Dance Papi

Learn Hand Percussion

Hand percussion, also known as la percusion menor, is a term used to indicate a percussion instrument of any type from any culture that is held in the hand. They can be made from wood, metal or plastic and are usually either shaken, scraped or tapped with fingers or a stick. It is a useful category in terms of a large percussion orchestra in that it identifies all instruments that are not drums or pitched percussion such as marimba and xylophone. Dance Papi covers a range of instruments such as the guiro, maracas and claves.

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Son and Rumba Clave Beats | Hand Percussion

The clave is a rhythmic pattern used as a tool for temporal organization in Afro-Cuban music. Learn the five-stroke son and rumba clave patterns and beats in this video lesson.

Basic Maraca Rhythms | Hand Percussion

Maracas, also called rumba shakers and various other names, are percussion musical instruments—rattles—that originated in Latin America. Players hold them by their handles, usually in pairs, and shake them.

Beginner Guiro Patterns | Hand Percussion

The güiro is a Latin American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound.

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