the güira () is a percussion instrument from the dominican republic used as a percussion instrument in merengue and bachata , to a lesser extent, other genres such as cumbia. it is made of a metal sheet (commonly steel, and played with a stiff brush, thus being similar to the cuban guayo (also a metal scraper) and the güiro (a gourd scraper). güira, guayo and güiro all have a function akin to that of the indigenous native maracas or the trap-kit's hi-hat, namely providing a complementary beat.