The güiro (gwee–roh, with a slightly rolled r) is a Latin American percussion instrument played by dragging a stick across a notched piece of wood to generate a rattling or croaking sound. The suffix “–phone” implies some sort of sound projection or amplification. We combined a notched piece of wood with a gourd to reflect sound, and the Güirophone was born.

The Güirophone also differs from a typical güiro in that its sound can be modulated somewhat by squeezing the lashing that attaches the tone bar to the top of the shell. 

Another feature is selectable fluting on the bar. One side of the bar has closely spaced flutes for a croaking sound, and the other side has wider spaces and deeper cut flutes for more of a clacking sound. Simply rotate the tone bar to change sides. With practice, you can change it on the fly to get two different güiro sounds in the same musical performance