Cuban musical instruments

type of drum from Cuba

Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony or grenadilla) many modern manufacturers offer claves made of fiberglass or plastic.

The güiro () is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a zipper-like ratchet sound.

The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. There are multiple ways to produce sounds with the instrument. It can be shaken or hit against the hand. The instrument can also rest in the palm of one hand while other hand holds the handle of the gourd. A twisting wrist motion is used so that the gourd moves while beads remain in place causing friction and sound different than when the instrument is simply shaken or struck. The shekere originated in Yorubaland in West Africa, which comprises t

thumb|right|Sound of timbales Timbales () are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.

musical instrument of Cuban origin

Afro-Cuban ritual drum

thumb|A rondalla with laudes included thumb|English musician Steve Howe (musician)|Steve Howe playing the instrument at a Yes show in 2013

thumb|Marimbula player The marímbula () is a plucked box musical instrument of the Caribbean. In Cuba it is common in the changüí genre, as well as old styles of son. In Mexico, where it is known as marimbol is played in son jarocho; in the Dominican Republic, where it is known as marimba, it is played in merengue típico, and in Jamaica it is known as rumba box and played in mento.

Armonico tuning.|right|thumb The armónico, also known as trilina, is a guitar-like instrument from Cuba. It is a hybrid between the Spanish guitar and the Cuban tres. The armónico has seven strings: five single strings, plus one pair of strings tuned in unison. The armónico was invented by Cuban trova musician Compay Segundo, who loved the instrument as it allowed him to exploit the possibilities of both the guitar and the tres.

Cuban traditional wind instrument