Looking for a Travel Guitar? Try a Charango
Guitarists are Discovering this String Instrument From South America
Jun 20, 2009
It’s fun to play a musical instrument that causes double takes every once in a while. And when the charango brings up some interesting conversation, the instrument’s colorful history and sound offer a story that doesn’t disappoint.
What Is a Charango?
A Charango is a string instrument in the lute family. They are similar in appearance to an ukulele with a small body and larger neck. Though charango’s can have anywhere from four to 15 strings, the most common style has ten strings in 5 pairs, or courses. The number of frets along a charango neck can range from five to 18.
Tuning a Charango
Charango’s are tuned in a re-entrant pattern. This means that unlike a guitar, their strings do not go from lowest to highest pitch when plucked in sequence.
Charanguistas employ several tunings, but the most popular (starting with the pair of strings closest to the musician’s head when playing) is G, C, E, A, E. These notes are all in one octave. The pair of E strings in the middle being the lowest pitch, then in ascending order, the Gs, As, Cs, and finally the Es on the end.
Both guitarists and ukulele players will appreciate the charango’s tuning. It’s G, C, E, and A string pairs are the same as a soprano ukulele. The intervals also match the D, G, B, and E strings of a guitar and baritone uke. This means chord patterns will transfer easily from one instrument to the other.
History of the Charango
Today, the bodies of most charangos are made from wood. Originally though, the native people of Bolivia and Peru fashioned the backs of these instruments from armadillo shells.
A Bolivian legend tells the story of a poor armadillo who wanted more than anything to make beautiful music. For hours, he’d sit by the pond and listen to the songs of the creatures around him. He listened to the voices of the frogs, the crickets, and a bright yellow canary. He desperately wished to sing as they did, but if he’d understood the animals songs, he’d have known they were laughing at his silly dream.
Finally, the armadillo came to the home of a wizard who took pity on him. The wizard said he could make the armadillo sing, but only at the cost of his shell. The armadillo gladly gave his life to take part in a song, and when the other animals heard the music, they agreed that armadillo had the best voice of all. It’s often said that an armadillo must go to school for five years before it can hope to become a charango.
In actuality, charangos were built by the natives of Peru and Bolivia who were impressed by the guitar-like bihuelas brought to their land by Conquistadors from Spain. These natives lacked tools that could fashion wood into the shape of a guitar body, but the shells of the strange armadillos were already crafted into a perfect resonator.
How Is the Charango Played?
Traditionally, charangos are played solo and in ensembles with flutes, guitars, and singing. Melodies played at rapid speeds backed up with chords of close harmony give the instrument a lively, harp-like sound. Charanguistas also commonly strum chords in rapid-fire procession adding a percussive feel to their music.
Guitarists or ukulele players looking for a way to stretch themselves or hoping to explore a new arena in world music may want to consider the charango. This tiny instrument travels well and has a unique sound that fully deserves its growing popularity.
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