Fiberglass and wooden guiros are made by many percussion makers to be more durable when playing guiro instrument, while maintaining a smooth sound that’s closer to the original. While not as popular with traditional Latin percussionists, they are used in many Western popular and orchestral music pieces. The scraped idiophone is a common type of percussion instrument found all over the world, likely developed around the same time as other gourd-based percussion instruments. These were native to many indigenous cultures as part of folk and ceremonial performances. The guiro is believed to have originated in Puerto Rico with the Taíno people, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean in the 16th century and beyond. The earliest recorded reference to the instrument was in 1788, by a monk and Puerto Rico historian called Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra. He described it as an instrument to accompany dancers along with maracas and tambourines. These guiros are most commonly found in school KS3 music classes, in fact this is the first one that I ever played and it was in school. They are perfectly suited for smaller hands, and the medium sized instrument is best suited for a beginner. Reviewers said that the instrument had a pleasing sound that was groovy and delivered a great tone. 7. Kids Guiro

The shape of the Guiro can affect the sound it produces, with longer Guiros producing lower-pitched sounds. Guiros add a distinctive sound to any music genre, from Latin to pop, and are preferred in different regions of the world. The history of the guiro

Clarke, Edwin; Jacyna, L. S., Nineteenth-Century Origins of Neuroscientific Concepts, University of California Press, 1992 ISBN 0520078799. Sue Steward (1 October 1999). Musica!: The Rhythm of Latin America - Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, and More. Chronicle Books. pp.6–. ISBN 978-0-8118-2566-5 . Retrieved 16 April 2013. The vossa-satl utilizes live frogs, which are stored within the instrument and sprayed with a frog-musk to induce chirping and croaking, with the musician pushing on the valves to muffle or leave open certain chambers. Each chamber is a different size and produces a different tone. There are all kinds of vossa-satls, with some as small as a jaw harp and others as big as a pipe organ. Its sound is described as "bizarre but harmonious." [2] The first step in playing the guiro is knowing how to hold the instrument properly. If you have one with two holes, you can hold it in two different ways:

Fun Fact: Different Latin countries refer to the scrapped idiophone differently. While Puerto Rico calls it guiro, Brasil name it reco-reco, quijada in Afro-Peruvian, guacharaca in Columbia and the Dominican Republic has guira. What Material Is the Guiro Made Of? The guiro is a scrapper idiophone musical instrumentcommon in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. Guiro is a popular percussion instrument in dance music, including salsa. It takes much patience to keep a vossa-satl in tune. Especially if the frogs are in mating season. Please excuse me." ― Chelni [src] Fun Fact:Different notches sizes and textured surfaces make distinct characteristic sounds of the instrument. It is also not unusual to find a guiro shaped like a frog. The vossa-satl, also known as the frog-pipes, [1] are a musical instrument of Argonian make found predominately in Murkmire. It resembles a polished wooden clam shell with a series of valves along the top; within each segment of the shell is a small, hollow compartment with a mouth like a bugle.The percussive instrument goes by many other names such as Güira, rascador, güícharo, candungo, carracho, rayo What are they usually made from? Bird, Golding, Chapter XX, "Physiological electricity, or galvanism", Elements of Natural Philosophy, London: John Churchill, 1848 OCLC 931247166. An alternative version of the story of the frog response at a distance has the frogs being prepared for a soup on the same table as a running electric machine. Galvani's wife notices the frog twitch when an assistant accidentally touches a nerve and reports the phenomenon to her husband. [9] This story originates with Jean-Louis Alibert and, according to Piccolino and Bresadola, was probably invented by him. [10]

The güiro was adapted from an instrument which might have originated in either South America or Africa. [1] 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. [6] The Taíno people of the Caribbean have been credited with the origins of the güiro. [7] The Taínos of Puerto Rico developed the güajey, a long gourd or animal bone with notches, an antecedent of the modern day güiro. [8] The güiro is a notched, hollowed-out gourd. [3] Often, the calabash gourd is used. [4] 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. [5] History [ edit ]Many notable musicians also use it to produce classical orchestras, Bomba, reggae, and plena music. How to Play Guiro Instrument