How the reco-reco makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the reco-reco belongs to the shaken and scraped idiophones: the body is shaken, scraped or split – rattles, maracas and guiros.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The reco-reco (also called the raspador, caracaxá or querequexé) is a scraper of African origin used as a percussion instrument in Brazilian music, but also in many Latin American countries, where it is known as güiro, güira, guayo and guacharaca.
Traditionally, the reco-reco was made from a sawtooth notched cylindrical body made of bamboo or wood, and played with a wooden stick. The instrument is used in many styles of Brazilian music, such as samba and related genres.
Other shaken and scraped idiophones
Tambourine
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Maraca
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Music box
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Sistrum
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Angklung
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Jingle bell
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Ratchet
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Güiro
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a reco-reco sound like?
As one of the shaken and scraped idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is shaken, scraped or split.
What type of instrument is the reco-reco?
It is classified as shaken and scraped idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 112.22).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q427782 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Reco-reco – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Alno – CC BY-SA 3.0