congaplace.com

I just made a trip to a gourd farm last weekend and picked up 9 gourds.
3 small, 3 medium and 3 large.
I'm going to be making a couples of agbe / guiro sets over the next couple of months.

I'm looking for new ideas and techniques.
I've made a couple of shekeres and I wanted to ask the congaplace board what they have
liked about the shekeres they have played and heard and made themselves.

Thanks.

Nice, you seem like you like new projects, its an enjoyable hobbie, i look foward to seing your result.
Can you post pictures of the gourds you picked up?

I have experience that when you buy a shekere, the key of the tone is in the carving the was done.
So don't carve too much, but not a little bit. Be balanced, think of the tone you want before carving.
I likke deep bass tones on them.

Since you got a few, maybe make one of each different tone. I like the neck of the shekere not too short, so that when your playing in not likely to slip off, and get damaged.
I would sudjest ,you make a set of 3 with regular beads, and one with less beads, so that the sound of the beads won't interfere as much withthe tone of the gourd.

Post the pictures.

These are the gourds I just got from the farm. I also have 3 more I have already started.
I painted the insides with a hard acrylic paint, it has helped the sound a lot, louder and fuller.
I used black, it's not bad, but I think for these other ones I will go clear.

Eventually I'll be letting most of these go as gifts or for sale, in case anyone has been looking.