Guacharaca is a

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

usually made out of the cane-like trunk of a small palm tree. The guacharaca itself consists of a tube with ridges carved into its outer surface with part of its interior hollowed out, giving it the appearance of a tiny, notched canoe. It is played with a fork composed of hard wire fixed into a wooden handle. The ''guacharaquero'' (guacharaca player) scrapes the fork along the instrument's surface to create its characteristic scratching sound. A typical guacharaca is about as thick as a broomstick and as long as a

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

. The guacharaca was invented by native American Indians from the

Tairona Tairona (or Tayrona) was a Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, which consisted in a group of chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar, Magdalena and La Guajira Departments of Colombia, South America, which g ...

culture in the region of la

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

, Colombia as an instrument to simulate the guacharaca (or

Ortalis ruficauda The rufous-vented chachalaca (''Ortalis ruficauda'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called ...

) bird's singing. During the mid 20th century it was adopted by

vallenato Vallenato () or "Szlager" in Wayuu language (from the German "Schlager"), is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing t ...

and

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

musicians and today it is most often associated with these musical styles. Guacharacas provide a steady rhythmic backbone for all varieties of

and

. It's not easy to play the Guacharaca. You have to have rhythm, speed and coordination. To hold the instrument you have to hold it on your non-dominant hand and you have to make it rest on your shoulder. With your other hand you have to move the wire fork up and down to create a pattern. Then, depending on the music you are playing the movement will change which will make it a bit harder or a bit easier giving it more significance. The Guacharaca is an Indigenous instrument. It was invented to simulate the singing of the Guacaracha (Bird), and it's used to play vallenato and cumbia. It's from Colombia, Santa Marta.

External links

Larkinthemorning.com

External links

Further reading