Shekere

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shekere
Shekere
Percussion instrument
Other namesṢẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀
Classification Percussion
Hornbostel–Sachs classificationidiophone
Related instruments
Afoxé, Abwe
Musicians
Madeleine Yayodele Nelson

The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀)[1] is a Yoruba percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The Shekere originated in Yorubaland, which comprises the countries of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. See Yoruba.[2] The instrument is common in West African and Latin American folkloric traditions as well as some of the popular music styles. In performance it is shaken and/or hit against the hands.

The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. The shape of the gourd determines the sound of the instrument. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour.

Varieties[edit]

Throughout the African continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some are the lilolo, axatse (Ghana), djabara (Guinea), ushàkà, chequere and saa saa (Liberia). The agbe is a gourd drum with cowrie shells and is usually strung with white cotton thread. The axatse is a small gourd, held by the neck and percussed between hand and leg. In Liberia, the net has a long "tail" through which the beads are manipulated.

In Cuba, the chekeré, also known as aggué (abwe), is a large, hollow gourd (~50 cm long, approx. 19+12 in) almost entirely surrounded by a network of cords, to which many coloured beads are attached. Widely used in Afro-Cuban sacred and popular music, it may be twisted, shaken or slapped producing a subtle variety of effects; musically, it is more flexible than maracas.[3][4]

In Brazil, this African gourd rattle is called a xequerê. It consists of the gourd (cabaça) cut in the middle and then wrapped in a net in which beads or small plastic balls are threaded. The afoxé is a similar, smaller instrument.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Crowther, Samuel Ajayi (1852). "Ṣẹ́kẹrẹ". A vocabulary of the Yoruba language. p. 264. OCLC 1102117470. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  2. ^ "How A Gourd Shekere Is Made". X8 Drums. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. ^ Orovio, Helio (12 March 2004). Cuban Music from A to Z. Duke University Press. p. 52. doi:10.2307/j.ctv11smscb. ISBN 978-0-8223-8521-9.
  4. ^ Ortiz, Fernando (1952). Los instrumentos de la música Afrocubana (in Spanish). Vol. 2. Dirección de Cultura del Ministerio de Educación. p. 124. OCLC 603651385.

External links[edit]