The Effects of Playing Cajon Drum

Playing a cajon drum

"Music is a universal language", that is the famous phrase of a legendary musician, whose name is unintentionally forgotten by the writer. Music is something that has to do with life itself. I can't imagine what is happening in my life if there is no music. Living without music is colorless and meaningless. Music is not just an entertaining medium. It is a media, which not only can break the dimensions of space and time but can touch the heart, the human soul, in various layers of life. Playing musical instruments is my passion. Since I was small, I already practiced playing hand percussion instruments. Personally, hand percussions are the instruments that can be easily played by anyone who has the desire to play them. If there is a will, then there must be away. This the old saying that inspires me a lot.

As I do remember, the first-hand percussion instrument that I played was a Cajon drum. I think this instrument is very simple. How to play it? The first and for most is sitting on the instrument. There are only four main techniques to play it. The first one is what we call as TONE. This technique is done by beating the upper part of Cajon using half of our palm. The second one is the so-called Bass. In order to create a bass sound, you must beat the middle part of the Cajon drum using our whole palm. The third tactic is the top. This tactic is played by striking the upper part of Cajon using our fingertips. And the last technique is the slap.  In order to play this technique correctly, we must be at the top side of Cajon using our fingertips. Is it not easy to play the Cajon drum? If you are a lover of music, I am pretty sure that you agree.

As we know that music is a form of art or entertainment that contains rhythm and harmony, and music is a very unique phenomenon that can be produced by several musical instruments. Playing musical instruments means a lot to me. It is not just about entertaining. Some people play music just as a hobby. some people playing music to earn money in order to make a living. Personally, music is my life. In my personal life, I have experienced my positive things about the powerful impact of music. I am really sure that music has a hidden healing power that not everybody can see. That is why I have a lot of instruments in my house including African Cajon instruments and Djembe drums.

I realize that playing music brings great impacts on my life. I believe that this also can happen to others. If you a lover of music then it's better for you to practice and play a musical instrument. Don't just listen to the music but strive to play it by yourself. I am sure that you will feel a great effect on your daily life. In the following paragraph, I will share my experience on how playing music influences my life and personality. I have become a better person now. One of the most influential factors is being able to play hand drums such as Djembe, African drums, Cajon, and Darbuka. The bellows are the effects of playing instruments.

1. Being more confident.

To tell you frankly that, before being able to play the Cajon instrument, I was very afraid to stand in front of many people, much more if  I spoke in front of my classmates. Usually, my feet were trembling. I could say that, academically, I was good but not better than my friends. I had very good grades. But I wasn't confident of my talents, myself, and my ability. Nonetheless, since I practiced playing Cajon and guitar, I could feel plainly the improvements that occurred in my life. I started to gain self-confidence. Gradually, my self-confidence grew up and my fear faded away.

2. Improving my brain performance

When I was at the age of 9, I was always bullied by my friends. They said that I was stupid because I was always the last and the least. I acknowledge that, academically, I was weak, and so I decided to learn something new. And it was about playing a musical instrument. Naturally, I inherited the talent of playing music from my parents. So, it was not so difficult for me to practice playing Cajon, African Djembe and guitar. Instead of spending much time studying lessons from the school, I used some of my study times to learn instruments. Unexpectedly, I felt that my brain worked better than before since I practiced to play instruments. I could easily remember and understand what I studied. I also could play the guitar and sing in front of my classmates.