Learn to Solo on Cajon: A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners (download)

This video teaches 20 great grooves that fit with all kinds of music. I assume you're a complete beginner, so I start with a detailed demonstration of basic technique.  Then I move on to the heart of the video, which is clear, step-by-step instruction, with each pattern shown in side view, player’s eye view, and slow motion. 

I also show you how the grooves work by playing along with music in a variety of styles, from rock to pop to funk to folk.  And throughout the video--which is over an hour long--the rhythm almost never stops, so you can always play along!

As a bonus, I explain basic rhythmic concepts that will help you understand the grooves and help you communicate with other musicians. If you want to see the patterns on paper, a PDF file is included that you can print out with charts of all the patterns. 

As a bonus, you'll get some free music when you order this video, including the album Jaguar at Half Moon Lake and the four piano songs I wrote for The Joy of Six. 

This video is also available as a DVD. And if you're ready to take your cajon playing to the next level, click on the image below of "Learn to Solo on Cajon." 

"THANK YOU! You explain things so easily and clearly, and the way the videos are formatted, I am having SUCH a great time that I felt compelled to write to you and tell you." Kim Grace, Taipei City

with Alan Dworsky

This video teaches 20 great grooves that fit with all kinds of music. I assume you're a complete beginner, so I start with a detailed demonstration of basic technique.  Then I move on to the heart of the video, which is clear, step-by-step instruction, with each pattern shown in side view, player’s eye view, and slow motion. 

I also show you how the grooves work by playing along with music in a variety of styles, from rock to pop to funk to folk.  And throughout the video the rhythm almost never stops, so you can always play along!

As a bonus, I explain basic rhythmic concepts that will help you understand the grooves and help you communicate with other musicians. If you want to see the patterns on paper, a PDF file is included that you can print out with charts of all the patterns. 

This video is also available as a download. And if you're ready to take your playing to the next level, click on "Learn to Solo on Cajon" below. 

Running time: 1 hour and 6 minutes. 

Years ago, when I asked my drum teacher if he could help me learn to solo, he said: "Just feel it, man!"  Well, that didn't work for me, so I've spent years breaking down the process.  That's why I'm able to show you how to solo in a systematic, step-by-step way.    

This video is packed with over 70 soloing licks and phrases, all played with music. It's structured into 6 lessons, each focused on a different kind of lick. You'll learn:

• the power of pairs
• cross-rhythmic sixes and sevens
• the funky offbeat path 
• how to create the illusion of speed with a rippled six
• split hands voicing
• formulas for generating longer phrases
  
• the techniques of compression and expansion
• how to go from a groove to a solo or fill and back, and more.  

Each pattern is shown mainly in a player's-eye view and sometimes in a side view.  The video comes with an 18-page PDF file that includes charts of all the patterns. For easy reference, the number of each pattern appears onscreen while I'm demonstrating it. And the music never stops, so you can always play along.  

You can think of the licks and patterns in this video as being like words and phrases in your rhythmic vocabulary.  The goal is for you to learn to put them together in your own way, so that when you solo on cajon--whether it's in a band or a jam or just playing along with your favorite music--you can say what you want to say. 

Running time:  50 minutes