South America

This page contains most countries of South America :
Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile.

For the other countries of America see : Central America/Caribbean or North America.

Remember that many instruments are played all over the continent (not just in the countries I have put them here), and because they are locally made, you may find quite a lot of variety in shape and even in the number of strings.

For lots of information, especially about the different tunings of all Central and South American instruments, see Pacoweb. (??)

The cuatro is the national instrument of Venezuela, and of course it is so called because it has 4 strings. Other names are : guitarra pequeña, guitarrita, guitarilla.
There are similar instruments with five (cinco) and six (seis) strings (see further on).
The cuatro is also used in part of Colombia. On the Dutch island Bonaire it is called kuarta, quarta or kwarta.

In Venezuela there are two different kind of cuatro, used and produced in different parts of the country :
In Lara State the cuatro Larense and in Sucre State the cuatro Cumanés.
- The cuatro Larense is usually a bit more expensive and used professionally. It does not have much decoration : often only the rosette around the soundhole.
- The cuatro Cumanés has often more marquetry decoration : like different coloured pieces of wood on both the front and the fingerboard.

The cuatro is made like a small guitar, with a flat back. The top of the front (above the middle of the soundhole) is protected by a thin layer of darker wood.

The fingerboard is flush with the front and has metal frets. The length of the neck is depending on the number of frets : 14, 15 (the usual number), 17, 19 or 22 frets. There are no frets on the front. So while the scale increases, the body keeps the same size.

The tuning head is either a flat peghead (on the cheaper models), with 2x2 tuning machines from the back, or (now more standard) like a guitar : a double slotted open peghead with two tuning machines on both sides.

The 4 nylon strings run to a flat bridge (with nut), which is glued to the front.
Tuning is guitar-like, but with octave jumps (re-entrant) : a d' f#' b. This tuning is used for all sizes.

Playing is strumming chords for accompaniment - often with a special rhythmic effect, achieved by damping the strings with a combined action of the palm and nails of the right hand, leaving a rhythmic dry noise.


See for the history : Cuatro (in Spanish).

The bandola is another Venezuelan instrument, with a typical pear shaped body. It is a melodic instrument. It comes in two different types : the bandola llanera ("from the plains") and the bandola oriental (see under). The last one can be further divided in the bandola central and the bandola guayanese. These bandolas are also used in some areas of Colombia.

The bandola llanera (with 4 single strings) is the most popular. It is made like a guitar, with a flat back, and the top half of the body running almost parallel to the neck. The top of the front (from above half the round soundhole) has often a layer of darker veneer (like the cuatro).

The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The flat tuning head has 2x2 tuning machines. The 4 nylon strings run to a glued bridge on the front.

The 4 nylon strings are often tuned : a d' a' e".

It is usually played with a plectrum.

In Colombia exists an instrument which is also called a bandola (see further on), but which is a type of bandurria, with many strings. In Venezuela this instrument is called bandola andina.

The bandola oriental is often quite similar to the bandola llanera. However the number of strings is different : it has 4 double strings (like a mandolin). This type of instrument is further divided in a bandola central and a bandola guayanese - called after the different regions where they are played. These two usually have metal strings, while in the pure "oriental" (the east) they prefer nylon strings.

In some regions slightly different body versions exist, like the example : with a square body top and a smaller extra soundhole, and with the 4 double courses made of nylon. The entire instrument is painted brown.

The tuning of the bandola oriental is often like a mandolin : gg d'd' a'a' e"e" , but many different tunings are in use.
The tuning of the bandola central is usually : ee' aa dd' gg' (like a guitar).
The tuning of the bandola guayanese is : gg' dd' a'a' e"e" (like a mandolin).

Playing is the style of Jorope, a kind of rhythmic form in 6/8, which is different in the three different regions.

Note :
In Trinidad and Tobago a similar bandola with 4 double courses is used, which is called a bandol.

In Colombia exists an instrument which is also called a bandola (see further on), but which is a type of bandurria, with many strings. In Venezuela this instrument is called bandola andina.

Besides the cuatro and bandola Venezuela has another type of small guitar, with different numbers of strings - the first number (in Spanish name) gives the total number of strings, and the second number gives the number of courses : cinco cuatro / cinco / seis cinco /seis / cinco y medio.

