TigerBill's DrumBeat Community Forums for Free Expert Advice on Drums and Percussion.

A few months ago I picked up the new Meinl Spark Shakers. These are very cool, nicely sized, relatively inexpensive, and they offer a nice range of sounds.

The basic Spark Shaker fits in the palm of your hand (they all do), and produces a very light sound - almost too light. The body and beads are metal, so the sound is more metallic than that of the ever-popular egg shaker - it has a rather airy quality to it.

The Spark Spin Shaker has what amounts to a bell cup (or resonator) screwed onto what would otherwise be a basic Spark Shaker. The attached piece rings a bit giving the shaker a bell-like effect. Leaving the attached bell screwed in tight gives a high pitch, loosenng it a little gives a lower pitch. I found it a little challenging to get this shaker situated in my hand - the shape is a tad awkward (the shaker, not my hand). But once you get it where you like it, it gives a really nice effect - like tiny sleigh bells.

The Headed Spark Shaker is my favorite of the bunch. It's half of a basic Spark Shaker, with a tiny drum head (goat skin) on the other side. Shaken all alone it gives a nice sharp rattle effect. But push a finger into the head just a little and you get a very interesting and unusual pitch bend effect!

These are very nice little shakers, with distinct and interesting sounds, and I think they'd make a nice addition to your shaker collection!

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