by Jerry Bembe » Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:08 pm
Rhythm Tec has a very nice small cabassa. The metal beads roll very smoothly and use 2 hands. This is easy to control and has excellent tone. It also has a padded handle and packs well due to it's small size.
Don't twist the hand holding the handle and have a space between the head of the cabassa and your thumb. If there is no space maintained here you will have a burn or friction sore on your thumb. I have found that using the free hand to move the beads works best and the holding hand is kept still or moves laterally across the free hand. Twisting the holding hand only causes grief for most.
A metal shaker or ganza will be stood substitute for the cabassa though. The tonal difference between these is subtle but the action difference is huge.
Use what works best for you.