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Many modern musical instruments are cumbersome or have a lot of parts.
许多现代乐器都很笨重，或由很多部件组成。
Some need a stand or a stool.
有一些需要支架或者凳子来支撑。
But the cajon is a drum, a stand and a seat all in one convenient box.
然而康加鼓的所有支架跟鼓身都在一个便携的盒子中。
And this simplicity may be key to its journey across continents and cultures
这样简单的构造使得它遍布各大洲和各种文化，
to become one of the most popular percussion instruments in the world today.
也让它成为了当今全球最流行的打击乐器。
The cajon's story begins in West Africa,
康加鼓起源于西非，
whose indigenousness people had rich musical traditions centered on drumming and dancing.
那里的土著有着丰富的音乐传统，尤其擅长打鼓和跳舞。
When many of them were captured and brought to the Americas as slaves,
当他们当中的许多人被俘虏并且运送往美洲成为奴隶时，
they brought this culture with them, but without their native instruments, they had to improvise.
他们的音乐文化也与他们随行，不过由于失去了原本的乐器，他们必须重新改造新的乐器。
African slaves in coastal Peru didn't have the materials or the opportunity
在秘鲁沿海地区的非洲奴隶没有材料，也没有机会
to craft one of their traditional drums such as a djembe or a djun djun.
来制造传统的鼓，如非洲手鼓或吉姆鼓。
But what they did have were plenty of shipping crates.
他们能获取的材料是大量的海运运输箱。
Not only were these readily accessible,
这些箱子不仅很容易得到，
but their inconspicuous appearance may have helped get around laws prohibiting slaves from playing music.
它们不起眼的外表也绕过了禁止黑奴演奏音乐的法律。
Early Peruvian cajons consisted of a simple box with five thick wooden sides.
早期的秘鲁康加鼓由一个简单的盒子构成，拥有由厚木板构成的五面。
The sixth side, made of a thinner sheet of wood,
盒子的第六面，选用较薄的木板，
would be used as the striking surface, or more commonly known as the tapa.
做成打击面，也被熟知为塔帕面。
A sound hole was also cut into the back to allow the sound to escape.
箱子的背面有一个音孔，让声音可以释放出去。
As an Afro-Peruvian culture developed, and new forms of music and dance,
随着这种非洲-秘鲁文化的发展以及次新的音乐跟舞蹈，
such as Zamacueca, Festejo and Lando were born, the cajon became a dedicated musical instrument in its own right.
如桑马古维卡舞、庆典舞和兰多舞的产生，康加鼓成为了这些音乐的专用乐器。
Early modifications involved simply bending the planks of the box to tweak the sound,
早期对其的改造包括将盒子的木板变弯来调整声音，
and when abolition of slavery introduced the cajon to a broader population,
当奴隶制被废除，康加鼓变得广为流传，
more improvisation and experimentation soon followed.
人们开始尝试更多的改进跟实验。
Perhaps the person most responsible for introducing the cajon to European audiences was Spanish Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía.
把康加鼓带到欧洲观众眼前的是一个西班牙弗拉明戈吉他手Paco de Lucía。
When touring in Peru in 1977, he and his percussionist Rubem Dantas discovered the cajon and brought it back to Spain,
1977年，在秘鲁巡演时，他和他的鼓手Rubem Dantas发现了康加鼓，并把它带回了西班牙，
recognizing its potential for use in Flamenco music.
因为他们发现了康加鼓演奏弗兰明哥的潜质。
By stretching guitar strings along the inside of the tapa,
通过拉伸塔帕里面的吉他弦，
the flamenco musicians were able to create a buzz-like snare sound.
弗兰明哥音乐家们演奏出了如蜂鸣般的声音。
Combined with the regular base tone, this gave the cajon a sound close to a basic drum set.
结合常规的基础音，这让康加鼓与基本的组合鼓很相近。
The cajon quickly caught on, not only becoming standard in Flamenco,
康加鼓很快变得流行起来，它不单单成为弗拉明戈的标准演奏乐器，
but being used in genres like folk, jazz, blues and rock.
还被用于演奏民俗、爵士、蓝调和摇滚。
Today, many specialized cajons are manufactured, some with adjustable strings,
今天，人们生产了很多特殊的康加鼓，有些鼓有可调试的弦，
some with multiple playing surfaces, and some with a snare mechansim.
有些鼓有多面可以用于演奏，有一些有爵士鼓的特质。
But the basic concept remains the same, and the story of the cajon shows that
但是康加鼓最基本的理念没有变，康加鼓的故事告诉我们，
the simplest things can have the most amazing potential when you think outside and inside the box.
最简单的东西往往会有最令人意想不到的潜质，只要你用不同的方式去思考。
