Page 1 of 3

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:13 am
by martin
hi - i just bought a guiro and need to know how to play it. I read the percussion book and it says the long stroke is composed of a down and then upwards movement. Is this always the way to play it - even at fast tempo (i find it difficult)?
I can't wait to start playing it properly! Are there any subtelties i should look out for?

thanks for your replies
martin

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:21 am
by mco
Check out the LP website under the heading "Play Like A Pro". There you can find a short Guira tutorial excerpted from Richie Gajate-Garcia's book "Play Bongos and Hand Percussion Now".

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2003 12:21 pm
by Laurent Lamy
mco wrote:Check out the LP website under the heading "Play Like A Pro". There you can find a short Guira tutorial excerpted from Richie Gajate-Garcia's book "Play Bongos and Hand Percussion Now".

:) You must listen the cuban master Gustavo Tamayo

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:43 am
by JohnnyConga
There is also the late great Chihuahua Martinez,El Rey del Guiro..... Upstroke once then 2 down for cha cha cha...At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA... ;)

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:44 am
by JohnnyConga
Or upstroke 2 then down one,also..can be played that way...JC JOHNNY CONGA.... ;)

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 8:16 am
by RayBoogie
There's no other style to play the guiro other than cha cha??

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 8:17 am
by RayBoogie
Is there's no other style to play the guiro other than cha cha??

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 9:32 pm
by tamboricua
RayBoogie wrote:Is there's no other style to play the guiro other than cha cha??

Hola Rayboogie, hope all is well! The Cuban güiro is also used in Salsa, Timba, Songo, Cumbia, Danzón, Charanga, etc. Check out the rhythm sections of Los Van Van, Orquesta Ritmo Oriental, Batacumbele, Manolito y su Trabuco, Arcaño y sus Maravillas, among others.

Hope this helps!

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on April 04 2003 at 22:33

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 2:09 am
by JohnnyConga
Of course like Tamboriqua posted, I just put down the very basic first steps of playing a guiro. There are other ways to play it of course.......At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA...

PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2003 9:02 am
by martin
thanks for the replies everyone.. I can't get my head round playing one long stroke down and then two up. I like the sound when you play the long stroke as a kind of up/down circle and then the short strokes as one down and one up. Is this method ok for fast stuff too? Do I just need to practise it more - or is it inhererently unsuitable for fast tempos?

martin

PostPosted: Mon May 19, 2003 2:39 pm
by yalla
Hi martin, you will surely not be able to play any steady pattern with one stroke down and then two up, this is uncorrect. One of the mostly used pattern is; one short and strong stroke down: hit the guiro in the middle, put some pressure on the stick, stay on the guiro, the next stroke is up, relaxed and for all the guiro length. Then two short strokes, down and up, just skim the grooves.
Also remind to use left hand too, it should move against stick movements (up when the stick is going down, and so on). May I also remind you to hold the guiro vertically.
Hope this is clear enough...

PostPosted: Mon May 19, 2003 2:41 pm
by yalla
One more thing...the two first strokes I described should be played as a single sound, lasting two eighths. :D

PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2003 9:17 am
by martin
brilliant - thanks yalla. I will practise this..
martin

PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2003 10:23 am
by yoni
Guiro can be played at fast tempos, many ways to play it, as JC said. In the Eastern Caribbean they call the guiro the "scratcher"... for calypso or soca (modern, faster calypso) it can be played 3 even back & forth strokes in some very fast tempos.

2 short upstrokes and one long downstroke is often used in cadence music and in the newer faster form of it known as zouk.

Sorry I can't describe verbally how these patterns sit in these types of music.

PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
by tamboricua
Hi Yoni, hope all is well! Do you have some examples available, so we can check them out? Do they use the Cuban güiro or the Dominican güira?

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio