WINDS
Guaitil de Guanacaste is one of the towns in Costa Rica most renowned for ocarina production, and this dedication has led to innovations like this zoomorphic example, larger than most four-hole globular flutes, resulting in a deeper tone. This ocarina is crafted by Fran Campos, a fifth-generation ceramist in the Chorotega style.
Installed size: 210 Mb
43 Audio Files
390 Kontakt Sample Files
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A circular, zoomorphic ocarina with bird stylization, this instrument is an enlarged version of the Marbella-type ocarinas from the North Pacific region, dating back to 500 B.C. - 300 A.D. This particular piece, with its extended mouthpiece, features four finger holes and stands out for its unusually large size, which produces a deeper sound than typical ocarinas. It was crafted by Fran Campos in Guaitil, Guanacaste.
Installed size: 386 Mb
142 Audio Files
1262 Kontakt Sample Files
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This medium-sized shell horn produces a B note as its base tone and features a bright, resonant sound. Sourced from the Guanacaste region along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, this shell embodies the natural acoustics of the area
Installed size: 92 Mb
32 Audio Files
498 Kontakt Sample Files
9 Microphones
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This is a large shell with a deep register, producing a base note of Db. Its size allows for a broader range, offering more possibilities in terms of register and octaves. Sourced from the Caribbean Sea in the province of Limón, Costa Rica, this shell brings rich, resonant tones.
Installed size: 152 Mb
44 Audio Files
852 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This medium-sized shell horn produces a C note as its base tone and delivers a bright, vibrant sound. Sourced from the Guanacaste region on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, this shell captures the essence of the area’s natural acoustics.
Installed size: 107 Mb
30 Audio Files
447 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This medium-sized shell produces a beautiful, stable tone. Sourced from Bocas del Toro, Panama, in the Caribbean Sea, it is notably heavy. Its size allows for the possibility of playing an octave higher, adding to its versatility and rich sound.
Installed size: 113 Mb
25 Audio Files
510 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This shell produces a low-register note with a powerful, expansive sound. Its large size allows it to cover an entire octave. Sourced from the San Andrés Islands in the Caribbean Sea, this shell delivers deep, resonant tones.
Installed size: 122 Mb
26 Audio Files
528 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This shell, also resonating in the key of E, offers exceptional versatility, providing a deep and dynamic sound perfect for various musical styles and expressions.
Installed size: 129 Mb
48 Audio Files
564 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This versatile shell is tuned to the tonality of E, offering a rich and adaptable sound that can be used across a variety of musical contexts.
Installed size: 125 Mb
35 Audio Files
654 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This shell, tuned to F#, delivers a rich and resonant tone, offering a unique sound that brings depth and clarity to any musical arrangement. Its versatility makes it an ideal choice for diverse compositions.
Installed size: 125 Mb
33 Audio Files
636 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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Tuned to G#, this shell produces a vibrant and powerful tone, adding a striking resonance to your music. Its rich sound makes it a standout choice for compositions that demand depth and brightness.
Installed size: 120 Mb
34 Audio Files
609 Kontakt Sample Files
5 Microphones
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This tubular flute is similar to a ceramic ocarina with an elongated shape and features a beveled mouthpiece. Archaeological sites in Costa Rica have uncovered simple clay flutes dating back to 500 B.C., which evolved into anthropomorphic models, such as the one in this recording. It has five finger holes and one on the bottom. Despite its historical significance, it is rarely used in Costa Rican music today.
Installed size: 564 Mb
164 Audio Files
1772 Kontakt Sample Files
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The cuerno sonoro is a simple aerophone resulting from the cultural syncretism brought by the European cattle influence in rural Costa Rica. This instrument is used for signaling in open spaces, as its cavity amplifies sound over long distances. While its use has become infrequent, it is still employed for ceremonial calls.
Installed size: 115 Mb
40 Audio Files
357 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This clay aerophone, influenced by Mesoamerican traditions, is known for its disruptive, loud sound when blown forcefully. It is said to have been used to instill fear before battles and to scare children during storytelling. By covering each eye of the skull, the whistle produces a different sound, though it is not used melodically.
Installed size: 18 Mb
13 Audio Files
114 Kontakt Sample Files
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This anthropomorphic double ceramic flute is inspired by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican examples. While they are rare in contemporary Costa Rican indigenous music, photographic records show the use of wooden double flutes within the Ngobe community. With 4 finger holes on each cylinder, this aerophone is attractive for its ease of play and has been revitalized in modern sound therapy practices.
Installed size: 700 Mb
167 Audio Files
2356 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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The flauta de émbolo is a tubular wind instrument made of clay, with no finger holes. Instead, it contains a clay ball inside that prevents air from passing beyond its position in the tube. However, when the internal ball rolls and is placed at the far end, it modulates the sound, allowing for glissandos and chromatic tones that are uncommon in indigenous aerophones. Pre-Columbian flautas de émbolo were found in northern Mesoamerica, but today, reproductions are made in Costa Rica as an alternative to modern flutes that feature a mechanism to change the sound.
Installed size: 177 Mb
40 Audio Files
436 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This tubular flute, made from a type of pipe with 6 finger holes and a beveled mouthpiece, is an unusual example. It is believed to be relatively modern due to the materials used for the mouthpiece, but its maker is unknown. Despite bearing a Huetar inscription, we have not found any records of its use among the indigenous people of Costa Rica's Central Valley.
Installed size: 570 Mb
108 Audio Files
1536 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This aerophone, influenced by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican examples, shows an advancement in indigenous musical technology and is clear evidence of knowledge of polyphony. Its performance requires a larger amount of air compared to other aerophones, resulting in shorter phrases. However, it can interpret one part at a time by covering the air duct of each inflating channel.
Installed size: 801 Mb
244 Audio Files
4117 Kontakt Sample Files
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Cué^ is the generic name for the flute in Boruca. Among the native flutes of this ethnic group, there are two types identified by the thickness of the cane used, which determines the sound. One is made from a cane called Duyän, and the other, Kibi, is crafted from carrizo (a type of reed) and has a bee wax mouthpiece inserted at one end. This aerophone was used in the Baile de los Diablitos, but due to the intensity of the dance, it would often break, leading to its extinction. It was replaced by the modern plastic recorder.
Installed size: 195 Mb
22 Audio Files
292 Kontakt Sample Files
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These whistles are small ceramic objects that produce a high-pitched sound when blown. Beyond their sound function, they exhibit a variety of iconographic designs. These examples are classified as simple whistles, as they produce only a single note, and have been found in archaeological contexts in Costa Rica dating back to 800 B.C. Based on analysis of associated contexts, they are believed to have been possibly linked to religious or funerary rituals, though their use in other everyday activities is not ruled out.
Installed size: 154 Mb
31 Audio Files
323 Kontakt Sample Files
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In modern times, many indigenous instruments are difficult to acquire and are typically available only by special order. Thanks to this ability to obtain custom-made sound artifacts, experimental constructions have been developed, allowing ceramists creative freedom to produce results like this low-pitched ceramic flute with 6 finger holes—3 on each side—longer than typical clay tubular aerophones from Costa Rica.
Installed size: 210 Mb
36 Audio Files
321 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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The Cuesta de Moras Ocarina is a ceramic wind instrument distinguished by its six finger holes, offering the widest range of sound possibilities found in pre-Hispanic globular flutes. This piece was likely designed by a musician seeking to expand the musical framework of the time. The recording replica is based on the original model discovered by archaeologist María Fernández de Tinoco.
