Toolbox Percussion

Indispensible to the percussionist and cohesive for the music, the shaker is often misconceived as an easy and insignificant member of the percussion family. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The world over, across many percussion traditions, different forms of shakers are central to the ebb and flow of the groove. They come in many shapes and forms; from woven basket caxixi shakers to maracas, taking in ganzá, shekere, small plastic egg shakers, metal cylinders and what feels like an infinity of other varieties, too many to mention.