Free video lesson · Beginner
How to Play Maracas
In this lesson
A free beginner maracas lesson: a little history, how to hold them, the different ways to play them, and a simple eighth-note groove with accents on beats 2 and 4, played over a practice loop.
Key takeaways
- Keep a looser grip around the handle so you can use the weight of the maracas, and stay loose in your shoulders.
- When you play the eighth-note grid, aim for a short, staccato sound as the beads hit the front of the maraca.
- Slight accents on beats 2 and 4 help the pattern swing.
In this video
A Little History
Rattles similar to maracas have existed for millennia in Africa, the Pacific Islands and the Americas. The Araucanian people, who live in what is now central Chile, may have been the first to use the word "maraca" to describe a gourd rattle, around 500 BC, although some historians attribute the origin of the word to the Tupi people in pre-colonial Brazil. There are also ancient records of maracas in West Africa, where a Guinean legend describes a goddess who made a maraca out of a gourd and white pebbles.
Traditionally they were made of dried calabash gourds or turtle shells filled with beans, beads or pebbles. Today they're commonly made of wood, plastic or rawhide, filled with a variety of organic and synthetic materials.
How to Hold Them
I like to keep a looser grip around the handle, so I can use as much of the weight of the maraca as possible when playing. Hold them at a comfortable height and stay loose in your shoulders to help you stay relaxed.
Ways to Use the Maracas
They can be used in a number of ways to create different sounds. You can swish them around for a sound effect, or play them individually or as a pair like shakers, which you'll often see in pop or rock settings.
Or you can play them in a more traditional way, holding one in each hand and playing a variety of eighth-note grooves with embellishments.
A Simple Eighth-Note Grid
To get comfortable with the weight of the maracas, play a simple eighth-note grid. The main thing to keep in mind is a short, staccato sound when the beads hit the front of the maraca.
There's also a bit of sound when the beads hit the back, but by accenting the note as you move forward, you can get a cleaner, more uniform sound. To help the pattern swing a bit, add slight accents on beats 2 and 4.
Staying Relaxed as You Speed Up
As I speed up, I move my arms in a particular way that helps me stay relaxed and loose. That's totally up to you and will vary from player to player, but in my experience it helps give the eighth-note pattern the right swing when I play it over a groove.
Practice it with the real thing
The groove in this video is played over one of the CongaChops practice loops, recorded with a real rhythm section. Members can play along with the whole library of 100+ loops.
How to Practice
As simple as it is, this pattern acts as the rhythmic glue of the percussion section: it takes up some of the higher-end frequencies and helps things swing.
- Get comfortable with the weight of the maracas and a relaxed grip.
- Play the eighth-note grid slowly, listening for a short, staccato sound on the front of the maraca.
- Add the slight accents on beats 2 and 4.
- Speed up a little at a time, staying loose in your shoulders and arms, then play over a loop.
Quick Answers
Where did maracas come from?
Rattles like them are ancient. The video mentions Africa, the Pacific Islands and the Americas, with the Araucanian people in central Chile and the Tupi people in pre-colonial Brazil as two possible sources of the word "maraca."
How do I hold maracas?
With a looser grip around the handle, at a comfortable height, staying loose in your shoulders.
Go Deeper with CongaChops
This is the only maracas lesson on CongaChops. There's no maracas course behind it. What we teach step by step, in depth, is congas, bongó and timbales, and our foundation courses lay the groundwork for everything else.
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