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Puerto Rican Güiro
1990s
Traditional percussion instrument
This snake-shaped gourd is known as a güiro, a Puerto Rican percussion instrument played by scraping a pick across the series of ridges on its surface. A slot in the güiro allows its internal sounds to escape, adding to the fullness of the instrument's sound. A scraper can be made of fiberglass, steel wires, and/or hardwood. Güiros are used to play folk and popular music.
Notes
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Gourd painted with white, green, gold, and black paint |
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The higüira tree is the traditional source of güiros--some contemporary güiros are made of plastic |
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