Originating from an instrument called afuche (and often synonymous with it), a cabasa is a percussion instrument that is constructed with loops of steel ball chain wrapped around a wide cylinder. The cylinder is fixed to a long, narrow wooden or plastic handle.

It was originally of African origin, and constructed from dried oval- or pear-shaped gourds with beads strung on the outer surface. Modern manufacturers have built a more durable cabasa that they call an afuche-cabasa (pictured here). It provides a metallic, rattling sound similar to the sound of a rattlesnake. It is often used in Latin style jazz, especially in bossa nova pieces.