The LP Afuche/Cabasa is a hand percussion instrument that comes in a few different sizes. In the picture above it shows four different sizes from LP, but the third one to the right is the one that I've used. Traditionally, you kind of play it as you would a shaker in terms of the rhythm, but it's got a much different timbre. We have one of these at the studio where I work, and it's the 234B specifically, so it's not the biggest model but it's also not the smallest. It's not the easiest percussion instrument to play, although I'm primarily not a drummer or percussion anyway. It does take a bit to get the feel of using it, as the metal part on it that makes the sound twirls around the base and it can be tricky to get it in time. Of course experienced percussionists will have a better hand at it than myself. As far as the timbre of the instrument is concerned, it's definitely somewhat like a shaker, but since it spins around it's got a more smooth type of sound. I can see it working well in any situation where you might want a laid back sort of percussion to help move the piece along, but I don't know if it would be favored in any one genre, although it certainly has a Latin vibe to it. The LP Afuche/Cabasa is definitely a unique percussion instrument, but is a good one to know about and be familiar about if you're a recording engineer or of course a percussionist. I'm not sure that I would buy one of these for home, but it's definitely nice to have in the studio as you never know when a client might want to try it out. LP is the leader in percussion for a reason as they make very well made instruments like one...