Shekere - The shekere's history begins in Africa where this unique instrument serves as a shaker, a rattle, and a drum. Traditionally made from hollowed gourds wrapped in a lattice of stones, the instrument was, and is, played by shaking or twisting it to get shaker and rattle sounds or by hitting the bottom of the body with the palm of the hand to get drum like bass notes.The shekere is a hollow gourd covered with either beads, seeds, or wood chips that are connected by a net of string. The instrument is shaken and struck with the hands, creating a wide variety of subtle sounds. Shekere's come in many different versions all with a wide variety of sounds. Synthetic cords provide a great deal of flexibility allowing the beads to move freely, but in a controlled fashion. This is great for faster playing and the execution of more complex rhythmic patterns.

The shekere is used in the music of many countries. In Cuba, the musical style known as Guiro, derived from the Yorubas of Nigeria, is played on three shekere's of different sizes and pitch. The shekere is also used in the music of Africa and Brazil. This instrument is known as "Axaste" in Ghana and has a rounder shape with a widely braided set of seeds or nuts. It is hung from the neck and struck with the hands. In Brazil it is called "Xeque Bum" and the net is open at the end. Modern shekere's are made of plastic and often use glass beads.

Arturo Rodriguez plays the shekere on the following Seven Against Thebes songs - Fruit Fly.