What is a shekere used for?

Like many African instruments, the gourd shekere represents joy and dancing. The instrument is widely used in traditional events with other African drums, especially when dancing rituals are involved.

What kind of instrument is the shekere?

African percussion instrument
The shekere is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with a woven netting of beads covering the gourd. The instrument is commonly used in West African and Latin American music and can also be heard in many popular forms of music.

When was the shekere invented?

The instrument has African origins and came to Brazil by slaves during the 19th century. Spread to the Brazilian states and nowadays is present in musical groups mainly in Bahia and Pernambuco, among others.

What does a shekere look like?

The Shekere – History and Cultural Background. The shekere is a handmade rattle. It consists of a hollow gourd or calabash, covered on the outside with a net of seeds, beads, shells, or any available material. Although its origins are West African, today it is found in the Americas and Caribbean as well.

How does a shekere work?

The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. The shape of the gourd determines the sound of the instrument. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour.

What instrument is made from gourd?

Some of the instruments you’ll make with Making Gourd Musical Instruments: rattle, drum, rainstick, shekere, guiro, kalimba, xylophone, musical bow, lyre, guitar, spike fiddle, banjo, reed flute, clarinet and recorder.

How is a shekere made?

The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour.

Where does the shekere come from?

Africa
The shekere is a percussion instrument originally from Africa that is popular in Cuban music, especially the rumba. The shekere is thought to have come from the descendants of slaves brought from West African to Cuba to work on sugar plantations.

How do you pronounce array in mbira?

Mbira (pronounced m-BEE-ra , /əmˈbɪərə/) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

What kind of instrument is a shekere made of?

A shekere is an African percussion instrument traditionally made of a dried gourd with the pulp and seeds removed and then wrapped in skillful beadwork and netting. During folkloric and sometimes modern musical performances, it is shaken or hit against one’s hands.

What does the shekere mean in West Africa?

Jump to navigation Jump to search. The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd.

Where can you find a shekere with a long tail?

In Sierra Leone you will find a similar type of shekere with a very loose net an long tail, often called a “shake-shake” or “shaburay”. When African slaves were taken to the “New World,” they carried with them many of these rich musical traditions, which took root in varying degrees in different parts of the Americas and the Caribbean.

What kind of percussion instruments are used in Africa?

Throughout the African continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some are the lilolo, axatse ( Ghana ), djabara ( Guinea ), ushàkà, chequere and saa saa ( Liberia ). The agbe is a gourd drum with cowrie shells and is usually strung with white cotton thread.