![]() The charango comes in different sizes, shapes, pitch, type of strings, and tuning. The ukulele also sounds distinctively different. The Hawaiian ukulele features four strings, and its origin is traced back to Portuguese immigrants who settled in the islands in the 19th century. However, this isn’t accurate, despite the size of both instruments being similar. Sometimes, the charango is also referred to by some as the Andean ukulele. The difference, however, is in how its strung, tuned and played. The five pairs of strings are similar to the number of strings on a mandolin, an instrument found in North America. The standard charango has five double strings. When playing as a picking or plucking instrument, it has a stunning harp-like quality. On the other hand, when a charango is played solo or as a melody tune, the technique used to play the instrument is the plucking of melody lines through double harmony notes.Īlso, when playing solo, a charanguista may use the method of plucking melody lines through intricate arpeggio patterns. When the charango is accompanying an instrument, it is often played in a strong and rhythmic manner. The musical and cultural context determines how a charango is played as well as the person playing it. ![]() The charango is very versatile allowing it to be used to interpret all genres of music from yaravi (an ancient traditional genre of Andean music normally quite sad) to carnival music as well as “wasichaky,” a traditional roof-raising dance. When accompanying a guitar, the charango adds a vital sonority to Andrean folk ensembles. It can be played as a solo instrument, or it can accompany a guitar. Some people play the charango using a pick while some play using their fingers. The strings are made from both metal-wound and nylon (sometimes a combination of nylon and tradition gut strings, Nylgut).ĭissimilar to other stringed instruments, all ten strings are tuned inside one octave, creating a narrow tonal range. The tuning of the charango is done using five pairs (or courses) of strings, normally tuned GCEAE. Charanga referred to an orchestra that is out of tune, or a type of military music played using wind instruments.Īlso, some believe the origin of the word was crafted from the corruption of the Spanish word Quechua to “Chajwaku.” Chajwaku means noisy and boisterous in reference to the sound produced. There is another suggestion that links the name to the Spaniards, claiming that charango was an alteration of the Spanish term charanga. There is a suggestion that the instrument got its name from the people playing it who were known as charangeros, which means a person of questionable character and poor morals. The origin of the name is not clearly identified. The final theory claims that when the Spaniards colonizers prohibited the natives from playing their ancestral music, the charango was an attempt to create a lute that could easily be hidden under the native’s garments. This theory is yet to be proven, however. The introduction of the charango in Potosi was as a result of migration within the Quechua populations, through cultural interaction it eventually spread to the larger Andean area. According to this theory, the charango initially came to Potosi in Bolivia from colonial Peru in a region known as Ayacucho. There is another theory of the origin of the charango. Therefore, using the armadillo shells as the bowl shaped body of the instrument, the charango was born. What the natives did have however were armadillo shells. The native South Americans loved the vihuela, but they did not have the technology to shape the wood like the vihuela. The vihuela is considered to be the ancestor of modern-day guitars. When the Spaniards arrived in South America, they brought with them the vihuela. The charango is a small ten-string Andean musical instrument from the lute family that originated from South America.
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