They are all of the type "monterol", with a narrow bridge over the full width of the front. These instruments are made like a normal small guitar, with a flat back. However the back and the front sticks a few mm over the side. The neck has a fingerboard, slightly higher than the front, with metal frets.
The flat tuning head has friction pegs from behind, and an extra strip of veneer between the pegs. The nylon strings run to a square bridge (glued to the front), which is as wide as the soundboard at that place.

The arrangement and number of strings gives the instrument its name :

These instruments are popular in the area of Llana, but I am told that the "y medio" type is now rather out of fashion (see under). For lots of information about Venezuelan cuatros and family see Cuatro (in Spanish).

The example instrument is a seis cinco : the 4th course is double (in octaves).
Tuning could be : e aA d' f# b

A cinco y medio is a slightly smaller type of guitar with a different number of strings : a cinco with five nylon strings, plus a short one ("medio" = half) from the heel of the neck.

The instrument itself is made like the cinco and the seis (see above), with the bridge over the full width of the body. The difference in these folk instruments is principaly the size; the instruments are : the sexto (six string) biggest (not on Pacoweb pages); the cinco (smaller than sexto); the medio cinco (smaller than cinco) and the cuatros.

This kind of instrument is rarely played anymore, and mainly only in a little region of Lara State, called El Tocuyo. And not even all the time, but mainly during the "Tamunangue", folkloristic music for a traditional religious celebration.

The cinco y medio and cuatro y medio are not essential for Tamunangue. There are 2 sizes for the cinco y medio and cuatro y medio : the Sanare ("little town") style (in Pacoweb pages) and the El Tocuyo style. The Sanare style has no double strings and the normal tuning is like an extended cuatro : 5 strings+half. The El Tocuyo cinco y medio has also 5 strings, but with only 4 courses; the lowest is an octaved pair (it is called a requinto on Paco web).

Tuning of the Sanara style cinco y medio could be : e a d f'# b' (e'),
and of the El Tocuyo style cinco y medio : a'a d f'# b' (e').

The above information is provided by LeLuthier. The example instrument is a cinco y medio in El Tocuyo style, and so has one double course. As this instrument is now quite rare, it had to be specially made for me.

In Brazil the classical guitar is very popular, but as they speak Portuguese in Brazil, they call it violão, like in Portugal. The name guitarra is also used, but mainly for electric guitars. For guitar-like instruments with the name viola see further on.

The violão is used for choros music, with bossa novas, etc. Famous players are /were Baden Powel, (Antonio) Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, etc. This music is well-known for using complicated chords and rhythms.

To make it easier to use (deeper) bass notes, the addition of a (low) 7th string became popular and now most Brazilian brands of instrument factories (Rozini, Giannini, etc.) make 7-string instruments, known as violão de sete cordas ("guitar with seven strings"). These instruments are the same size as the normal classical guitar, but with 4 tuning machines on the left side of the tuning head, and a wider neck.

The 7th string is usually tuned to B', making the tuning : B' E A d g b e'.
Some players use a C for the low string.

violas of Brazil

The viola is the steel-strung guitar of Brazil, similar to the violas in Portugal. It is slightly smaller than a classical guitar, and has five double metal courses.
It has several different names, like viola de dez cordes ("guitar with ten strings") or viola sertaneja (see further under).
Like in Portugal the Brazilian viola comes in several different types, depending on the region it is used. See under for some examples.

Playing is either just strumming a few simple chords, or complicated rhythms with occasional damping of the strings. Often only the thumb is used for picking, sometimes with a thumb pick.

The viola caipira is made like a slightly smaller and often slender guitar (looks a bit old fashioned), with a flat back. The same viola may also be called viola sertaneja - depending on the region it is used.

The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front. The tuninghead is either flat with tuners from behind, or a double slotted open pegbox, with five tuning machines on both sides. Some makers adjust the frets on the third course to get a more exact intonation.

The 10 metal strings (in 5 courses) run to a flat guitar bridge, glued to the front.

There exist a dozen different tunings for the viola, but often the tuning is open, for easy playing, like : aA d'D f#'f# aa d'd'.

The viola caipira is used in many different styles of Brazilian country music.

