how do you play guiro

Use this forum to discuss about all the other percussions and/or to suggest a new specified forum to add

Postby martin » Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:13 am

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
User avatar
martin
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed May 30, 2001 1:45 pm

Postby mco » Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:21 am

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".
mco
 
Posts: 123
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 1:06 am
Location: NJ

Postby Laurent Lamy » Thu Apr 03, 2003 12:21 pm

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
User avatar
Laurent Lamy
 
Posts: 363
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2001 4:59 pm
Location: France

Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:43 am

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... ;)
User avatar
JohnnyConga
 
Posts: 3825
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2001 7:58 pm
Location: Ft. Lauderdale,Fl/Miami

Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:44 am

Or upstroke 2 then down one,also..can be played that way...JC JOHNNY CONGA.... ;)
User avatar
JohnnyConga
 
Posts: 3825
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2001 7:58 pm
Location: Ft. Lauderdale,Fl/Miami

Postby RayBoogie » Fri Apr 04, 2003 8:16 am

There's no other style to play the guiro other than cha cha??
User avatar
RayBoogie
 
Posts: 221
Joined: Fri May 24, 2002 9:18 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Postby RayBoogie » Fri Apr 04, 2003 8:17 am

Is there's no other style to play the guiro other than cha cha??
User avatar
RayBoogie
 
Posts: 221
Joined: Fri May 24, 2002 9:18 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Postby tamboricua » Fri Apr 04, 2003 9:32 pm

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
User avatar
tamboricua
 
Posts: 981
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2001 2:45 pm
Location: USA

Postby JohnnyConga » Sun Apr 06, 2003 2:09 am

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...
User avatar
JohnnyConga
 
Posts: 3825
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2001 7:58 pm
Location: Ft. Lauderdale,Fl/Miami

Postby martin » Wed Apr 23, 2003 9:02 am

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
User avatar
martin
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed May 30, 2001 1:45 pm

Postby yalla » Mon May 19, 2003 2:39 pm

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...
nadie se salva de la rumba
User avatar
yalla
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon May 19, 2003 2:24 pm
Location: Verona, Italy

Postby yalla » Mon May 19, 2003 2:41 pm

One more thing...the two first strokes I described should be played as a single sound, lasting two eighths. :D
nadie se salva de la rumba
User avatar
yalla
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon May 19, 2003 2:24 pm
Location: Verona, Italy

Postby martin » Wed May 21, 2003 9:17 am

brilliant - thanks yalla. I will practise this..
martin
User avatar
martin
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed May 30, 2001 1:45 pm

Postby yoni » Wed May 21, 2003 10:23 am

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.
yoni
 
Posts: 538
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2003 12:52 pm
Location: Israel

Postby tamboricua » Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm

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
User avatar
tamboricua
 
Posts: 981
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2001 2:45 pm
Location: USA

Next

Return to Other instruments

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests


cron