Cabasa

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Instrument Name

Etymology and Alternative Spellings

It. Cabasa;
Sp.Cabaza; Cabaça
Fr. Calebasse;
Gr.Kalabasse;

Construction

Generic term used for any rattle that consists of a hollow gourd covered with a net of beads or small shells.
Metallic cabasas are generally referred to as Afuche.

History

The cabasa is thought to have originated in Africa. The cabasa has strong resemblance to the African Shekere. Roots of the instrument can also be traced to native Latin American instruments.

Common Misconception

Composers often utilize the term Afuche and cabasa interchangeably. Diligent performers are often left to investigate and determine the composer's intentions based on the style of the music, time period that the piece was written in, other instrumentation/orchestration, and composer tendencies/writing style. The afuche is an instrument created in the latter half of the 20th century by Latin Percussion's founder Martin Cohen whereas the cabasa has roots reaching far back to Latin America and Africa. Where the cabasa can range from different types of gourds with a net of beads wrapped around the outside, the afuche strictly consists of loops of metallic beads which are moved against a hollow, metallic cylinder.

Technique

The cabasa is shaken or the net scraped across the surface of the gourd to produce a rasping sound.