Note that on Cape Verde they use a different "viola de dez cordas".

One of the most famous solo players on the viola is Roberto Corrêa, who also wrote some courses for it (in Portuguese).

The viola nordestina is the viola, used in the NE of Brasil. It is usually similar in appearance as the viola caipira, so it has (like all violas) 5 double metal courses and is slightly smaller than a guitar. It is there also known as viola sertaneja - after the country music style it is often used for.

But in this area also another type of viola is popular : the viola dinamica. This viola ("Dinamica") is a specific Brazilian kind of resonator guitar, originally developed and made by the Brazilian guitar factory of DelVecchio, separate from the dobros and triolians in USA. See the details of the guitar-type Dinamica on the steelguitar page.

After DelVecchio stopped production, the Brazilian factory Rozini for some years made a kind of Dinamica-style viola under the name "Viola Vibrante". Nowadays the "dinamica" resonator violas are only custom made by luthiers.

There exist dozens of tunings for the viola, but often the tuning is open,
like : aA d'd f#'f# aa d'd'. Or the "naturel" : guitar-like : aA d'd g'g bb e'e'.

The viola nordestina is mainly used in the Sertaneja music - a kind of Brazilian Country music, played in the North East of Brazil.

viola repentistas

In the area of Olinda (NE Brazil, just north of Recife) the viola nordestina is used by "cantoria de viola" : a duo of singers ("repentistas"), who each in turn improvise a song, both accompanying themselves on a viola.

Although some use the normal viola caipira or even the guitar (violão), most singers prefer to use the viola dinamica - a resonator type instrument (see above).

The original DelVecchio Dinamica had usually five soundholes on the round resonator cover, and two (often larger) in the topcorners of the front. However it seems that now the "standard" viola dinamica has ten round soundholes on the round cover, and at least two (but sometimes three) soundholes in the top corners of the front. All 14 (or 16) rosettes are now of the same size.

They usually strum on mainly one simple chord (A-maj in 5th position, with 5th and 1st course open).

In 2005 this man in Olinda offered to sell me his Delvecchio viola and I declined.... (see my own Delvecchio guitar on the steelguitar page). His viola was a Dinamica; his mate used a normal looking guitar with stringholder. Both instruments were made by the factory of DelVecchio. Some Dinamica violas had more soundholes round the bridge : we saw up to 10.

The viola machete is mainly used in the area of Bahia, so it is also known as the viola Bahia, or viola requinto. It was almost extinct, as no local makers were left to make them. Recently that situation changed, so now there are again new ones available.

The viola machete is the smallest of the Brazilian violas. It is based on the braguinha and rajão from the Portugese island Madeira. There they originally used to have the name machete (see Madeira).

Although the size of the viola machete is the same as the rajão, the main difference is that the rajão has five single strings, and the viola machete has five double courses.

The viola machete is made like the viola caipira, but with a smaller body. It often has some inlay on the soundboard, like round lines and leaves.
The soundboard is now a bit higher than the front, but the orginals were at the same level. The tuning head is usually flat, with friction pegs or mechanical tuners from the back : five on each side.

Most models have the strings end on a guitar-like bridge glued to the front, others have a loose bridge and the strings fixed to a stringholder at the end of the body.

Tuning is usually : d'd g'g c'c' e'e' a'a'.

Playing the viola machete is often (fingerstyle) arpeggios (not often strumming chords). It is used in the Samba Chuba music, with a violin and some drums.

The viola de fandango (or viola de fandanguiera) is also called the viola de caiçara.
It is mainly used in the coastal area of Vale de Ribera (SP) and Parana. In the region Iguapa it is known as the viola branca.

This viola is based on the Portuguese viola Beiroa (see Europe west), as it too has a short string, starting from a peg near the end of the neck (the "perequita"). However the body shape is more guitar-like and lacks the narrow waist of the viola Beiroa.
And while the viola Beiroa has five double strings and two short strings, the viola de fandango has usually only six strings (4 single and one double course), plus only one short string.

The instrument is made like the viola caipira, but in general it seems less varnished. The fingerboard is flush with the sound board. Often there is some inlayed (or painted or burned) decoration on the front and beneath the bridge. The size of this viola seems not fixed : there are small ("machete"), medium and large instruments.

