Musical Instruments from South America

A vessel flute that has 4 to 12 holes
It is played by blowing into the mouthpiece

​

Ocarina

Also known as an Andean pan flute
Has two rows of bamboo or reed tubes that are blown into

​

Zampoña

Rattles that are often used in Carribean and Latin music

​

Maracas

Air is blown through the nose and the sound is changed by how the mouth is positioned

​

Nose Whistle

A percussion instrument played by turning the gears with the handle

​

Rachet

Has a wooden stick fastened at one end inside the drum that is rubbed against the drumhead

​

Cuica

An open-ended hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side​

Guiro

A hollow tube that sounds like rain when shaken

Rainstick

Tall hand drums from the Congo

​

Congas

A drum made from wood and a stretched animal skin

​

Bombo

A pair of small, open-bottomed, hand drums

​

Bongo

Cowbells often used in Latin-American and Afro-Cuban music

​

Cencerros

Two wooden sticks that are struck against each other

​

Claves

The traditional flute of the Andes mountains

​

Quena

A box-shaped percussion instrument with a hole in the back for sound to come out of

​

Cajón

A wooden cylinder wrapped with steel-ball chains which produces a rattling sound

​

Cabasa

Two or more bells of various sizes usually mounted together on a stand

​

Agogo Bells

A traditional Brazilian percussion instrument used in samba music

​

Rocar

A cylindrically-shaped instrument filled with beads or metal to make sounds when shaken

​

Ganza

A small Brazilian frame drum, played with a stick

​

Tamborim

A small Brazilian frame drum with metal on the sides, played by hand

​

Pandeiro

A stringed instrument from Spain that looks like a guitar but is tuned like a lute

​

Vihuela

A small stringed Andean instrument in the lute family

​

Charango