Installed size: 1.2 Gb
230 Audio Files
3930 Kontakt Sample Files
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The ocarina shaped like a macaw features an extended mouthpiece with four finger holes. It can be assumed that these ceramic flutes were used to communicate with nature, as their animal-inspired designs invite an attempt to mimic the sounds of the forest. Today, these types of instruments are used more as cultural tourism souvenirs rather than for musical purposes.
Installed size: 536 Mb
87 Audio Files
1237 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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A tubular wooden aerophone with an open notch at the upper end, considered a higher-pitched version of the quena. This family of instruments is found in Andean music and typically has six finger holes on the front, but this particular example has only three, making it a rare instrument due to its small size.
Installed size: 361 Mb
56 Audio Files
753 Kontakt Sample Files
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This bird-shaped whistle, smaller than the others, is the highest-pitched aerophone in the collection. This zoomorphic instrument, dating back to pre-Hispanic times, has two finger holes and produces notes that mimic a bird’s song. It was handcrafted by Amílkar Palacios in Nosara, Guanacaste, and is notable for its delicacy and precise sound.
Installed size: 332 Mb
84 Audio Files
1167 Kontakt Sample Files
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The *bicéfalo bird whistle* is a zoomorphic instrument inspired by an archaeological find from the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica, dating between 800 and 1550 A.D. This whistle is unique because it can generate two notes simultaneously, creating binaural beats, but it can also be played one note at a time. Each air channel produces a slightly different tone, offering a rich sonic diversity that evokes the multiplicity of sounds in nature.
Installed size: 426 Mb
111 Audio Files
1475 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This clay aerophone, influenced by Mesoamerican traditions, is known for its loud and disturbing sound when blown forcefully. It is said to have been used to instill fear before battles or to scare children during storytelling. The whistle, shaped like a skull, produces a different sound depending on which "eye" of the skull is covered. However, it is not used for melodic purposes but rather for its intimidating and dramatic effect.
Installed size: 54 Mb
26 Audio Files
198 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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$5.90
Since pre-Hispanic times, it has been common to create instruments from natural materials, such as this ceramic whistle with a beveled edge. It features two finger holes and produces a vibrato with a low tone relative to its size. This simple yet effective design highlights the traditional craftsmanship and acoustics of indigenous cultures.
Installed size: 95 Mb
32 Audio Files
256 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This zoomorphic rattle is an idiophone of indirect strike, typically shaken to produce sound through movement. Made from ceramic, it features a handle attached to the top and a compartment containing small percussive elements such as seeds, pebbles, or ceramic beads. While jícara-made maracas are still common in current indigenous communities, this type of clay instrument has fallen into disuse.
Installed size: 247 Mb
44 Audio Files
507 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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A wind instrument resembling a conch shell made of clay, with a single mouthpiece hole allowing the flow of air and another smaller hole for fingering. This example is a replica of an ancestral piece, likely created away from coastal areas.
Installed size: 30 Mb
85 Audio Files
715 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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$7.90
The Maya trumpet is made of agave and is an ancient Mesoamerican instrument present in Mexican heritage. This aerophone amplifies the sounds of the voice and produces sound by vibrating the lips. The vegetal tube is uncommon in Costa Rican culture, but it has become more present due to the growing popularity of the didgeridoo. Experienced musicians play it using the circular breathing technique.
Installed size: 307 Mb
10 Audio Files
254 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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This zoomorphic globular clay flute with four finger holes is a representation of the musical framework commonly found in Mesoamerican tradition, with examples present in Costa Rica dating back to around 2000 BC to the present. This particular piece was made in San Vicente, Guanacaste.
Installed size: 1.1 Gb
175 Audio Files
2814 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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An ancestral idiophone, the vara rajada is a split branch, played by striking it rhythmically between the thumb and the palm. Originating from the Native American tribes of California, its name comes from the Mutsun dialect, but the example in this recording was made in Costa Rica from a balsa branch by Daniel Mora.
Installed size: 150 Mb
37 Audio Files
400 Kontakt Sample Files
8 Microphones
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