Guacharaca

The Guacharaca is a musical percussion instrument. It is one of the three main instruments in the Colombian Vallenato. The musicians describe themselves as Guacharaquero.

Construction and playing style

The instrument consists of a pipe rod and a Reibgabel. Along the tubular member, there are several small grooves that are milled there. Playing the Guacharaquero rubs the fork along the surface over the bar. This produces the characteristic sharp sound. A typical Guacharaca is about the size of a violin and is about the thickness of a broomstick.

History

The Guacharaca was invented by the Indians of the Tairona in the Colombian Sierra Nevada mountain region of Santa Marta. The Indians pursued the goal is to simulate the instrument the song of a particular bird species, namely the Rotschwanzguan ( Ortalis ruficauda, in Colombia as " Guacharaca " called ). In the twentieth century began Vallenato musician to use the instrument for their music. To this day, Guacharacas particularly associated with Vallenato, and they serve as the rhythmic backbone for all variations of this style of music.