The tuning head is usually flat (with friction tuners from behind), but some are double slotted with mechanical tuners. Some instruments have holes for 8 tuning pegs, but use less - the normal number is six. The original shape of the flat head is with bulges on both sides and a darker (or lighter) patch in the middle.

The bridge is glued to the front, and usually has some decoration on both ends. It is the only one of the Brazilian violas that has an extra separate nut in front of the bridge - like most Portugese violas. In general it has a quite similar look as the violas from Portugal.

The stringing of the viola de fandango is apparently quite variable :
- with 4 strings : no short string, four single strings - only used for the "machete".
- with 5 strings : a short string, four single strings.
- with 6 strings : no short string, one double course*, top four strings single.
- with 7 strings : a short string, one double course*, top four strings single.
- with 7 strings : no short string, two double courses, top three strings single.
- with 8 strings : a short string, two double courses, top three strings single.
* = usually the lowest course (fifth) is double, but it could also be the fourth.

Example of the most common tuning : (a") / d'd g c' e' a.

Playing the viola de fandango is usually strumming, to accompany a (localy made) three-string violin and percussion for dancing on fandango music.

The viola de Queluz is like a viola caipira, but originally with twelve metal strings in five courses. The two lowest courses are triple, the other three double.

This type of viola was made in the small town of Queluz, by some families of crafsmen. Due to the decline in demand, around the 1970 they made the last one. Recently this type of violas was rediscovered, and became popular again in the state of Minas Geraisare, mainly in the city of Conselheiro Lafaiete (previously called Queluz).

Originally the fingerboard was flush with the sound board, but modern ones may have the soundboard slightly higher. The neck looks relative short, joining the body at the 10th fret.

The tuning head is usually flat with wooden tuning pegs or machine tuners from behind.
The strings end on a bridge, glued to the front. It has often upturned endings.
The viola de Queluz was famous for its rich inlay decoration on the front.

Tuning could be similar to the viola caipira, like : aaA d'd'd f#'f# aa d'd'.

Nowadays often the normal 10 string version of the viola caipira is used.

In the province of Mato Grosso (in South West Brazil) this remarkable instrument is in use. It is there even promoted as "national instrument", although it is unknown anywhere else in Brazil.

The viola de cocho is carved from one single piece of (light)wood (the body, neck and tuning head), and hollowed out. A thin piece of light wood is glued to the front. A similar but darker wood is used for the fingerboard (flush with the front) and a veneer glued on the peghead, which bends slightly backwards. There is no soundhole.
The instrument is left plain : no varnish at all - so it looks unfinished. The top of the body used to be more rounded, but the latest models seem to be with a sharper curve.

At most 3, but usually only 2 frets are used (the 2nd and 3th). The frets are made out of animal guts, tied-on, but also glued with wax. It has 5 friction pegs from behind. The 5 (now nylon) strings run to a square bridge glued to the front.

The tuning is either g d e a d' , or : g c e a d' .

The sound is indeed what you expect : soft and dull...

See for more information Viola-de-Cocho (in Portuguese).

picture from the CD of viola music by Roberto Correa.       Both the viola of mr. Roberto Correa and the example instrument are made by Mr. Manoel Severino de Moraes in Cuiaba, one of the few makers of the viola de cocho. Pity I did not have time to visit him when I was in Cuiaba in 2005.

The Brazilian cavaquinho has the same string length as its cousin the ukulele or as the Portuguese cavaquinho, but it looks much bigger because of the much wider body.
The name is usually shortened to "cavaco". It is also available in a banjo-model.

The instrument is made (and looks) like a small (spanish) guitar, only with 4 metal strings. The tuning is usually d' g' b' d''.

It is used in all kinds of Brazilian music, either by strumming or picking.

a cavaco in banjo-model, very popular around Rio de Janeiro, to play pop samba     (picture from eBay)

This is just a normal size flat back mandolin, but with the Portuguese name bandolim.

The typical Brazilian shape resembles much the Portuguese Guitarra.
Some are made with 5 double strings.

The guitarra baiana ('Bahian Guitar') is basically a solid body electric mandolin. It has 4 or 5 single courses, with the string-length similar to a cavaquinho or a bandolim.

