Instruments used by Madera Limpia:


Bongo: a set of two small drums attached by a thick piece of wood, played while held between the knees. The bongos were developed in Cuba's Oriente province.

Batá: a set of three hourglass shaped drums from Cuba. They are used in Santería ritual drumming. The smallest drum is the okókolo. The medium drum is the itótele. The largest batá drum is the iyá.

Cajón: Peruvian and Cuban box drum, made from a wooden hollowed box, widely used in Cuban rumba, Afro-Peruvian music and modern flamenco. They come in varying sizes with open bottoms. The instrument is usually played with the hands and with player sitting on the cajón, executing strokes on the sides and rocking the cajón up and down to change the sounds.

Claves: Two round, polished sticks which are struck one against the other. Used in Cuban music.

Chékere: A beaded gourd instrument of African origin used in Cuban music

Güiro: scraper of the Spanish Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico)it is a long, fretted gourd rubbed with a stick.

Guayo: a serrated gourd from the Dominican Republic, which is scraped with a stick. It can also be made out of metal, which is scraped with a metal fork.

Marimbula: a large thumb piano-type box of Bantú (Congolese) origin, used to provide the bass sound in Cuban some old forms of Cuban music

Maracas: a pair of rattles filled with dried seeds or pebbles, used to provide rhythmic counterpoint

Trés: a three stringed guitar (or 3 double courses of strings) guitar from the Spanish Caribbean. Popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico, derived from the Spanish guitar.

Changüí: an early form of Cuban music, featuring an instrumentation which includes the tres, bongos, güiro, maracas, and the marímbula.

Son cubano: one of the most important Cuban music styles. It is the result of combining Spanish and African influences. Cuba son originated in the province of Oriente and was played by small bands, using guitar or tres, maracas, güiro, claves, bongo, a marímbula and a botija.