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Ok Guys .
I have heard this word used in most types of Rumba various gpoupos. Gweedo or weedo . I asked my cuban friend what this word means . is it a Yoruba / lucumi word . or just a slang word for nothing really at all ? can anyone confirm .

I may have spelt this word wrongly appologies in advance .

This is just one of the many thing Id like to know as part of my learning and understanding .

Gracias /thanks

marco

Guiro

Name of the shaker, And a Bembe rhythm where drums are replaced with shakers. Also, the the gourd, bamboo, or metal cylinder with ridges that are scraped with sticks or comb... Isn't that also a Guiro?

yes guiro, "estan sonando los guiros" , guiro is another word for shekere, and the actual gourds used in a bembe, in the place of bata...a typical guiro ensemble is comprised of the apkon (singer), guataca (hoe blade), and three shekeres varying in size, and usually one tumbador playing distinct phrases/soloing

ralph wrote:usually one tumbador playing distinct phrases/soloing

Instructional clip of the Tumba part for Guiro "Agbe" I learned from Chris Walker:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ok6IxiSfp4A

What about when it's shouted out during a rumba song? I've heard this in MANY rumba songs, "guiroooooooooooooooo!" I was told that it's to signal all the rumberos of a change in the song. Anybody have any information about this?

I think the most common spelling is "guiro". I always thought this was spanish for "gourd", but I'm too lazy to look it up.

I'm betting that the various spellings that people use are because people don't know the "correct" way to spell it.
I also am betting that the G is almost silient, while the R is rolled slightly, which might explain why some folks spell it "weedo". Almost certainly "guiro" will be more corrext than "weedo", but it helps to type all spelling variations into the eBay search engine if you are shpping for guiro's.

What about when it's shouted out during a rumba song? I've heard this in MANY rumba songs, "guiroooooooooooooooo!" I was told that it's to signal all the rumberos of a change in the song. Anybody have any information about this?

This is generally true, but the word in this context seems to have many functions. One definition that I think was left out earlier is that "guiro" (I think usually spelled with an umlaut (two dots) over the "u" but I can't figure out how to do it now) can refer to an actual "toque de guiro" event itself. But when used in rumbas I don't think anyone has a literal meaning in mind.

Like most things in cuban music, it defies a clear definition, but a couple of uses i can think of offhand:

Used by the lead singer to signal the end of the diana "bele bele bele baa...guiro, guiro, guiro!" and the beginning of the "song" or the décima, or even more diana, for that matter. Used in much the same way as "Vamos a ver..." or even simply, "Oye..!"

Used by anyone in the rumba to express pleasure at the way something has just been sung or played, or maybe even just for the hell of it. Also sometimes in a similar way you'll hear a short whistle or just a "Si!" or "Como?" (Sometimes i hear something that to me sounds like "gomi" or "comi" but I haven't quite figured that one out.)

I've also heard sung in the inspriations "Si yo me muero mañana, que yo me muero cantando guiro" ("If I die tomorrow I want to die singing guiro"), and maybe even "el guiro ya sé formó" (the guiro has gotten started), so it's conceivable that it is also used as a synonym for rumba.

saludos

Hi Guys ,
I am fully aware of the different names for Shekere / Guiro. Guira .
Ill try to explain . over the past year I have emersed myself into untill 1 year ago music i had never heard Rumba Cubana.
I have amased a large collection of various artists Los Munequitos , and most other well known Rumberos .
I am learning fast ,but from time to time i feel the need to ask what must seem to some of you guys ass questions.

Anyways the reason I spelt Gweedo or Weedo is because that exaxtly how is sounds to my untrained Anglo Saxon ears.
Light seeker seems closest to what i describe . but If your saying that its called during rumba tochange direction of music or to adda break of some kind . well this kind of explains what i am earing .

Thanks guys

Marco

but If your saying that its called during rumba to change direction of music or to add a break of some kind . well this kind of explains what i am earing .

Rarely if ever does it signal any change in the instrumental parts. If it indicates any change it means an arrival at a new section of the "song," meaning the sung part.

saludos
barry

Hey Guys, but is the word he is hearing actually the same word as Guiro? It sounds like weedo to me, also one of my favorite expressions in rumba. Its the first word after the opening, in a couple of my favorite columbia's. For it to be Guiro, does make sense to me.

To my ears its weedo . But I understand pronunciation of words differs , If you heard my native tounge and my dialect of english you would be confused

marco

Somebody here already pretty much said this, but here it is again. In Spanish, the "g" of a "gu" is often not pronounced, which is why it is heard as an English "w". Also, a Spanish "r" and an English soft "d" are both pronounced the same way, by employing what a linguist would call a "flap" (as in, a flap of the tongue). This should explain why an English-speaking native would hear "guiro" as "weedo".