The guitarra baiana evolved from the strange looking "pau elétrico" ("electric log") around 1940 in Salvador, Brazil, at the same time as Les Paul and Leo Fender were developing the first solid body electric guitar in USA.

By the mid 1970s, when the "cavaquinho elétrico" became popular among Brazilian Pop musicians, they adopted the name guitarra baiana. Nowadays they are made like small electric guitars - in any possible shape.

The usual tuning is like a mandolin : g d' a' e'', or with 5 strings : c g d' a' e''.

The guitarra baiana is mainly used to play an instrumental musical style called 'Frevo' during Bahian Carnival, usually using a moving truck as stage for the band, known as 'Trio Elétrico'. These groups are still called like this, even if there are more musicians.

right : the difference in size with a normal guitar.

The Brazilian guitar-factory Giannini makes a special shaped guitar : the craviola. The name comes from the cravo (harpsichord) and the viola (the ten-string Brazilian guitar). The instrument is designed in 1969 by guitar-player Paulino Nogueira. The name and shape are patented by Giannini.

Craviolas are made in 6- and 12-string versions, and with both steel or nylon strings. Basically they are made like normal guitars, but the left side of the body is half pear shaped, and the right side follows a flowing line that gives a better hold on your knee. The soundhole is straight on the top, where it joins the end of the fingerboard.

Although mainly used in Brazil, these instruments are now also available on the international market.

See for the different Craviola models the website of Giannini.

The Colombian tiple (pronounced "tea-play"), or tiple Colombiano, looks like a normal classical guitar (only slightly smaller), but with 12 metal strings, divided in 4 courses of 3 strings.

The tuninghead is traditionally double slotted (like a classical guitar), but nowadays it may be flat, with mechanical tuners from behind (six on each side). The strings run to a guitar-like bridge, glued to the front. The tuning is like the four top strings of a guitar, but without real bass strings: d'dd' g'gg' b'bb' e'e'e'. The tiple is mainly used for strumming chords. Right : a more traditional looking tiple, from BoliviaMall.com

tiple requinto

Colombia has also another kind of tiple : the tiple requinto, which usually looks quite similar. It too has four courses of three strings each, but with all strings in unison..

The tiple requinto is a bit smaller than the tiple (hence the name) and some makers make the body in the shape of a large violin. But often it will have the same shape as the normal tiple.

Some tiple requinto have only 10 strings, but most have 12.
The tuning would be : (d')d'd' g'g'g' b'b'b' e'e'(e').
Note that the first course is lower than the third.


The tiple requinto is mainly used as a solo instrument, often together with a normal tiple or with a guitar.

bandola

The Colombian bandola is in fact a bandurria (see Spain). It is sometimes called the bandola Andina Colombiana, and it is also played in parts of Venezuela.

The bandola is made like a guitar, with a flat back and the body shaped like a pear. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The tuninghead is slotted with the machine tuners equally divided on both sides.

It has 6 metal courses, which run over/through a guitar-like bridge (glued to the front) to a metal stringholder at the end of the body.

Some bandolas have 12 strings (in 6 double courses, like the Spanish bandurria), but most of the Colombian bandolas have 16 strings, with the 4 top courses triple. Note that in the Philippines exists a similar looking bandurria with 14 strings.

The tuning is like a Spanish bandurria in 5-5-5-5-5 (frets/halftones) :
f#f# bb e'e'e' a'a'a' d''d''d'' g''g''g''.

For more information see Harpguitars .

Note : there is a similar named instrument (with 4 strings) in Venezuela, which is (like the Venezuelan cuatro) also used in some areas of Colombia.

detail of the bridge

The bandolin from Ecuador has a body shaped much like a bandola or mandolin, but it has 5 courses of triple metal strings, in a guitar-tuning.

The bandolin is made like a guitar, with a flat back. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The long flat slotted tuning head has 7 tuning machines on the right side and 8 tuning machines on the left side.

The 15 metal strings (in triple unison courses, with only the two lowest ones with a low octave string in the middle) run over a loose bridge to a metal stringholder on the end of the body. This makes it different from the bandurria from Peru, which has a similar body shape, but with the strings fixed to a guitar-like bridge.

