Skip to main content

Percussion 101: How to Play Shakers and Maracas

All percussion players will have to play some type of shaker regardless of the music setting. Whether you are playing in a salsa band, an orchestra, or in the front ensemble of a drum and bugle corps, you will encounter various types of shakers from a variety of different parts of the world.

Shakers are simply percussion instruments that create sound primarily by shaking them, thus the obvious name. However, there are dozens of types of shakers. Some, like the tambourine, are classified separately because of the more advanced percussion techniques required to perform on them.

The most common shaker is the maraca, a percussion instrument of Latin American origin. This shaker is often filled with rocks, beads, shells, or seeds, and the maraca may be made out of natural materials like a gourd or wood or can be made out of manufactured plastic. The maraca is most often played by holding the handle and moving the instrument up and down, causing the beads to knock against each other and the inner wall of the maraca. The percussion player will often play two maracas at the same time. Maracas can be found everywhere from the wind ensemble, the mariachi band, the symphony orchestra, to even a middle school band.

A shekere is an African shaker that constitutes of a large hollow gourd laced on the outside with various beads or shells. A shekere is often a work of art, with intricate designs and complex beading patterns. It is also played by holding the thinner end of the gourd (the handle), but the percussion performer must move it slightly differently to have the beads properly knock against the outside of the gourd in time. The larger flat end may be struck, as well.

An egg shaker resembles an egg and may be made out of plastic, wood, or even metal. This shaker is most often used in popular music settings and is held in the palm of the hand. The egg shaker is often preferred by singers because of its quieter sound and easy technique.

There are many other types of shakers, from sticks covered in metal plates to familiar shakers like the jingle bells often used at Christmas time. There are caxixi, bone rattles, and African reed shakers. Each type of shaker has its own unique percussion sound and percussion technique, and most percussion players own at least a dozen different types of shakers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Composer's Brief Guide to Percussion Mallets

When composing for percussion, it is important to know the difference between a variety of mallets. Although in most cases the percussionist will choose the proper mallets for the passage, sometimes as a composer, you want a particular sound. It is always good to research a mallet before indicating it in your score. Consult a percussion catalogue for a more in-depth look at the hundreds of mallets available. 1. YARN MALLETS They come in every dynamic range from supersoft baseball-sized to forte. They are the multi-purpose mallet, used for toms, suspended cymbal rolls, marimba, xylophone, woodblock, and pretty much anytime a percussionist doesn't have time to pick up another mallet. 2. CORD MALLETS These are harder than the yarn mallets. More effective on xylophone and vibes, these mallets can also be used for a variety of percussion instruments. 3. BRASS MALLETS These are for use on the glockenspiel/bells and the occasional brake drum. They produce a more "tinny" kind of ...

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide Don't have any time to balance rehearsals, exams, and a social life? Then read on!  So you find that between playing in orchestra, the school musical, a solo recital or two, joining Sigma Alpha Iota or Phi Mu Alpha , playing in the alternative band at night, pep band, and marching band that you can't keep your eyes open, let alone study for the music history midterm next week or even begin to write your term paper on Debussy? Then read on and learn to balance life in Music School. 1) Musicians DO need to Sleep   Yes, you need to sleep, even if it is only five hours a night plus catnaps. Your brain cannot function if you do not sleep. So sleep, even if that means that you can't play in that awesome alternative band that jams every other night till 5am at the local bar. 2) Eat right and exercise Okay, so I sound like your parents, or Oprah, but I am serious. My biggest mistake as an undergrad (well, one of my bigges...

Percussion 101: How to Play Hand Crash Cymbols

Young Girl Plays Cymbals The hand cymbals (or crash cymbals ) are extremely versatile percussion instruments . The hand cymbals are used in the military, drum and bugle corps , the orchestra, and wind ensembles. Proper percussion hand cymbal technique takes many years of practice and hard work, as well as stamina and upper body strength. The most common use of the hand cymbals is in the drum line, whether in a high school band or a professional drum and bugle corps. Two cymbals are held by straps to the cymbal player's hands. In marching band and drum and bugle corps, the cymbal player often will loop their own hand in the strap, then grab the strap.  Protect Your Hands Tape, strap pads, and gloves are often used to protect the cymbal player's hands from blisters and the slow grinding away of skin during a lengthy band show. In the orchestra setting, where the crash cymbal is often reserved for music accents and shorter music passages, the percussion player does...