Maracas patterns

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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby roberthelpus » Tue Aug 03, 2010 2:31 pm

Leedy2, I knew that you would come up with something beautiful and some what unattainable. Or at least something hard to find in Cincinnati, OH. Meanwhile, I think I will do what I did when I started playing other instruments and buy the inexpensive but playable alternative and attain some facility with that. That way when I go to look for the next upgrade I will have some experience and a better reference point to make my choice with.

My first congas were the downsized CP's with the bendable comfort curve rims that I bought on a whim. Until Grupo AfroCuba came to town. So it's bright yellow, $20, LP Pro's for me, for now. And that's hoping that one of the two local big box, music retailers have a pair. The stores that we have around here don't even go as far up as LP Classics and have yet to even have somebody that has a clue in the percussion section. Some excellent kit drum players but nothing else.

So keep a pair of those Colombians warm for me, for a while :D
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby roberthelpus » Wed Aug 04, 2010 5:45 am

Aah. I appreciate that but will have to take a rain check for now, as I've bought a lot of toys lately. I will definitely save this for the future though. Thanks.
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby roberthelpus » Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:09 pm

I now have loud, annoying, yellow plastic things and two left feet, or hands :?
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby roberthelpus » Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:34 pm

Just got a pair of the Columbian maracas form Leedy2 Just arrived, packed nicely, and quick delivery. I can retire my obnoxious sounding yellow LPs now. They sound good, look good, and play easy. They have plenty of fill, so that you can remove some if you want, which I might do eventually. He's got more if ya want 'em.

Now if my wonderful employer would just allow me enough time to play them and everything else.. :( There's a T-shirt that says "Failure to plan ahead on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." I need to get one.
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby Yuca » Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:32 pm

Your new maracas sound tasty Robert. It looks like we began learning maracas at around the same time - how have you been getting on and what pattern(s) have you been working on?

I never suspected this humble instrument would prove such a challenge, I'm sure getting a good tumbao never took as much time and effort as attempting to get tight on maracas has.

After much experimentation I decided to focus on straight 8s (ex. 1 below)

http://www.drummagazine.com/lessons/pos ... -madness1/

I've recently started to get ex. 2.

I notice that in the Mario Grillo clip I posted he starts with the left hand/lower pitched maraca (or at least that's my understanding), whereas all the writing I've seen (including the article above) say to start with the right hand/higher pitched maraca (which I prefer). Any comments anyone?
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby roberthelpus » Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:45 pm

I worked on the two videos from the first page.
There appears to be a lack of info on this instrument online, however I have learnt a tasty riff from Mario Grillo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ClpFOX8dM

My next step is to study this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEdB-CAoPkQ

I think that some of the things that they are doing are for style points - the side to side motions. Then again that can sound different and style does count. Otherwise I just put on some music and play along with it. I do work on some strokes without music, sometimes with just one. Mostly older Son. That's pretty much what I have been with bongos these days, as well.

I bought an acoustic guitar around the beginning of the year with the intention of learning how to play in the Son style. Well I grew up playing and listening to Rock and the whole tres/quatro imitation thing has gone out the window for the time being. I'm getting back to my Cincinnati, OH, grew up in the 60s and 70s, white boy roots :D I just bought a Telecaster yesterday and need to do something about an amp today. My Ashdown bass amp is nice but just isn't cutting it. Looking at the little Vox AC4 TV or I could borrow a friends Vox Cambridge for a while.

Because of all of this I've decided to let the congas slip so that I can focus on bongos, guitar, maracas, and bell. Using the term focus loosely :D
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby Ernesto Pediangco » Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:57 pm

