Shaker, Rattles & Ghungroo Bells

The musical instruments under this heading are mostly put into motion and sound by “shaking” them. They rustle, clack, ring, clatter, and rattle with the most beautiful sounds. You will find shakers (such as Maracas, egg shakers, and Caxixi), rattles, sleigh bells and little bells, but also tambourines, ratchets (Guiro), castanets, and clappers.

Among the shakers we have several wooden shakers made of yellowish gleaming jackfruit wood. Their rattling is caused by small ceramic beads and therefore has a soft pleasant sound. Our assortment also includes painted egg shakers made of rattan. Furthermore we offer high quality shakers made of bamboo or coconut shell. The DAN MOI “Flat Shaker Pads” could be interesting to those who are looking for a more powerful rattle sound. They are the multitasking instruments among the shakers, because they combine the characteristics of rattle, ocean drum, and percussion instrument. This sound spectrum demands a bit of practice from the player, but at the same time promises an amazingly high flexibility in rhythmic composition. As flat as this one but much smaller is our mini-rattle, the pocket shaker. It just measures 4 x 4 cm, but still achieves an enormous sound effect.

Our seed rattles demonstrate that even the dried seed of fruit can be great sound providers. As wristband or tied around the ankle they are adornment and musical instrument at the same time: Rattles are frequently worn around the wrist or ankle when dancing. That way the dancers become part of the music themselves. Originating in West Africa there are the twin ball rattles Thelevi. The two small gourd rattles are attached to each other with a cord, and they are not only shaken by the player but also moved through the air by the cord. One can hear a click when the two gourds knock against each other. It is a challenging instrument for motion freaks and jugglers.

While natural materials have a rather warm sound, metal rattles – even when they are unplugged – win out over plugged instruments. A classical percussion instrument is the metal rattle “Cabasa”. It can be shaken, but sounds are also produced when twisting the instrument. DAN MOI also offers an ecological (a bit more muffled) version of the cabasa: The “Chekere” consists of a gourd covered by a net of dried seeds. Talking about pervasive instruments – DAN MOI also offers a musical tool which is not just popular in children’s rooms or at protests. It is also used at football or handball matches. It is an alarm device made of wood: the ratchet.