Make Music the Latino Way With These Guiro Percussion Instruments

By Olive Marie Apr 22 2020, 15:17 PM EDT

If you're into Latin music, you certainly are familiar with the guiro instrument. It is a long, deep gourd that has ridges, producing sound when the stick that comes with it, also known as "pua" is scraped along its sides.

Specifically, guiro is categorized as a percussion idiophone since the whole instrument is vibrating to produce sound. A staple of the global dance rhythms and famous in Latin American music, this musical instrument has existed for centuries already and continues to gain popularity in the industry.

Interesting, isn't it? Indeed, a guiro is played by holding the guard using the left palm with the thumb "held in a soundhole" at the back of the instrument. Some guiros are featuring two sound holes.

The holes are meant to be held with the finger and thumb. They help the player keep the instrument steady in a place as he plays complex or fast rhythms.

If you don't know how to play the instrument, but you are undoubtedly interested, it's okay. Guiros are not that difficult to learn to play. And if you don't have one yet, worry no more. Amazon has a vast range of these percussion instruments.

3 of Amazon's Bestselling Guiros

To help you decide which among the numerous guiros is the best for your instrument-playing needs, below three of Amazon's bestsellers. What makes them even more special is that they are not that pricey at all.

Latin Percussion Super Guiro with 2 Scrapers

Designed to take away the durability issues, the LP Super Guiro is guaranteed to keep you company for years without worrying about the quality. It is molded with precision from excellent-strength plastic and formed to have the sound quality, shape, and feel of what Amazon describes as "the natural gourd version."

Features of this bestselling guiro are quite impressive. First, its grooves have perfect spaces in-between, for consistent sound. Then, the rubber-lined holes for the fingers offer maximum control and comfort.

Latin Percussion Merengue Guiro

The Latin Percussion Merengue Guiro is considered as among the "driving rhythmic powers a merengue band has." It is made from heavy-duty stainless steel with a large size. And since this guiro is an impressively big instrument, it features an open-ended, hollow design with a firmly-textured surface that produces a rasping sound that has bright overtones.

What makes the Latin Percussion Merengue Guiro special and unique is that its sound is considerably coarser and louder compared to other large guiros. For more comfort and convenience while playing the instrument, there is a metal handle attached to it.

D'Luca Professional Large Stainless-Steel Guiro

This yet another Amazon bestseller features a smooth, stainless steel body that has an open-ended and hollow design for the typical hoarse guiro-style sound with lively overtones. Large-sized, this guiro is designed to produce massive sounds.

Each unit comes with a fork-designed Scraper. And, like the other high-quality guiros here on Amazon, this one has a metal handle too, to make it easier for the player to hold in any position while playing.

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