Maracas

This is the sound of a man playing the maracas. Maracas are simple percussion instruments, usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried calabash or gourd shell or coconut shell filled with seeds or dried beans. Often one maraca is pitched high and the other is pitched low. Although a simple instrument, the method of playing the maracas is not obvious. The seeds must travel some distance before they hit the shell, so the player must anticipate the rhythm.