Merengue!!!

February 6, 2013

I bought a Guira today...in the DR it's basically just a steel can with a handle, the surface of which is covered in little bumps... you use what looks like an Afro Pick to scrape the side-  it is one of the key ingredients in Merengue music.  This thing is literally the loudest instrument i've ever heard-  (I always thought a high-hat and a tambourine held that esteemed title.)

We learned this incredible hip Merengue groove from some music students at a University in Santo Dominigo...after 20 embarassing minutes... Drew Mclean and I finally settled into this groove,  and luckily someone caught it on video right at that moment!