Typical güiro technique consists of short and long sound. This effect is obtained by varying the duration and lenght of the stroke.

For long sound right hand strokes with a brief downward motion the bottom of the güiro and immediately after scrapes upward the whole surface. Short sounds are short strokes played near the top with an up and down motion.

For faster tempos help your right hand by using left hand with an opposite movement (one hand moves down and the other moves up).

The güiro is commonly used in Puerto Rican and other Latin-American music, and plays a key role in the typical rhythm section of important genres like cumbia and son. 

The güiro, like the maracas, is often played by a singer. Another type of güiro, commonly found in Brazil, is the reco-reco, is made of a cylindrical metal box that encases two or three steel springs. These are stretched over a lid, against which a metal stick is rubbed.