Latin Musical Instruments

A precisely tuned, percussion instrument of African origin, brought to America by African slaves. The marimba consists of strips of wood of different length with resonators underneath. There is also a modern orchestral marimba.

A pair of gourd, usually oval, rattles, of South American Indian origin. Sewn out of leather, wood handles and contain the dried seeds of the fruit. The Maracas are part of the rhythm section of Latin American dance bands and have been adopted by Western rhythm bands and orchestral percussion.

Developed by Venezuelan and Cuban musicians. The indians weave it and use small stones to fill it. Can also be made of gourd, leather, wood or coconuts.

Bongo is the Cuban term for a variety of small Afro-Cuban drums, one of which is the bongo which we are familiar with. Bongos are an integral part of Latin Percussion, particularly as a solo instrument. They are mainly played sitting down, held between the knees, with a combination of finger and hand techniques. Usually made of wood with skin head.

Shekere is a a Nigerian gourd covered with a woven, beaded webbing, played by shaking the beads and striking the gourd.

The Cuica is used in the famous carnival in Brazil, the traditional friction drum. Traditionally made of gourd with natural skin head, the modern ones are made with metal bodies and tunable plastic heads. The friction stick is inside the drum, unlike other folk friction drums, and is rubbed with a small cloth as the other hand manipulates the drumhead to produce a wide range of very vocal expressive tones.

A small four-string South American guitar. An easily learnt instrument from the South Pacific islands of Portuguese origin, which were brought to the USA and Europe in the late 19th century by immigrants from Madeira.

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MusixCool© By Nadav Dafni