Solo Marimba
List of Songs      ( » Listen )

Marimba: Percussion Idophone (any musical instrument which sounds are primarily produced by its own vibration, without the use of strings or membranes), It is known as "singing woods" or humorously "firewood load". The Marimba´s origin is uncertain; it gets lost in the antiquity of towns. First marimabas in America were brought from Africa by the slaves who expressed their pauperism and sadness by playing these instruments. The seccret of the sound is in a hole located at the end of each resonant box surrounded by a ring of black wax from bees. Such hole supports a small fabric strip made out of pig or other animals guts. The "bobbins or cleaning rods" are covered at their ends with crude rubber strips, hard for the acute sounds and soft for the low ones. Costa Rican marimba feaures rollers that ease transportation to the gigs. This beautiful instrument of great musicality gathers men together upon their feelings, and allows players, also known as "marimbistas", to perform all types of music, from classic, semi-classic to folk (typical. The Marimba was declared as a national instrument on August 9th, 1996 according to decree   25114-c.

"Costa Rica Pura Vida folclor de exportación" pays a tribute to this instrument with the fourteen most well known typical songs from our country with Carlos Guzmán´s musical arrangements and direction.