- 1). Drill a hole in the center of one end of the coconut. Make the hole large enough to accommodate the wooden handle. Empty the coconut of its contents. Use a flat-head screwdriver or a similar implement to scrape the coconut meat away from the shell and out of the hole. Place the empty coconut with its hole pointed down on some paper towels and allow it to dry overnight.
If you don't have the tools or the patience to clean out the coconut in this manner, you can simply cut it in half with a large knife. Clean out each half of the shell, drill a hole in the bottom of one half and allow the halves to dry overnight. - 2). Fill the dried coconut shell with your choice of seeds and/or beads. The size and amount of beads and seeds will determine the sound the maraca makes. Experiment with a variety of mixtures of seeds and beads to change the pitch and timbre of each maraca.
If you split the coconut, you'll have to hot-glue the halves back together before filling the maraca. - 3). Place metal bearings or BBs inside the coconut to create a unique mix of metal and wood sounds.
- 4). Attach a wooden handle to the coconut with hot glue. Any wooden handle or stick will do, though a hollow handle will allow the beans and seeds to flow into the handle to create an even different sound.
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