Think you've seen everything?

[b.pat]

Ok, I'm a good ole Texas boy, but this is going to far.


Dillo - Mando (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1467&item=3743575928&rd=1)

Road-kill mando. Enough is enough!
B.Pat

[recklessmando]

Dale is going to be so disappointed that he didn''t think of this first.

[FrankenMouse]

Complete with ribs and fur?? Love it.

The only thing uglier than that back, is the top!

[billkilpatrick]

boys...boys...

what you got here is a charango. #they aren't all made with armadillo shells. #my three are all made from solid pieces of wood with a pine top; two have wooden pegs for tuning and regular gears for the third. #there's a 4c. instrument made from an armadillo shell currently up for auction on ebay germany which has a mandolin end plate but it's ugly...

charangos are normally tuned gg-cc-eE-aa-ee (bass to treble) but, thanks to a kindly, well-informed gent on the "classical..." etc. section of the message board, named alex, i tune mine gg-bb-eE-aa-dd, like a 5c. mandolino.

if you are interested in finding out more about these wonderful little instruments, i'm your man. #i don't want to sell you one but - if given the chance - i'll talk your ear off about them.

sincerely - bill

[Jim Garber]

They are a cousin of the ukulele played in the Andes. They are generally tuned in a tuning like a uke as well, meaning in fourths sim to a guitar. I got mine from a fellow named Joe Todaro in Philadelphia. His web site (http://worldfrets.com/) has quite a few examples.

Jim

[JeffS]

Hmm, next time I take out an armadillo with my Explorer maybe I should string it up.

[JGWoods]

I'm looking for a lower pitch- is there an Armadola?
gw

Hah.....Think of it, I've got one to!.....a 10 stringer.

[billkilpatrick]

the name "charango" comes from south america. # my guess it's a word in dialect that was given to a vihuela or vihuela de mano, from spain. #the dates start from around 1500 in the new world but there's existing documentation for earlier, medieval prototypes here in europe.

there's a larger, uglier (imho) charango called a ronrocco with angular bouts instead of the "classic" figure "8" and a smaller, higher pitched version called a waylacho. #one source states there are literally hundreds of possible tunings - depending on what part of south america you go to and in some cases, what region, valley or town you enter. #the traditional tuning is as i described earlier but the ronrocco is tuned an octave lower. #re-entrant tuning is european in origin and varied as well (the ukulele, originally from portugal, is just one example.)

it's traditionally played with the fingers - thumb to pick and forefinger to strum - with tremolo in different rythyms playing an important part of the south american style (although, that too may have been introduced by europeans - stringed instruments were non-existent prior to the coming of the spanish.) #i play mine with either a horn or cherrywood plectrum.

i think the charangos on the todaro site mentioned by jim are exceptionally beautiful and very reasonably priced - particularly those made by the luthier garcia. #bolivia.com is another site worth looking into as they have a wide range of instruments - cheap and ok to absolutely stunning - and represent a variety of bolivian luthiers. #the "akulele" designed by joe todaro looks to be a well made instrument. #i'd love to get my hands on one - i check ebay often - but i just can't afford another, full-price instrument at the moment. #it uses charango, one-piece construction to make a lovely 4c. ukulele. #i don't know if it (an ordinary charango) would support mandolin tuning in 5ths but if you're interested, someone else in the "classical..." section of the message board told me where one can buy charango strings adapted for 5c. mandolino tuning. #as it is, i'm too old to start confusing my fingers with 5ths and quite happy to stay in 4ths, thank you.

publicity alert! #i've tried to get the biggies on site to open up a little section for the charango but, alas, to no avail. #if you're feeling sufficiently disposed towards this wonderful little instrument and would like to attract some better informed commentary than mine, please drop them a line.

always a pleasure - bill

[Arto]

If you are interested in charangos, one nice site is here. (http://www.rumillajta.com/) Click for "charango photoalbum". One thing I like about these is the pretty wild amount of different shapes, woods, carvings etc. It´s nice to see handmade instruments that are far from "stardardized" but show individual creativity and expression. To me looking at luthier-made violins, F-style mandolins (please, no flames, please) and classical guitars is a bit boring, because they all look so similar.

There are several nice websites about charangos. Bill is more than helpful, so mail to him! And yes Bill, I have got my charango, it´s beautiful and it´s hard to imagine better value for money as this $49 for a hand-made musical instrument... (look at www.boliviamall.com or "brand new musician charango" at eBay). Now I should learn to play the thing... I know four chords this far and sound very "Andean" already, just like those Peruvian guys in the streetcorner!

best wishes, Arto

[mad dawg]

Interesting instrument. Aside from percussion instruments made with hide covers, what other music instruments are made from animals?

[danb]

heh, "Armidola".

[billkilpatrick]

i came across an instrument in an italian encylopedia of musical instruments that was made by squeezing an inflated pig's bladder between a taught metal string nailed to a piece of wood at both ends. presumably you "played" it by sawing away at the string with a bow. i mentioned it previously in the "classical..." forum in a discussion on the "historically informed performance" (hip) obsession for documentation. it, or its prototype, is probably from the stone age but i don't think you'll see it depicted on the walls of any duomo or decorating the folios of any illuminated manuscript.

i speak, however, as one who has rattlesnake rattles in his charango... something that nice boys from new york don't generally do.

- bill

[mandroid]

10 includes the DH , right? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[billkilpatrick]

what?

[Philip Halcomb]

Yep, that's a churango, I played with some dude from Peru once who played one of these, he also had a pan flute rigged up in a harmonica neck holder like bob dylan, so he could get his groove on playing lead over his churango rythym. It was pretty awesome though... Talented folks those Andean musicians...

[TommyK]

I'm looking for a lower pitch- is there an Armadola?
gw
I think it's called an Terradola. As it's made from a Snapping Turtle shell (terrapin) I think that ROCK band lead by Bam-bam Rubble had one in it.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif
Although, if a Armidillo shell works, why not a turtle shell?
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[TommyK]

Okay Billkillpatrick:
I've looked at some of the links and none have animal shells. #So, I gather that an animal shell does not a charango make. (although there is one made from a cattle horn)
My question is, what is the difference between a charango, a vihuela and a ukelele and a spanish guitar (other than size)?
Bracing?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[billkilpatrick]

dear tommy k -

now that's a very interesting question - one i'm trying to answer.

a charango, a vihuela, a ukelele and a spanish guitar are all related cordophone instruments but each evolved in a different way and at a different time. there's a debate currently on the lute list which is centered on a 5 or 6 course antique instrument that could be either a vihuela or a baroque guitar - depending on what you make of an additional hole that was placed in the peg board. to some, this hole makes all the difference in the world.

wierd, i know ...

the short answer is they're all different and they're all the same - depending on size, number of strings, where it came from and - most important of all - which expert you happen to be listening to.

there's some interesting material on the origin of the charango over on the yahoo charango group site (there's two of us so far, martyn and myself, and you're more than welcome to join.)

sincerely - bill