GREAT topic. Maracas & there use all has roost in various cultures in LAS AMERICAS. Its all here ! With that stated, I would like to include the perspective of its rhythmic texture as a functioning element into the fabric of what ever rhythm in any style of music. A Guiro has this similar role & function & its relation ship to cascara & clave if clave is elemental to the music style. But its basically just rhythm & how ever you produce it in music fashion. My concern has been the proper maraca for a given song or music texture. So many commercially available models are so mix matched for the function. Some plastic models are loudest but have the washiest loose rhythm & a smaller rawhide maraca w/ proper filler material is so much cleaner & articulate. A video of Mario Grillo shows a plastic model which is traditionally made of the shells of coconuts ( which sound great & is common to Venezuelan masters of maracas ! Many large maracas have to light of a sound for accoustic balance in live music. Maracas for live music & studio textures can be worlds apart & it is always best to have a variety ! I use both Large,medium & mini rawhide maracas made in Colombia. I some times use maracas de coco. In many cases I can substitute the role of maracas w/ Brazilian Ganza or Caxixis. Some time the music calls for other & having the variety offers lots of colorful artistry. The token use of just whatever maraca is available, is annoying ! Some times its best not to play maraca unless the textured sound and the maraca player are both in great mix with the music. A perfect option is to have more variety of Maracas offering east refillable access to the shell. Some plastic models offer this. Its also possible to dis assemble & experiments w/ filler materials. This is my most common solution if I am not to lazy :) I do not use natural products like popcorn or beans, I use plastic or wood beads, I use the tiny metal divots from stamping holes in sheet metal, small pebbles also work or the heavier shot from gun supply shops. Some times, just plastic pieces cut from plastic coat hangers is an easy fix, some times blending the materials gives a nice effect inside the maraca shells. People who have access to rawhide end pieces could learn to make the maracas, its an easy forming & stitching wet skins stitched by hand w/ heavy needle ( & hole punches) over a mold, after it dries, it forms the shell, remove the stitches & remove the mold then restitch the shell segments and add filler material, attache to the handles. Of course you need the handles ready & is part of the molding process, heavy nylon line or non stretch cord will be the stitching material. I have seen maracas made from formed plastic ketchup & mustard squeeze bottles shaped like bulbs. They made a handle that screws on & off ! Simple !
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby Miguel7 » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:42 am

Hi everyone,

It is so COOL to see a page about maracas! Most people in my country (USA / EE UU) see the maracas as a toy, or a minor percussion accessory that any idiot can play. Well, in my experience they're a little harder to play (well) than most people thing. About a year ago I bought a set of plastic maracas, and as cool as they are they are way too loud. In my recordings I am always having to turn down their sound, and their sound never seems to blend well with the other instruments.

So anyway, how would you say you get the sound to be as crisp and controlled as the guys in the videos? Tomorrow I'll be expreimenting with the tutorials (especially Pakito Baeza's lol) and seeing how they sound. I am familiar with some of the patterns, though I'm surprised I didn't see the one I use at all. Here's how it would be counted out:

1-2-and-3-4-5-6-7-8-1-2-and-3-4-5-6-7-8

This was the rhythm in LP's "Rhythmic Construction of a Salsa Tune" DVD and the one I seem to hear most in salsa; however, in that DVD Pablo "Chino" Nuñez seems to just shake the maracas like anyone would... so, perhaps the more appropriate question would be whether the sound depends more on the movement or on the quality of the maracas. What do you think?

BTW just out of curiosity, what kind(s) of maracas are most common in salsa? I've been reading a lot on here about plastic, rawhide, fiberglass, different beads/seeds/beans inside, different shapes, and even "mini" maracas (which actually might work for recording purposes, heck if I know lol). As I mentioned b4 I have a pair but b4 I think about getting another I'd like 2 know if u can recommend one. Think salsa, and think recording (as opposed to live).

Thanks again :D
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby Yuca » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:02 pm

Greetings Miguel7,

I've only seen these clips of the DVD you mention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0Gcv2yu-0

I thought in this clip Chino Nunez alternates between the same riff Mario Grillo uses then the second half of straight 8s. My ear is not very well developed though so I may be way off.

I thought the most common patterns in salsa are Maracas 1 and 3 in the following:

http://www.clanha.com/Percussion.html

I've got 1 and am working on 3, I can do 3 with slower tunes now I just need to invest more hours to get it properly locked. Mario Grillo's riff is nice but I think I prefer starting with the higher maraca. Pakito Baeza's riffs are also nice but I think they are more the S American style than US/PR style, however I would like to learn his maracas clave rhythm.
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Re: Maracas patterns

Postby Miguel7 » Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:13 am

I agree about the rhythms shown on that page, and what I have learned is closer to #3, though #1 is a bit easier and just as right-on with salsa music. But anyway, earlier this week I took Pakito Baeza's style (the way he held the maracas and the directions he shook them) and applied it to the maracas #3 rhythm. It was the best recording of those maracas I ever had! The sound was much crisper and less overpowering than the way i was doing it b4. I'm definitely going to continue to use these patterns in my salsa jams. :D
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