Lap Bongo Cajon Hybrid
Three powerful drum faces in a lightweight and ergonomic package.
“Andy, this is such a great instrument, full of inspiring sound and possibilities. It’s great fun to explore the different tones it’s capable of.
Thank you for the safe shipment.”
The lap Bongo Cajon Hybrid is a truly wonderful instrument to explore. The versatility of three tuned playing faces in a super lightweight shell with remarkable ergonomics. It has a unique voice to bring new colour to a broad range of musical styles, with a breadth of tone that belies its physical size. It has distinct tonal separation and harmonic complexity, with cracking slap tones, within each playing face. The potential applications for this instrument are endless.
three playing faces
wonderful ergonomics
No tuning required
Only 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs
SDR Lap Bongo Cajon Hybrid
Built around a dense shell, this instrument has great structural integrity. This is the key to why it has such great projection, beautiful timbre, and produces a diverse range of tones.
The drum’s top face is like a baritone bongo drum. There is a 5mm lip that separates the playing faces and offers an edge for cleaner articulation of notes when going for the higher register of the face. Flip it over, and you have a deeper single-playing face with distinct sweet spots and expansive tonality.
When held between your knees, the tone can be varied by blocking some or all of the sound holes.
Roughly the same diameter as a snare drum, it fits neatly into a snare stand. It can be played carefully with brushes and used in place of a snare drum. This alone opens up an entirely new branch of stylistic possibilities. It fits into a standard snare case.
The Lap Bongo Cajon Hybrid was initially designed as an adaptive instrument. I designed a squat, 10cm-tall body that could be played on your lap without your shoulders being around your ears.
Unlike a traditional bongo, this drum is the perfect shape to be held between your knees. This drum is lightweight, has no sharp edges and is a comfortable shape to hold.
The Travelling Instrument Project
The design grew out of a community-based commission to build seven instruments for the Mt Barker Council in the Adelaide Hills, called the Travelling Instruments Project.
I designed and built a range of seven professional-quality, tuned, multi-note hand percussion instruments, all in tune with each other.
Experienced players could create ensemble pieces, and people with no experience could have a go without fear of playing a wrong note.
I was aiming to create opportunities for as many and varied people in the community as possible. Two of the instruments are specifically designed to be ergonomically viable to be played in a youth's wheelchair, but also easily playable for children or for use in aged care.
I’ve prototyped several multi-faced lap instruments over the years, and without realising, this design completely nails the brief. I had no idea when I was designing this that this was the shape I’d been looking for for all this time.
The byproduct of having such a diverse range of needs to address was this immensely versatile little hand drum. It has the range of tone and playability of a professional instrument, yet is packaged to be comfortable for someone in a chair or bed to play.
