Use the free tool below: your data never leaves your browser — all work happens on your device, and nothing is uploaded to any server.
A drum you sit on
The cajon is a wooden box drum from Peru, played by sitting on it and striking the front face with your hands. A hit in the centre gives a deep bass note; a hit near the top edge gives a sharp slap. Between those two sounds, plus muted taps and light tones, a cajon player can cover the whole job of a drum kit in acoustic and flamenco music. It is portable, it needs no tuning, and it is the first percussion instrument many guitarists learn.
This player gives you six starter patterns in flamenco and Latin styles. Pick a pattern, set the tempo, and press play to hear it and watch the steps light up. Play along on your own cajon, or on a table if you do not have one yet. The patterns are practice patterns for learning the compás, the rhythmic cycle of each style, not transcriptions of a particular recording.
The four strokes
Bass, marked B, is played with a flat hand in the centre of the drumhead. It should sound deep and round, like a kick drum. Slap, marked S, is played with the fingers near the top edge, letting the hand bounce off quickly. It should sound sharp and cracking, like a snare. Tone, marked T, is a lighter tap that fills between the main hits. Muted, marked x, is played with the hand pressed against the head, which chokes the sound into a short thud.
Good cajon technique is relaxed. Keep the wrists loose, let the hands rebound, and do not slap with arm strength. Pain in the wrists means you are hitting too hard or too stiffly. The best cajon players look almost lazy, because the sound comes from rebound and placement, not force.
Flamenco compás
Flamenco rhythms run in cycles called compás. Soleá and bulerÃa both use a twelve-beat cycle, but they accent different beats. Soleá accents beats 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12, and it feels slow, serious and spacious. BulerÃa accents beats 12, 3, 6, 8 and 10, and it feels fast, playful and urgent, even though the cycle is the same length. The player marks the accents with red stars, so you can see the cycle as well as hear it.
Tangos uses a shorter cycle, eight steps, with a steady, driving feel that is easier to learn first. If flamenco compás is new to you, start with tangos, then move to soleá, then to bulerÃa. Count the cycle out loud while you play, clapping the accents, before you add the full pattern. Counting is not optional in flamenco: the cycle is the music.
Latin patterns
Rumba, son cubano and salsa tumbao are four-beat patterns with different bass and slap placements. Rumba is the most open of the three, with space between the hits that lets a singer or guitarist breathe. Son cubano is the foundation of much Cuban music, with a bass pattern that anchors the groove. Salsa tumbao is busier, with slaps placed to push the dancers forward. The player shows each pattern as sixteen steps, so you can see exactly where every hit falls.
Latin cajon playing often supports a full percussion section, so listen for how your pattern fits with shakers, claves and congas. Play quietly at first, and let the pattern lock with the other instruments rather than competing with them. A cajon that listens is worth more than a cajon that shows off.
Playing along
Start at a slow tempo, around 70 beats per minute, and play only the bass notes. When the bass feels steady, add the slaps, then the tones and muted hits. Do not raise the tempo until the pattern feels comfortable at the current one. Flamenco players practise compás for years, and the goal is not speed but steadiness: a slow pattern played in perfect time beats a fast pattern that drifts.
Record yourself playing along with the player, and listen back for timing. Most beginners rush the slaps and drag the bass notes. A recording tells the truth kindly, and it shows progress over weeks in a way that memory does not. Practise in short sessions, five to ten minutes at a time, rather than one long session that tires your hands.
Common mistakes
- Hitting the slap too low on the head, which kills the crack.
- Playing the bass with fingertips instead of a flat hand, which sounds thin.
- Losing the compás cycle by counting beats instead of accents.
- Rushing the tempo as soon as the pattern feels familiar.
- Playing too loudly in a group instead of listening to the other instruments.
How to use this player
Pick the tangos pattern first, set a slow tempo, and play along until it feels natural. Move to soleá, then bulerÃa, then the Latin patterns. Use the accent stars to learn each compás, and use the step lights to check your timing. When a pattern feels easy at a slow tempo, raise it a little. The cajon is a social instrument, so find other players as soon as you can: flamenco and Latin music are meant to be played together, and a group will teach you timing faster than any tool alone.