A Beast of a Shekere

[Gretschhead]

This is the latest Shekere I have been working on, trying to get it finished up for the massive drum circle at the 47th annual Eeyore's Birthday Party in Austin, TX weekend after next. This shekere is humongous compared to the others I've made, its a good 20"+ tall and probably 20" around. The gourd is nice and thick with a great shape and has a fat bassy tone to it, a true musical sound even without the beads. I have about 4 or 5 more rows to finish up and it'll be done, stay tuned for more pics.

[frquent flyer]

What are some of the other names of that type of instrument?

[Gretschhead]

Shekere is the African name, the Cubans call it Chekere, and I believe it is known as Xequere in Brazil.

[luv4congas]

Very Nice! What is a shekere made from? Is it some kind of dried fruit or veg? I watched an episode of dirty jobs where they were drying out and sanding down some kinda squash the looked very similar to a shekeres but they were making bunnys out of them.
l4c

[pastor_bob]

Very nice DIY project Gretschhead, and nice job on the beading - very uniform, and nice pattern.

[Tadman]

What a marvelous project. Hope you can post a vid after you complete this project. You'll be a focus of the drum circle!

[Gretschhead]

Very Nice! What is a shekere made from? Is it some kind of dried fruit or veg? I watched an episode of dirty jobs where they were drying out and sanding down some kinda squash the looked very similar to a shekeres but they were making bunnys out of them.
l4c

You're exactly right L4C, they are made from dried gourds which is a squash like fruit. There are tons of different kinds, shapes, and sizes. The gourd is dried and then you remove all of the seeds and pulp stuff inside (kinda like the inside of a pumpkin). Anything from seeds, shells, and beads of all types of materials are strung in a net like fashion. I prefer plastic beads for their sharp defined sound, that and they are easily accessible. I've used wooden beads before and the sound was mellowed quite drastically compared to the acrylic.

Thanks for all of the compliments guys! Tadman, I don't personally have a video camera, but I'm willing to bet someone will be shooting footage of the drum circle I'll be at next weekend, so I'll see if I can't get a video up afterwards.

[gonefishin]

Very nice DIY project Gretschhead, and nice job on the beading - very uniform, and nice pattern.

I agree with PB, very nice work.

I would be interested in more info like where and how did you pick the gourd and what is your process of weaving the beads etc.......where you learned how to do that.

[Gretschhead]

I agree with PB, very nice work.

I would be interested in more info like where and how did you pick the gourd and what is your process of weaving the beads etc.......where you learned how to do that.

This particular gourd I found on ebay for a few bucks, I have a pretty decent stash of them at my house. If you can find a local gourd farm, that would be ideal because you can pick the right shape and thickness out of hundreds. I used a hacksaw to cut the top off for the sound hole and used a coat hanger to scrape out all of the seeds and pulp inside. The smoother the walls are inside, the better it will project. The net is very time consuming, but not really that difficult. Start with a top ring and tie on about 30 or so long pieces of string. Slip a bead on 1 string, tie a knot with the string next to it making a V, and just continue around the gourd. There are a few sites I found online with instructions, but once you figure it out its pretty straight forward.

[gonefishin]

This particular gourd I found on ebay for a few bucks, I have a pretty decent stash of them at my house. If you can find a local gourd farm, that would be ideal because you can pick the right shape and thickness out of hundreds. I used a hacksaw to cut the top off for the sound hole and used a coat hanger to scrape out all of the seeds and pulp inside. The smoother the walls are inside, the better it will project. The net is very time consuming, but not really that difficult. Start with a top ring and tie on about 30 or so long pieces of string. Slip a bead on 1 string, tie a knot with the string next to it making a V, and just continue around the gourd. There are a few sites I found online with instructions, but once you figure it out its pretty straight forward.

Way cool, very nice job looks like you need patience for one of them. Any beads on the inside or just the outside.