güiro

The güiro () is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound.

The güiro is commonly used in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other forms of Latin American music, and plays a key role in the typical rhythm section of important genres like son, trova and salsa. Playing the güiro usually requires both long and short sounds, made by scraping up and down in long or short strokes.

The güiro, like the maracas, is often played by a singer. It is closely related to the Cuban guayo, Dominican güira, and Haitian graj which are made of metal. Other instruments similar to the güiro are the Colombian guacharaca, the Brazilian reco-reco, the Cabo Verdean ferrinho, the quijada (cow jawbone) and the frottoir (French) or fwotwa (French Creole) ( washboard).

Etymology

In the Arawakan language, a language of the indigenous people of Latin America and spread throughout the Caribbean spoken by groups such as the Taíno, güiro referred to fruit of the güira and an instrument made from fruit of the güira.

Construction and design

The güiro is a notched, hollowed-out gourd. Often, the calabash gourd is used. The güiro is made by carving parallel circular stripes along the shorter section of the elongated gourd. Today, many güiros are made of wood or fiberglass.

History

The güiro was adapted from an instrument which originated in South America. The Aztecs produced an early cousin to the güiro, called the ''omitzicahuastli'', which was created from a small bone with serrated notches and was played in the same manner as the güiro. The Taíno people of the Caribbean have been credited with the origins of the güiro. The Taínos of Cuba and Puerto Rico developed the ''güajey'', a long gourd or animal bone with notches, an antecedent of the modern day güiro.

Use in music

Across Latin America, the Caribbean, and David Bowie's song "''The Man Who Sold the World''" , the güiro can be found in a variety of traditional, folk dance music and used in dance ensembles and religious festivals. In the Yucatán Peninsula, the güiro is used in two Mayan dances, the mayapax and the jarana. In Cuba, the güiro is used in the genre danzón. In Puerto Rico, the güiro often associated with the music of the jíbaro and is used in the musical genres of the plena, the seis, and the danza. In the Caribbean coast, the güiro was used in traditional, folk dance cumbia music and is still used in modern cumbia music. In Panama, the güiro can be found in folk dances such as the merjorana and cumbia.

Use in classical music

The güiro is used in classical music both to add Latin American flavor, and also purely for its instrumental qualities.

Examples of compositions including a güiro are '' Uirapuru'' by Heitor Villa-Lobos (though the score specifies reco-reco), ''Latin-American Symphonette'' by Morton Gould and ''The Rite of Spring'' ''( Le Sacre du printemps'') by Stravinsky.Karl Peinkofer and Fritz Tannigel, Handbook of Percussion Instruments (Mainz, Germany: Schott, 1976), 154.

Gallery

File:Guiro cubano.jpg, Cuban güiro
File:Modern fibreglass guiro.jpeg, Modern fibreglass Cuban güiro
File:Guiro.jpg, Puerto Rican güiro or güícharo
File:Brazilian güiro, or "reco-reco".jpg, Brazilian reco-reco
File:Guiro Latin percussion.jpg, Güiro for children
File:Guiro9.png, Mexican güiro
File:GüiroMDMB.jpg, Peruvian güiro

See also

* Guacharaca
* Guayo
* Güira
* Music of Latin America
* Reco-reco
* Scratcher (instrument)
*' Under the Boardwalk', an American rock and roll song by The Drifters with a prominent güiro
*' Gimme Shelter', a song by The Rolling Stones

References

External links

Picture and description of a güiro made by the Taínos


Video demonstrating how to play the güiro
by Bobby Sanabria affiliated with Jazz at Lincoln Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guiro
Central American and Caribbean percussion instruments
Scraped idiophones
Gourd musical instruments
Orchestral percussion instruments
Unpitched percussion instruments
Cuban musical instruments
Panamanian musical instruments
Concert band instruments