My first real interest in the percussion section came in 1988, when I filled in for Sound System’s drummer on a night when he was unable to attend rehearsal. I’d gathered a basic understanding of the process from watching drummers at live concerts, in music videos, and from watching my bandmates Chad Wood, Troy Gould and Ray Yenzer in action. But admittedly, a basic understanding does not translate directly into dexterity or skill. My first time in the driver’s seat was mediocre at best, and certainly a test of my other bandmates’ patience.

In 1992, I purchased a used 4-piece drum kit a a garage sale, and made a more serious attempt to really learn to play. As I became better at drums, I began to look at other ways to flesh out the percussion section by using hand percussion. Maracas, cowbells, bongos, claves, and tambourines were obvious choices. But the instrument that really made the difference, particularly in acoustic arrangements, was the cabasa.

A traditional hand-held cabasa is a variation on ancient African percussion instruments: strings or nets of beads are rocked back and forth against a rough surface for a diffuse, fricative attack. Modern cabasas use steel bead chains against a corrugated steel cylinder. Usually you’ll voice the cabasa on the two and four beats, mirroring or emulating a snare drum. But a Latin feel can be invoked with a “two-and, four-and” or an “a-two, a-four” pattern. It’s a highly effective addition to an arrangement, but difficult to pull off from behind a drum kit .. until now.

Roland Meinl Percussion was founded in Gutenstetten, Germany in 1951, and quickly found their niche with products like fiberglass congas, which could be made lighter, stronger and less expensive than their wooden counterparts. Today, Meinl and competitor Paiste are the leading European cymbal manufacturers, with quality on a par with long-lived Turkish brands like Zildjian and Sabian.

Meinl’s hand percussion lines include European, Latin, Native Amerian, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian and Australian percussion instruments, using different combinations of traditional and modern materials. Occasionally, innovations can be made to these traditional instruments to allow them to be used in ways that weren’t possible before.

The Meinl Foot Cabasa takes a handheld cabasa and a ratchet assembly and attaches them to a foot pedal, so a drummer behind a kit can operate the cabasa and still have both hands free for drumsticks. Meinl adds some adjustments as well, allowing a percussionist to customize the cabasa’s response: a thumbscrew adjusts the pressure between the chains and the corrugated cylinder. Metal cleats can be extended from the bottom plate to grip into carpet or other surfaces (or retracted to prevent damaging other surfaces). And a simple mechanical switch allows the cabasa to be voiced only on the down-stroke, or on both the down- and up-strokes. All in all, it’s a pretty well thought out instrument.

I ordered my Foot Cabasa as a used item from Ebay, and paid just $99 for an instrument that carries a $275 MSRP (although many retailers carry it for about $160). When I received it, I found that the axle assembly was bent, resulting in inconsistent pressure on the chains. I called Meinl to ask how much it might cost to order a replacement part, and they said that the part was covered under a lifetime warranty. I received the replacement about a week later, completely free of charge, and it took me less than ten minutes to perform the repair myself. Chalk up extra points for Meinl’s customer service!

I use the Meinl Foot Cabasa to add percussion effects from behind a drum set, while playing a cajon, or when playing a guitar, bass or banjo while seated. It’s not something you’d want to add to every single arrangement, but it’s a pretty effective way to make a simple arrangement a bit more exciting.