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 by Trevor Salloum
Maracas are a rattle-like instruments traditionally made from a round or oval shaped vessel derived from gourds, wood or rawhide. A hole is made in the cylindrical portion and then filled with beads, seeds, pits, stones or buckshot. Finally a wood handle is attached through the canister portion. More recently maracas have been manufactured from metal or plastic. The sound of the maraca is obtained by griping and shaking the handles with specific movements to derive a precise sound. Maracas are usually played in pairs and may require different movements by each hand depending on the rhythmical pattern.
In Afro-Cuban folkloric music maracas were used in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some even had multiple lobes, similar to the metal maruga used in rumba.
In Afro-Cuban popular music maracas are often played by the vocalist in the band and in the past were often the focus of a theatrical display. Maraqueros (the maraca player), would incorporate rotational and circular movements in executing the rhythmical patterns. This was especially evident in orchestras of the 1940s to 1960s.
The maracas add flavor and character to the music. During the 1940’s to 1960’s when playing boleros, maraqueros would use large maracas filled with olive pits, since they produced a heavier and more lethargic sound. Smaller maracas were used for other styles that required a faster tempo.
Making a sound on the maracas appears quite easy, but to play correctly and achieve a clean sound can be quite difficult to the novice. Music notation can only capture one aspect of the playing. It is imperative that the serious student listen to recordings and acquire the assistance of a teacher to learn the true art of the maracas.
Maracas may be constructed with one maraca slightly lower in pitch than the other. Example #4 demonstrates a Son rhythm which incorporates two maracas with variable pitch. R and L indicates right and left hand strokes respectively. The strokes that are circled are placed slightly away from the body relative to the other strokes.
The patterns in this article are a few of the most common maraca rhythm patterns in popular Afro-Cuban music and not a complete list. Some of them may be used interchangeably with other styles of popular Afro-Cuban music. Due to their small size, maracas are extremely portable and can be practiced almost anywhere. They have numerous applications in most music styles. I encourage you to explore the fascinating art of the maracas and most of all to have fun.
Trevor Salloum is an LP artist and is a best selling author
with Mel Bay Publications including Fun with Bongos/CD , The Bongo
Book/CD, Bongo Drumming: Beyond the Basics/CD, and Afro-Latin Polyrhythms/CD.
He has taught percussion for over 20 years in Canada and the United
States. Most
recently he has been conducting percussion clinics for with the Britannia World Music Program in Vancouver,BC.
You can reach Trevor at: salloum@shaw.ca
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