The güiro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡwiɾo]) is a percussion instrument made from a hollowed-out gourd with parallel notches cut into one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to create a sound similar to a zipper.

The güiro is often used in music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other parts of Latin America. It is an important part of the rhythm section in genres such as son, trova, and salsa. To play the güiro, musicians make long and short sounds by moving the stick up and down in long or short strokes.

Like maracas, the güiro is frequently 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 include 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, which is spoken by the original people of Latin America and found in the Caribbean, groups like the Taíno used the word "güiro" to describe both the fruit of the güira plant and a musical instrument made from that fruit.

Construction and design

The güiro is a notched, hollowed-out gourd. The calabash gourd is often 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 changed over time from an instrument that first appeared in South America. The Aztecs made an early version of the güiro called the omitzicahuastli, which was made from a small bone with notched edges and played in the same way as the güiro. The Taíno people of the Caribbean are given credit for creating the güiro. The Taíno of the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico made an instrument called the güajey, which was a long gourd or animal bone with notches and is an earlier version of the modern güiro. Some people also think the güiro may have come from Africa and was brought to Latin America and the Caribbean by African slaves. Blench (2009) suggests the güiro may be related to scraped idiophones found in Cameroon and other areas of West and Central Africa (see list of musical instruments of Cameroon). The Berom people of central Nigeria have a scraper or guiro-like instrument called gwák or gwàshák.

Use in music

In many places across Latin America and the Caribbean, the güiro is used in traditional music, dance performances, and religious events. On the Yucatán Peninsula, the güiro is played in two Mayan dances called mayapax and jarana. In Cuba, the güiro is part of the music genre danzón. In Puerto Rico, the güiro is often linked to the music of the jíbaro and is used in plena, seis, and danza. Along the Caribbean coast, the güiro was used in traditional cumbia music and continues to be used in modern cumbia. In Panama, the güiro appears in folk dances such as merjorana and cumbia.

The güiro is also used in classical music to add a Latin American sound and for its musical qualities. Some musical pieces that include the güiro are Uirapuru by Heitor Villa-Lobos (though the score mentions another instrument called reco-reco), Latin-American Symphonette by Morton Gould, and The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) by Stravinsky.

Gallery

• Cuban güiro
• Modern fiber glass Cuban güiro
• Puerto Rican güiro or güícharo
• Brazilian reco-reco
• Children's güiro
• Mexican güiro
• Peruvian güiro