his shop the year before he sold to DW/Gon Bop.
They really are extremely easy to play. Normally you have to fit something between your legs, and if they're painted slick like Fat Congas brand, they tend to slip through your knees. Also you've got to get your chair really low so you don't bend over, and if you want to mix it up with congas standing near, then you have to reach up high.. With these Gon Bops, every thing's the same height.

Jorge, like you said, it's a different technique! Last night I was playing with some friends, and I broke the seal on the head of my friend's segundo! I apologized up and down, but he shrugged it off saying it was not problem to re-glue it.

[p.a.dogs1]

They all seem to have different sounds from each other--- just like any other type of instrument. Some of the sounds have been VERY different from each other. Of the ones I've played, some have been a lot more useful to me than others. Bottom line, every instrument produces its own sounds and will take to different hand technique in different ways... therefore, they will all have their use somewhere.

Because I´m new in this forum: is it allowed to post links to other (commercial) websites? I saw one to a YouTube clip, so I guess this is okay.

Let me quote Jorge, who (with his partner Alex) manufacts the PRK-cajones in Barcelona: "… congas: when a percussionist plays congas in flamenco we see that the sound of congas is too high and too harmonic – then let´s develop flamenco congas...when we designed the ORION SET we where thinking in guitar player, the sounds of a conga eats all the guitar spirit. Then we build a wood congas with all the attack but without harmonics and a little dancer shoe tesiture, now Sara Baras dance with the Prk Congas, she never dance with congas, but these ones..."

Here are two clips, where Pirana, the momentary percussionist of Paco de Lucia plays these Orions in the workshop of Alex and Jorge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL45pRffjQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uFo3mrZHYg&feature=related

[Mike]

They all seem to have different sounds from each other--- just like any other type of instrument. Some of the sounds have been VERY different from each other. Of the ones I've played, some have been a lot more useful to me than others. Bottom line, every instrument produces its own sounds and will take to different hand technique in different ways... therefore, they will all have their use somewhere.

Because I´m new in this forum: is it allowed to post links to other (commercial) websites? I saw one to a YouTube clip, so I guess this is okay.

Let me quote Jorge, who (with his partner Alex) manufacts the PRK-cajones in Barcelona: "… congas: when a percussionist plays congas in flamenco we see that the sound of congas is too high and too harmonic – then let´s develop flamenco congas...when we designed the ORION SET we where thinking in guitar player, the sounds of a conga eats all the guitar spirit. Then we build a wood congas with all the attack but without harmonics and a little dancer shoe tesiture, now Sara Baras dance with the Prk Congas, she never dance with congas, but these ones..."

Here are two clips, where Pirana, the momentary percussionist of Paco de Lucia plays these Orions in the workshop of Alex and Jorge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL45pRffjQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uFo3mrZHYg&feature=related

Thanks for the videos.

I was wondering if the playing surface of those Orion conga cajones is very thick?

[p.a.dogs1]

I was wondering if the playing surface of those Orion conga cajones is very thick?

Shall I ask?

[Mike]

I was wondering if the playing surface of those Orion conga cajones is very thick?

Shall I ask?

Yeah!

BTW the playing surface of my darajon is about 0.3 inches thick which means still
very comfortable playing and good wooden resonance.

[jorge]

Within the pitch range we play in, usually the thicker the wood top surface the higher the resonant pitch of the tone, and the thinner the wood the lower the pitch. That cajon has a low resonant tone and sounds like it has a relatively thin plywood playing surface.

[p.a.dogs1]

Cajones don't have to sound like a wooden box, good players can make music on basically any cajon.

Or the other way: when you use wooden boxes for music, they become cajónes (however they sound). And maybe good players can make music on basically any wooden box.

It is a good thing is that cajones are not as loud as congas. They can give a better balance with singers, especially in acoustic folkloric music.

That´s similar to what (the other) Jorge (from PRK) says: "the sounds of a conga eat all the guitar spirit".