dear g�ran - your charango with the synthetic back sounds interesting - fashioned after an "ovation" guitar or ukulele, perhaps? who was the luthier - pablo richter?
to me, the charango is a lute. if it came from a vihuela or a so-called "chitarra latina" or "chitarra moresca," viola da mano, etc., etc., to me, it doesn't much matter - to me it's a lute; and, as you say, probably originating from one of the traveling kind. what kind of amplification do you use? i tend to find places with good, natural acoustics to play in but people...they are few, in such places. thanks to alex on the "classical, medieval and renaissance" bulletin board at the mandolin.cafe site, i found an ideal tuning for 5c. music on the charango: g-b-e�-a�-d��. this provides a mandola tuning in fourths and is very simple to play. it isn't too "plinky-plink", like a mandolin but high enough to bring out the warmer tones of the charango. nylgut strings help as well. i posted this before but you may find this interesting: http://www.rolandogoldman.com.ar/html/home.htm goldman is a musician from argentina and there's a sample of him playing something written for charango and full symphony orchestra. hope you find it interesting as well. let me know if you use a plectrum. tante bene cose - bill On , giu 12, 2004, at 12:20 Europe/Rome, G.R. Crona wrote: > Hi bill, > > "vihuela of the conquistadores", to me would imply that, as they had to > travel, (often arditiously) this would be a kind of early "travelling > instrument", therefore smaller in size than the normal vihuela. > Interesting > implications for the organologists! (like f.ex. today's "Martin > Backpacker" > guitars, of which I take delight in practising on the nylon strung > model > sitting on the strap...). My professional charango was made in > Argentina, > has a synthetic back and an internal mike. Thought of using it for 5 > course > music, but I think the neck is a bit too short :( Perhaps I could > take one > course away and use it to play Renaissance guitar music? But it's > probably > too short for that as well. What is the normal "mensur" of a 4 course > renaissance guitar? > > Best regards > > G�ran > > ----- Opprinnelig melding ----- > Fra: "bill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Til: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Kopi: "Lautenliste" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sendt: 12. juni 2004 02:24 > Emne: Re: a rose by any other name > > > | some charangos are made like this but mine is not - it's a > | "critterless" charango carved from solid wood. > | > | i believe it was derived from the vihuela but i've never heard it > | called "vihuela of the conquistadores" before (fabulous name!) i'm > | sure it's predecessor looked very much as it does today. > | > | regards - bill de leon kilpatrick > | > | On Venerd�, giu 11, 2004, at 20:00 Europe/Rome, Thomas Schall wrote: > | > | > Isn't a charango mage out of the armour of an armadillo? > | > I've read it would have been build after the model of the vihuela > of > | > the > | > "conquistadores" > | > > | > Best wishes > | > Thomas > | > > | > Am Fre, 2004-06-11 um 19.15 schrieb bill: > | > > | >> dear stewart - > | >> > | >> to complicate matters further, i've seen the charango referred to > as > | >> "the lute of the andes." > | >> > | >> i had a slightly larger, pear-shaped charango made for me > recently and > | >> with this "g-bead" tuning it sounds like something halfway > between a > | >> lute and a mandolin. delightful. > | >> > | >> everything is not everything...but it's hard to be precise about > the > | >> distinctions sometimes. > | >> > | >> thanks for your reply - bill > | >> > | >> On Venerd�, giu 11, 2004, at 12:51 Europe/Rome, Stewart McCoy > wrote: > | >> > | >>> Dear Bill, > | >>> > | >>> You ask an interesting question. Does turning the 3rd string of a > | >>> guitar from g to f# turn the guitar into a lute? I would say no, > | >>> because of the shape of the instrument. Although changing the > tuning > | >>> may give a guitarist access to lute music, it doesn't turn his > | >>> instrument into a lute. > | >>> > | >>> Similarly, if you tuned the 3rd course of your renaissance lute > up a > | >>> semitone, you may try having a crack at a Villa Lobos Prelude, > but > | >>> it wouldn't turn your lute into a guitar. > | >>> > | >>> So changing the tuning won't of itself change the instrument. Yet > | >>> what if I buy a large archlute in g', and retune it a tone > higher, > | >>> but with the first course or two down an octave? Does my archlute > | >>> become a theorbo? > | >>> > | >>> If I have a common or garden bass viol, and play consort music, > is > | >>> it a consort bass? If, on the other hand, I happen to use it to > play > | >>> a viol solo (reading from tablature), does it become a lyra viol? > | >>> There is some evidence to suggest that a so-called consort bass > was > | >>> larger than a lyra viol, but applying the term "lyra viol" to an > | >>> instrument is generally determined more by its function (playing > | >>> chordal music written in tablature), than a specific size. > | >>> > | >>> I have often been surprised at how important the word for > something > | >>> is. The word may even become more important than the thing it > | >>> represents. From time to time I play my theorbo in a concert. > | >>> Sometimes people ask me what the instrument is called. When I > say, > | >>> "It's a theorbo", they walk away. The word is all they need to > know. > | >>> It is almost as if by knowing the word, they fully understand > | >>> whatever is represented by that word. > | >>> > | >>> Best wishes, > | >>> > | >>> Stewart McCoy. > | >>> > | >>> > | >>> ----- Original Message ----- > | >>> From: "bill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > | >>> To: "lute society" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > | >>> Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 11:15 PM > | >>> Subject: a rose by any other name > | >>> > | >>> > | >>>> i've just been given a tuning for my charango that makes it > | >>> possible to > | >>>> play music written for the mandola (g-b-e-a-d.) it's also a > banjo > | >>>> tuning, i note. > | >>>> > | >>>> it's wonderful. > | >>>> > | >>>> at what point, however, does my charango stop being that and > | >>> become a > | >>>> mandola or a banjo? if i were to use a renaissance tuning on my > | >>> oud, > | >>>> would that make it a fretless, renaissance lute? > | >>>> > | >>>> does an instrument get its name from the sum of its parts or is > it > | >>>> tuning or contours and shape that makes it what it is? > | >>>> > | >>>> - bill > | >>>> > | >>>> > | >>> > | >>> > | >>> > | > > | > > | > > | > -- > | > > | > | > | > | > > >
