Chamberlain Music stocks a huge range of classroom and hand percussion, and among the most recognisable of these instruments are the maracas. Other more colloquial names include chac-chac, rattle and rumba shakers. Maracas fall under the category of shaken idiophones, unlike other idiophones like castanets, cymbals, steel pans and xylophones which are struck to create their sound. Read more…

Chamberlain Music stocks a huge range of classroom and hand percussion, and among the most recognisable of these instruments are the maracas. Other more colloquial names include chac-chac, rattle and rumba shakers. Maracas fall under the category of shaken idiophones, unlike other idiophones like castanets, cymbals, steel pans and xylophones which are struck to create their sound.

Leading brands including Percussion Plus, Halilit, Stagg and Latin Percussion are all represented.

Features include:
Range of sizes available
Plastic and wooden models produce different pitches and timbres of tone
Traditionally made from natural gourds, coconut and other natural materials
Typically supplied in pairs, smaller models may even be played with a pair in each hand
Variety of models to suit budget and requirements
A fantastic range for education, early years development, primary and secondary schools, and more.
A great tool in for music therapy

About maracas

Percussion instruments similar to the maracas date back thousands of years with evidence found in Africa, the Pacific Isles and both Northern and Latin America. The word maraca itself can be traced back to around 500 BC and is linked to either the Araucanian people in what is now central Chile or the Tupi people in pre-colonial Brazil

In Cuban music, maracas are typically used to keep a steady beat in genrces including salsa, guaracha, cha cha chá and mambo. Players of Afro-Puerto Rican music will tend to use maracas of different pitches, apart from in the Bomba style where only one large maraca is used. Leonard Bernstein incorporated maracas as drumsticks in the Jeremiah Symphony in 1942, and Bo Diddley is well known for bringing maracas into the Rock n Roll genre. More recent advocates include Liam Gallagher both in his tenure with Oasis and as a solo artist, and Bez of Happy Mondays fame.

We have a great selection of maracas available for sale, so please contact our team directly to discuss your needs for school, home or the upcoming world tour!