The tuning is guitar-like : e"e'e" a"a'a" d"d"d" fis" fis" fis" b"b"b".

The most well-known instrument of South America is the charango, which can be found in most countries along the Andes : Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

The charango is usually made from one block of wood (body plus a large part of the neck), hollowed out. The rest of the neck with the flat pegbox is glued to it. The fingerboard is usually slightly raised to the front. Although originally with friction pegs from behind, nowadays tuning machines are used on both sides of the open tuning head.

The charango has 10 nylon strings fixed to a small glued-on bridge. Older ones may have thin metal strings.

It uses a special tuning : the 4 lower courses are tuned like a guitar, but the top course is a repeat of the third course : g'g' c'c' e''e' a'a' e''e''.

Playing a charango is usually strumming with the fingers in a strong rhythmic pattern, often interspaced with blocking the sound with the palm of the hand.

Different types of body of Peruvian charangos : - a calabas, - an armadillo, - carved wood

bandurria

In Peru (and Bolivia) they use a kind of mandolin, which is called bandurria. Although its shape resembles somewhat the Spanish bandurria (with 6 double strings), it has in fact only 4 courses. Usually the courses are with double metal strings, but often with 3, 4 or even 5 strings per course, resulting in 8, 12, 16 or even 20 strings in total. On the slotted tuning head the machine tuners are equally divided on both sides.

The body is constructed like a guitar, with a flat back. The strings are fastened to a guitar-like bridge, glued to the front.

The tuning is often guitar-like :
(for 4x 4 strings) : d"d'd"d" g'gg'g' b'b'b'b' e"e"e"e", or many other tunings.

Playing is strumming like on the charango.

left : picture from friend in Peru right : picture from Japanese website

This is the name sometimes used for a charango with the body made from the back of a small armadillo.

These charangos are often more pear-shaped. The older ones may also have friction pegs (from the back) and metal strings, with the 1st and 3th course sometimes triple.

The hualaycho is a small charango, sometimes also spelled walaycho, and sometimes also called maulincho.

In fact only the body is smaller, the string length is only slightly less than the normal charango. The sound though is much sharper.

Normal tuning : d'd' g'g' b"b' e"e" b"b" or higher.

ronroco

The ronroco is in fact a large charango, and only a quite recent invention. It used to be spelt with two RR's, so ronrroco.

The body (and part of the neck) of the ronroco is always carved from one piece of wood, hollowed out. The rest of the neck with the tuning head is separate and glued to the body. The body shape of a ronroco is not rounded, but quite square/angular, especially the bottom half. The top of the front is made of a darker coloured wood.

It has 10 nylon strings, basically tuned like a charango, but with the first and third course dropped an octave (so lower than the second course), and the two lower courses in octaves.
Normal tuning would be : g'g c"c' e'e' a'a' e'e' .

Note that a slightly smaller ronroco (but still bigger than the normal charango) exist and is sometimes called charangon or bariton charango. They often look like a large charango.

Even more recently (around the turn of the century) the Argentinian musician/ composer Gustavo Santaolalla used a short string ronroco (scale about 400-450mm) and put thicker strings on it. The tuning he used and made popular, is now known as the Argentinian tuning : d'd' g'g' b'b e'e' b'b' .
Either all strings are made of nylon and only the thickest (b) string wound, or all strings are wound.

chillador

The chillador is a charango made like a small guitar, so with a (flat) back and separate sides (instead of carved from one piece of wood).

Other names are : charango de caja, charango anzaldeño.

ranka charango

The ranka charango is a quite crummy looking charango, with a high bended back, 6 high wooden frets on a fingerboard, flush with the front. The front and back go a few millimeters over the sides. The instrument is left unvarnished ("rustic"). It is very light in weight.

It has 10 nylon strings in 5 courses, and an extra "diablito" string from a peg at the right side of the neck.
Tuning would be : d'd' a'a' g'g' c"c" g" (g"').

The ranka charango is mainly used in the area of Mizque in Cochabamba, and is made in different sizes (string length from 32 to 77 cm).

The high back of the ranka charango

There are several similar looking guitars like this one : in different sizes, with different number of strings and tunings, and with different names.

