Listen to a charango here...

[Fred_Murtz]

Go to this link to listen........Estudio For Charango (http://www.hispasonic.com/mp3-genero72-tema4214.html)

South American 10 string (5 pairs) instrument tuned E A E C G high to low. The middle set of strings (E) are octave (like the 4th - 6th pairs on a 12 string guitar). The remaining 4 pairs are unison.

http://www.mindspring.com/~sukay/images/charango.gif

[ksig]

I've been playing a Charango for about 6 months now, and man are they fun. That middle low string always seems to mess with my head though. Great for taking on trips when the mando can't go, as they are so small.

[allenhopkins]

Fred -- is yours wooden, or made from an armadillo shell?

[Jonathan Reinhardt]

ahhh - charango!
thanks, Fred.
I enjoy mine (wood/modern design) and I have even learned to play it held way up high in the traditional manner!
more of you should try one.
rasa
Jonathan Reinhardt

[Fred_Murtz]

Fred -- is yours wooden, or made from an armadillo shell?
Mine is wooden.

[glauber]

The armadillo kind is for tourists.

[billkilpatrick]

for some time i've been trying to get the charango appreciated as more than just a south american instrument, suitable only for the andean repertoire ...

... it ain't been easy.

i believe that the word "charango" is merely a south american name for an andalusian instrument that traveled to the new world (in god-knows-when) and took root. if you are interested, there is some - not much, but some - iconography to support its european origin ... but it's definitely a walk on the wild side.

the charango's tuning is very similar to that of the spanish composer mudarra:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonso_Mudarra

... which is also like that of the ukulele. it's also very similar to the tuning of the lombardo mandolino or mandolino milanese.

i play mine - a beautiful, "concert" quality charango from a bolivian luthier named luis soto - as if it were a mandolin, with a pick. traditionally, it's supposed to be strummed with the fingers, in a dazzling "rasguedo", flamenco-style flourish but i think it was originally more of a vihuela - a portable vihuela ... popular with sailors and other low-lifes, bound for who-knows-what in the new world.

in any case, they're all hand made - individually or in a series - by craftsmen whose names you can pronounce; from solid pieces of wood ... and even at their least expensive ($50-something on ebay) they're wonderful, infinitely adaptable, expressive ... and above all ... "fun" instruments.

... just ask the man who owns one - bill

[Eugene]

Really, the tuning simply is mostly fourths with some reentrant elements, which is a whole lot like the tuning of a whole lot of things. #Mudarra wrote in two different tunings for things he called guitar and yet another tuning for vihuela (although all were based around fourths).

...And I know we've been through this before, Bill, but I really don't think anybody would/could disagree with you that the charango is derived from instruments that had European origins. The contention as I've perceived it is with the notion that the charango in its current form is a renaissance-era instrument: obviously derived from common earlier forms, but it no more is those things than my modern mandolins and guitars. ...And any music you care to play on it is as appropriate as you can make it sound. Enjoy!

[Fred_Murtz]

OK, all you fellow charango-ists, how do you change your strings? I thought changing mando strings required 3 hands, but I'm intimidated to try to change the stings on my charango. Seems like the way you'd do it would be to remove an old string, push the new one down through the top into the body, fish it out of the tiny sound hole, tie a knot in the end, pull it back up taunt, then secure the other end to the tuners.

Any tips on changing strings would be appreciated.

Also, I tune my charango down 1 step (D G D Bb F). I like the tone better in this tuning. Anyone else tune down?

[Jim Garber]

I play uke and the charango is essentially a uke tuning with an extra high e course. As far as strings, I have a couple of sets additional but also bought a roll of small gauge fishing line that should hold me for the upper course which is mighty thin.

Jim

[billkilpatrick]

OK, all you fellow charango-ists, how do you change your strings? #I thought changing mando strings required 3 hands, but I'm intimidated to try to change the stings on my charango. #Seems like the way you'd do it would be to remove an old string, push the new one down through the top into the body, fish it out of the tiny sound hole, tie a knot in the end, pull it back up taunt, then secure the other end to the tuners.

Any tips on changing strings would be appreciated.

Also, I tune my charango down 1 step (D G D Bb F). #I like the tone better in this tuning. #Anyone else tune down?
i tie my strings like you would on a classical guitar. it's strange that you would have a bridge with string holes drilled into the soundboard. if that's the case, then yes, you would have to do a little fishing to catch the end of each string after it's been threaded through the bridge, towards the soundhole.

tuning down presents problems only when playing with others. you might also try tuning the 1st "e-e" course down to "d-d". this gives you more flexibility when playing melody.

might be worth a visit here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Charango/

"charango" and "rasguedo" on "youtube" can produce some illuminating videos.

- bill