M-Audio Wizoo Latigo [28/34] Maracas

3 English

Guiro

The Guiro is a scraper traditionally made from a dried hollowed out calabash

gourd with parallel notches cut into one side. The stem end is removed to

allow the sound to escape and two holes are usually drilled into one side

to be used as a grip for the thumb and index ﬁnger. Rubbing a wooden

stick along the notched ribs of the Guiro produces the distinctive scraping

‘zipper’ sound. Guiro’s come in many shapes, sizes and materials including

the metallic Guira used in the Dominican Republic to play merengues, or the

Venezuelan Charrasca.

Maracas

A pair of rattles traditionally made from calabash gourds attached to wooden

handles with the dry seeds still loose inside, the Maracas of today can be

made from lathe-turned wood, coconuts, wood, pottery, plastic or leather

and can be ﬁlled with dried seeds, pebbles, beads or dried beans. One

Maraca is often pitched higher than the other (usually by altering the amount

of ﬁll) and are shaken alternatively, because the seeds must travel some

distance before they strike the gourd, the player cannot shake them on the

beat, but must anticipate. Plastic shelled maracas tend to have a brighter,

cutting sound, the more popular stitched leather models (resembling large

baseballs) have a deeper, softer sound.

Pandeiros

Pandeiros are Brazilian frame drum tambourines, larger than western

tambourines, they have a tunable skin and large jingles (which are inverted

towards each other) and are made of soft metals producing a more subdued

tone than a usual tambourine. Similar to the Bongos, the Pandeiro playing

technique uses the hand’s palm, ﬁngertips and thumb.

Quinta

See ‘Congas’ above.

Reco Reco

The Reco Reco is a Brazilian rasp or scratcher, similar to the Guiro and is

played by rubbing a metal bar across a pair of springs. Reco Reco’s can also

be made from a variety of other materials such as metal, bamboo or gourds.

The Reco Reco takes the offbeat, countering the Ganza.