In general they are a crummy looking guitar, with about 5 (high) wooden frets, and a black painted fingerboard, alternating with unpainted bits between the frets.
The front and the back of the body stick a few millimeters over the deep sides.

Often there are tree-like decorations painted on the front near the bridge. Also the circles round the small soundholes are painted on. The entire instrument is left unvarnished ("rustic").

The example instrument is a hybrid : it has a short string (diablito) from a peg at the right side of the neck, near the body and it has 5 metal double courses.
The proper khonkhota is usually a 4 course instrument with a bit smaller body.

charanguita

The charanguita is a recently developed hybrid instrument combining a guitar with a charango. It is also called guitaranco.

Most have one body and two necks side by side (like the western double-neck guitar combination of guitar-plus-mandolin or guitar-plus-bass guitar).

Others have on one side of the body (the front side) a guitar neck and one the other side (the back side) a charango neck (back to back).
You may also see instruments with a neck on both sides of the body (so it looks like one long neck with a body in the middle). These seem difficult to balance.

hatun charango

The hatun charango is a very new instrument. It is designed by Federico Tarazona from Peru. As a classical guitar player he first altered a normal size flatback charango into a 5-course “guitar” (charango barroco), on which he played 16th century vihuela and later baroque music, like on a (small) European baroque guitar (it even got a layered rosette !).

Later he kept part of the charango-tuning and added two extra strings on the bass side, getting a 7 course instrument, with single strings, except the 3th course which is double (in octaves).

For some reason the two extra bass strings have a slightly longer scale, so all the frets for these two strings had to be separate from the main frets. Most builders now have (quite practical) abandoned the different scales and keep all strings the same length. This model is called the hatun charango (although sometimes also his first 5-course model seems to use that name).

The hatun charango is made like a small guitar, so with build up sides and a flat back - not carved from one block of wood.

The main strings have the common string length for charangos of 37cm, while the two bass strings are 38cm. If you ommit the top string, the 6 strings are in the common guitar-like tuning (although with the top string in a lower octave).

Tuning of the hatun charango is : a d’ g’ c” e”e’ a” e”.

So far it seems mainly used to play fingerstyle “classical” guitar music on it, with harp-like effects.

For more information see the website of the designer : Federico Tarazona .

In Argentina exists an instrument which is called guitarrón (or guitarrón cuyano, or guitarrón argentino) - which is quite like a normal Spanish guitar (maybe a bit bigger), or sometimes more like a Jumbo style guitar. It is in fact a baritone guitar.

It has 6 nylon strings, but tuned with the (normally second string) b as top string, and an extra low 6th B'. So the tuning is : B' E A d f# b .

It is often used to accompany normal classical guitars in Cuyano Music, and in Tango style music.

The tiple ("tea-play") from Chile is quite similar to the tiple of Colombia, both in size and tuning. It even may have been made in Colombia.

The tiple is made like a normal acoustic guitar - but a bit smaller. In Chile some are made with a cut-out wooden rosette in the soundhole, and often a bit more decorated than the Colombian tiple.

The tiple has 12 metal strings in 4 triple courses and is tuned like a guitar, with no bass strings: d'dd' g'gg' b'bb' e'e'e'.

example : picture from website Palmguitar, tiple with wooden rosette

This is quite a rare instrument, but very interesting. It is only used in Chile, and only as an accompaniment by so-called "poetas populares" - rural singer/composers of popular poetry.

Although the name guitarron is similar to the huge bass guitar of Mexico, this version in Chile is a normal size guitar, but with 25 (!!) strings, and most of those are quite thin.

The guitarrón chileno is build like a normal guitar, with a flat back, and high sides. The neck is quite wide and the tuning head has 3 slots to fit 3 rows of 7 tuning machines. On both sides of the neck a bit of wood is fixed to the side of the body, where another 2x2 tuning machines are fitted for the "diablito" strings. The bridge is in the shape of a half moon, with two bat-like wings extending to the top. All strings are fixed to the bridge.

The tuning is guitar-like, with 5 courses: f#' a' d'd'ddD ggggGG c'c'cC eee aaa g' b' The top 2 courses are triple, the 3th is 4-double, the 4th 6-double and the 5th 5-double. The diablitos are only occasionally struck.