Several ways to play this one: as a shaker hold in one or both hands and rock back and forth; as a scraper take the stick in one hand, the huiro in the other and run the stick up and down the ridges on the huiro; as a wood block take the stick in one hand, the huiro in the other and hit the stick against the huiro. Once you've got the hang of making these different sounds, try combining them in different ways. It's a very versatile instrument.

The güiro or huiro is a Puerto Rican percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a wooden stick ("pua") along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role in the typical cumbia rhythm section. The güiro is also known as calabazo, guayo, ralladera, or rascador. In Brazil it is commonly known as "reco-reco". Our huiro shakers are closed at both ends and have plastic beads inside, allowing them to produce both a shaker and scraper sound.