The djembe is a West African instrument shaped like a cup with a wide top and a narrow base, with a membrane on top, most often made of goatskin. By sound, the instrument is a membranophone. Traditional instrument of Mali, which has spread throughout western Africa – Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal. Djembe became widely known in the west only in the 1950s.
Cajón etymologically comes from the word Cajón, which in Spanish means simply – a box or box. In fact, cajón is a box made of wood or other materials. There are five walls: the top, the bottom, the two sides, the back. Historically, the instrument first appears in Peru. By the way, Paco De Lucia was a big fan of using cajones in his flamenco ensembles. The cajón is tapped and clapped with fingers and hands.
The tambourine is an ancient drum, the shape is cylindrical. Historically comes from France (French Tambourine), was known in the XVIII century. The rim of tambourine has metal cymbals or bells. Such instruments can be seen in engravings and paintings of the past. The picture by Albert Durer (1503) shows a musician with a tambourine in his hands. Note that the tambourine may or may not have a membrane. Often the amazing sound of this instrument is used by modern ensembles – for example, Blackmore’s Night and others.
Congo is again a drum, tall and narrow. Refers to a subgroup of membranophones, has a kinship with the djembe. Congas externally resemble barrels of different sizes. Types: tumba (or salidor) – low, kinto – high, tres (conga) – medium. The sounds of these instruments are rich in Afro-Cuban and Latin American music. The congas can be played standing or sitting, with or without a stand.
Bongo is a Cuban double drum of African origin. It is commonly played sitting down, with the instrument wedged between the calves of the legs. The small drum in the pair – reflects the masculine, and the large – the feminine. The male (macho) is Macho, the female (embra) is Hembra. The big drum sounds lower and the small drum sounds higher. Techniques of playing are based on hitting and slapping with hands, fingers.
Cowbell (or cowbell) – element of percussion with a ringing and piercing sound. It is often used in music of different genres – from jazz to metal. Appearance is a quadrangular prism made of metal; the front face is open. The instrument has a fixed pitch. From English cowbell – cowbell. Refers to a group of metal idiophones.
Maracas is probably the most familiar instrument to everyone, because all children’s rattles look like maracas. Homeland of maracas – Cuba; also, Indians from South America used this instrument in their rituals and dances. Maracasas are made of wood or plastic, with a shot or peas poured inside. Some maracas allow you to add or pour out the loose contents – then the sound can be noticeably changed. Maracas are often used by jazz and pop ensembles, especially in Latin American music. How to play the maracas? Shake or rock them!
Shaker – from ang. shake – to shake. And again we recall our childhood rattles! A shaker is a closed container filled with loose material (shot, sand, grains or beads); the shape of a shaker may be anything – it all depends on the designer and his imagination. The play technique is simple – just make back-and-forth or up-and-down motions. Sharp movements will give a pronounced attack, smooth – soft.
Castanets are small wooden slices that look like seashells. The sound is clicking, upbeat and fun. Made of hardwood, historically originating in Spain. Castanets add an expressive rhythmic pattern to dances with a series of clicks. The vibrant and passionate rhythms of Latin American pieces become even spicier.
A rain stick is a long, hollow container (tube) with loose contents. When you flip the stick – the filler moves inside and creates a beautiful, rain-like noise. The instrument is common in Peru and Chile. A rain stick can have a transparent body – and then you can see the filler moving around inside. Rainstick, another name for a rain stick, belongs to the idiophone group. The filler can be groats, beads, pebbles, seeds or any other solid pellets. There is a spiral inside, i.e. the filler rolls not just in a void, but along a special “track”. The length of the rain stick varies from 25 to 70 cm.
Slowly turn the rain stick over and you will hear an amazing sound similar to the sound of a downpour.
The kabasa is an idiophone that makes a rattling, metallic sound similar to a rattlesnake. It is used in bossa nova, Latin music, and modern movements from jazz to rock. The instrument is of Afro-Brazilian origin. The kabasa should be shaken or rotated; depending on the intensity of such movements, the sound will be different.