Thanks for purchasing one of the new LP Jim Greiner Shekere!

Thanks also for your very specific comments; you covered the essential elements that I had in mind when I first thought about designing a new fiberglass Shekere: its durability, feel/balance, weight and, most important, the sound.

Stay in touch and let me know how your Shekere journey is progressing.

Best,

Jim

Thanks; yes, I didn’t want to take the tags off every time I demonstrated the LP Jim Greiner Shekere, so I worked around the tags.

Let me know what you think of the shekere when you get a chance to check one out.

All the best,

Jim

Good Job LP + Jim.

I loved the Neck of this Shekere wich makes it very comfortable to handle and it seems very durable and though.
Very Satisfied with my purchase. I hope I could see more video with this Shekere Jim

Thanks and Regards,
from Dominican Republic
Willy I.

Yes, I do love the sound and feel of this instrument!

Here is a short story of the development process:

I worked with the folks at LP for two years to develop what I told them would be a light weight, well balanced, durable, consistent and … most importantly… good sounding Shekere that combined the traditions and the sound of the original west African/Caribbean instrument with contemporary materials and manufacturing techniques.

My goal was to provide a consistently easy-to-play and natural sounding Shekere to everyone from beginners to professionals… especially to those who cannot find quality Shekeres where they live… and to people who want an unbreakable Shekere!

Two summers ago, I spent all day at a gourd farm in central California going through many, many hundreds of “bottle” gourds (Lagenaria siceraria). I bought 40 of those that I knew would make quality Shekeres. Back home, I then picked the one gourd I felt would transfer the most effectively into a durable fiberglass shell.

I cut the top off and cleaned this gourd, and sent it to LP. My friends in LP’s Research & Development Department then made a computer mock-up of the gourd and sent it to their factory where a prototype shell was made and sent to me to test. Over the course of the next year and a half I made several changes to the basic shell to enhance its balance and sound until I was completely happy with the final version.

During this time, we also developed an unbreakable plastic bead that was much softer than those usually found on Shekeres; in this way, the sound of the soft beads on the hard fiberglass shell became like that of the sound of the usual hard beads on a natural gourd shell. I then designed the bead colors and the pattern and sent it to LP.

I also went to marine supply companies and found a thin cord for the net that is used in modern fishing nets… it’s lightweight and extremely strong. In addition, I found a top quality braided cord in a mountaineering supply outlet to use for the upper and lower bead rings. The LP folks reproduced these materials to ensure their consistency.

Two years later… it’s done!

Enjoy!

All the best,

Jim Greiner
http://www.handsondrum.com