The güiro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡwiɾo]) is a percussion instrument made from a hollow gourd with an open end. One side of the gourd has parallel notches cut into it. To play the instrument, a stick or tines are rubbed along the notches, creating a sound similar to a zipper.

The güiro is often used in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other Latin American music styles. It is an important part of the rhythm section in genres such as son, trova, and salsa. When playing the güiro, musicians make both long and short sounds by moving the stick up and down in long or short strokes.

Like maracas, the güiro is frequently played by singers. It is closely related to the Cuban guayo, Dominican güira, and Haitian graj, which are made of metal. Instruments similar to the güiro include the Colombian guacharaca, Brazilian reco-reco, Cabo Verdean ferrinho, quijada (cow jawbone), and the frottoir (French) or fwotwa (French Creole) (washboard).

Etymology

In the Arawakan language, spoken by native people in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as the Taíno, the word "güiro" means the fruit of the güira plant and an instrument made from that fruit.

Construction and design

The güiro is a gourd that has notches and is hollowed out. Usually, a type of gourd called a calabash is used. To make the güiro, people carve parallel, round stripes on the shorter part of the long, narrow gourd. Now, many güiros are made from wood or fiberglass.

History

The güiro was created based on an instrument from South America. The Aztecs made an earlier version of the güiro called the omitzicahuastli. This instrument was made from a small bone with sharp teeth and was played the same way as the güiro. The Taíno people of the Caribbean are believed to have started the tradition of the güiro. In the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, the Taíno people made an instrument called the güajey. This was a long gourd or animal bone with notches and is considered an earlier version of the modern güiro. Some sources also suggest the güiro may have come from Africa. It is thought that African slaves brought similar instruments to Latin America and the Caribbean. Blench (2009) notes a possible connection between the güiro and scraped idiophones found in Cameroon and other parts of West and Central Africa (see list of musical instruments of Cameroon). The Berom people of central Nigeria also have a scraper or guiro-like instrument called gwák or gwàshák.

Use in music

The güiro is used in many places across Latin America and the Caribbean. It appears in traditional folk music, 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 is often linked to the music of the jíbaro and is used in the musical genres of the plena, the seis, and the danza. Along 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.

The güiro is used in classical music to add a Latin American sound and also for its musical qualities. Examples of compositions that include a güiro are Uirapuru by Heitor Villa-Lobos (the score mentions a similar 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 fiberglass Cuban güiro
• Puerto Rican güiro or güícharo
• Brazilian reco-reco
• Güiro for children
• Mexican güiro
• Peruvian güiro