Track 4 from Saydisc "Percussion Around the World" - notes from Maureen Hanke.
'Ubiquity' is a piece of South American music featuring congas, bongos and guiro. South America is known for its carnivals and dancing, both of which have been captured in this composition by Joji Hirota.
The guiro or scraper is often shaped like a fish in a school instrument collection. In South America it is made from the gourd of climbing plants.
Raised marks or frets are added which produce a distinctive sound when rubbed. Congas are also played with the hands and produce lower pitched sounds.
The music blends the sounds of congas, bongos and a guiro as they invent rhythm patterns around a steady beat. Every so often all the instruments unite to play the same rhythm pattern. It can be first heard at 1'03". There is a short silence and the piece continues.
The bongos are a pair of small single headed drums with wooden shells. The drums are joined horizontally and are of different sizes. In general they are played with bare hands.
Congas, by contrast, have a long tapered shell up to about 90cm deep. The heads are thick vellum nailed to the shell. Congas are also played with the hands and produce lower pitched sounds.
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