Instruments of Spanish Origin
Described here are some of the numerous instruments of Hispanic origin.
Spanish Guitar: Also known as the classical guitar, the Spanish guitar came about in Span over four centuries ago. The Spanish guitar is an acoustic instrument with six strings, and descends from an instrument known as the baroque guitar. This instrument is an instrument of Hispanic origin and has been played by many great Hispanic musicians. These musicians include Gaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Francisco Tárrega, Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream, and John Williams. The guitar is best known for its nylon strings, which allow it to be played easily with fingers. Today, the Spanish guitar continues to be one of the most popular instruments in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.
Castanets: Castanets are percussion instruments, used in Spanish and Latin American music for over 100 years. They are made up of two concaved shells joined by a string. The instrument is used by banging the shells against each other to create a rhythm. Castanets are now made of fiberglass, to create better music. Originally, castanets were used as background instruments by Hispanic dancers. Although castanets were very popular in traditional Hispanic music, they are not very popular in music today due to newer technology.
Pandura: The pandura is a very old type of stringed instrument. It originated in Spanish culture many years ago, and later became used in Greek culture. This helped to spread its popularity throughout Europe. In later years, the pandura became known as the mandolin, and was recognized as the mandolin by most people for many years. Not many people in today's society know about this instrument because it is not used often in Hispanic music anymore.
Cow Bells: Often thought of as noisemakers attached to cows, cow bells originated as instruments in the ancient Spanish culture. These instruments were discovered by Spanish farmers when they would play instruments while using the bells from their cows to make background sounds. Today, nobody would think of using cow belles as instruments, but back then they were very popular when not many other instruments were around. Cow bells would make loud melodies that would delight the ear when played with other music.
Galician Gaita: Also known as the gaita do fole, the Galician gaita is a traditional bagpipe used in Spain. it was popular in Spanish and Portuguese music. Today, the Galician gaita is popular in Hispanic pipe bands. Not much other information is known about the Galician gaita.
